Lily's Final Gift

by FlashOfFlame

Harry retrieves the Resurrection Stone and wishes that he got to know his parents before their lives were so cruelly snatched away, and a Jar of Memories that lay forgotten for several long years conveniently comes to the rescue! He gets to know his parents all right, all from Lily's point of view... But will he like what he sees? Please Read and Review! Thanks, FlashOfFlame

21. Chapter 20

Thanks for the reviews, amritap, Cassandra30 and Drew Michaels. You guys rule! :-)

Hello everyone, here is chapter twenty. Readers, please review. Thanks!

Chapter Twenty

Weekend at Liz's

"Was it really necessary for you to invite them?" whined Lily for the umpteenth time.

"Come on, Lily – they're my friends, too! Now, be nice," Liz said irritably.

It was the final week of the summer holidays. Lily was spending it at Liz's, and Mr and Mrs Huntington had graciously offered to drop her off at King's Cross, thereby saving Lily's parents a trip to London. Her mother had protested slightly, but Lily had spent most of the summer at home, and with her father on her side, her mother had finally given in with good grace.

The Evans family had visited Lily's cousin Matthew and his parents and had stayed there for about a week in July. Matthew, who had been an absolute terror during their childhood, had now become a very well-behaved boy, much to Lily's surprise. With Petunia still cold towards her, she and Matthew had bonded and warmed up considerably to each other. Matthew had spent quite some time apologising profusely for his behaviour during their childhood, and he still hadn't been able to understand how his cup had turned into a crab. He was inclined to believe that it had all been a bad dream, and while Lily laughed inwardly at the memory of that incident, she kept a deadpan expression on her face.

Matthew, she discovered, had developed an aptitude towards sports. He was only a year older, but he was half a foot taller than she was. His arms were muscly, and his tall and wiry frame made him a natural athlete. He played football; he was on his school team as a forward, and he had spent some time telling her stories about how he'd scored a few rather impressive goals, and how he was now the team vice-captain. He had asked her questions about her school, too, and she had told him as much as she could without giving him any crucial details. She had instead preferred to talk about her friends and teachers and her overall aptitude towards academics. She had had a good time with him, and they had resolved to stay in touch; however, she had told him that her school's post system was messed up, and it would be better if he sent letters for her to her parents' house first, and they would forward them to her. He had agreed with this arrangement, though he'd looked rather sceptical of her tale. She had hoped he'd believed her.

Over the course of the summer, she had gone to Marlene's and Mary's homes for tea, and had thoroughly enjoyed herself. She'd taken to Marlene's Mum, who looked much younger than her forty-seven years, due to their common interest in Potions. Mrs McKinnon was a researcher with the Magical Research and Development Office, which fell under the Department of Magical Law Enforcement; she was currently working on developing a new and powerful Healing Potion for internal injuries, and Lily had been very interested in what she was working on. Mrs McKinnon had ended up urging her to consider a career in research, as they were currently shorthanded, working against time to help St Mungo's Hospital as much as they could by developing new potions and remedies for people who whose lives were being blighted by the war. Mrs McKinnon had also told her that Marlene's Dad was an Auror, and that he was currently away on a top-secret mission.

At Mary's, she had had a lot of fun. Mrs MacDonald had the same soft amber eyes as Mary, and she had asked Lily a lot of questions. The MacDonalds still lived in Tickenham, which had been the location of an attack more than six months ago, but Mrs MacDonald told her proudly that the new laws had made sure that their home was much better protected, and that they could now take care of themselves a little better. Mrs MacDonald also told Lily that being a Muggleborn didn't mean that one would be second-class; Muggleborn witches and wizards could rise to good positions in the Ministry, too. She cited herself as an example and encouraged Lily to pursue a career she wanted without worrying about blood purity. Mr MacDonald had proven to be a jovial character, and when Mary had told him of Lily's prowess in Wizard's chess, he had immediately played with her, wanting to see for herself. It had been a difficult match, but Lily had won in the end, and Mr MacDonald had been mightily impressed.

Lily had decided against inviting any of her friends to her own house, out of fear of how Petunia would behave. Her sister had adopted a new tactic against her; she pretended as if she couldn't see or hear Lily. Hurt at first, Lily had cried herself to sleep for a few nights, before steeling herself to a new resolve; two could play this game. She had therefore acted just as indifferent towards her sister, and her parents had finally given up on the two of them. She had chosen to spend a lot of time outside the house, meeting Severus in the park where they'd first met, and sitting in the shade of the big elm tree as they did their homework. They discussed the war, to; with more reports of attacks and injuries, the summer holidays weren't exactly relaxing.

Severus had even invited her home for tea once, and it had been an evening that she didn't like to recall. Severus's house was two storeys high, situated sight at the end of a street called Spinner's end. Its interior was gloomy, but Mrs Snape made up for it by serving them delicious tea and scones. She was a slight woman, with a gloomy-looking face that seemed to be permanently set in a sullen expression. She told Lily that she'd been President of the Hogwarts Gobstones Club, and spent a few minutes going over the finer points of the game. She asked Lily about their lessons, and seemed to like the fact that Severus was friends with her; in fact, while Severus went to wash his hands, Mrs Snape told Lily that it was a good thing for her son to have a friend like her, and that she hoped Lily would always be there for him, considering that he didn't have too many friends of his own apart from a few boys in his House. Lily had warmed up to the woman after that; she clearly had her son's best interests at heart. The arrival of Severus's father had changed everything, however; he'd stumbled into the house punch-drunk, and he'd smashed at least two teacups by throwing them against the wall out of anger for inviting someone over for tea without his permission. Severus had quickly ushered her out of the house, apologizing again and again for his father's conduct, though he'd sounded irate rather than contrite.

"OK, fine," she said to Liz. "I'll be nice – but if they do any sort of hanky-panky, I won't be having it, I tell you!" she exclaimed. Liz rolled her eyes. "If they do any hanky-panky, you're going to have to get in line – you can do what you want once I'm through with them," she said grimly, and Lily laughed. It was a Saturday, and Marlene and Mary were going to come over for the weekend, along with Remus, Potter and Black. Peter hadn't been able to make it; in response to Liz's invite, he'd told her that he would be visiting relatives with his mother that weekend.

"This is so exciting – we're going to play Quidditch!" said Liz, clapping her hands animatedly. Lily snorted. "You're going to play," she corrected, "I'm just going to watch." Liz looked around at her, her sea-green eyes incredulous. "What rubbish!" she exclaimed, "We're all going to play!"

Lily's response was interrupted by the arrival of Marlene, and Mary arrived soon after. They had just begun to unpack when Remus stepped out of the fireplace. He greeted Lily with a warm hug, and Liz with an enthusiastic overhead clap. Lily supposed that Remus and Liz had become a lot closer after working on their project together. Black arrived a few minutes later, and greeted everyone except her enthusiastically; he just gave a curt nod in her direction, and she returned it, following which he paid no more attention to her, which suited her just fine. She was still angry with him about the duel, and she supposed that he was, too.

"Isn't Potter coming?" she asked in a confidential aside to Liz. "Why do you care so much?" her friend whispered back, a teasing look in her eyes. She snorted. "It's not like Black to come alone – they're inseparable, aren't they?" she said. "Well – true as that may be – James will be here by lunchtime," said Liz confidently. "His parents are coming, too – apparently, they have some important stuff to discuss with Mum and Dad."

Lily raised her eyebrows. Maybe Potter's parents being there could be a good thing. They would keep him in check… Not let him do any mischief… She sighed and shook her head as she remembered Liz's letter to her last summer. Potter's mother pampers him to no end, her friend had written…

"So, how have you been, Lily?" Remus asked from behind her, and she jumped. "Not bad," she said, smiling, "Petunia is still a pain, but I ignore her now… And I visited a few relatives over the summer, that was fun. I'm done with our homework, too," she added proudly, and he grinned with relief. "Excellent, you can help me with the History of Magic essay," he said, and she laughed.

"Of course," she said, before adding, "How's your Mum, Remus?" His brow clouded over for just a second before he smiled wryly. "She's OK, for now… But she has to take her Potion next weekend, so I'm going to be with her then – which means that I'm not going to ride the train, and I'm going to miss the first day back."

"Oh! I'm sorry, Remus," she said sympathetically, "So how will you get to Hogwarts?"

"There are ways," he said, smiling mysteriously, "How do you think I get home every month to be with Mum?" She was thrown; she hadn't really wondered how. "How?" she asked him.

"The fire in Dumbledore's office!" he exclaimed. "Fast and reliable," he added, and she laughed. "That's true," she agreed.

"Come on, you two – Quidditch!" sang Marlene from behind them. "Liz said there are about ten brooms in the shed – so hurry up if you don't want to be stuck riding the slowest one!" She bounded outside, and with a sigh, Lily began to follow her. Remus fell into step beside her. "You're not particularly fond of the game, are you?" he asked her shrewdly. She sighed. "Not really," she conceded, "I mean, don't get me wrong, I like to watch – but I'm not your typical passionate fan, you know. Give me Wizard's chess any day!" He grinned. "Yeah, we know how good you are at that," he said, his eyes twinkling, "But Pete is still better!" He laughed, and she blushed slightly. "I'm going to beat him one day," she vowed, and he smiled again as they reached the shed.

Within fifteen minutes, they were all set to play. Two trees near the beach would serve as goalposts, and Liz produced an old, worn-out Quaffle. They began to pick teams; Black and Liz were made captains, and a toss of a Knut gave Liz first pick. "Marlene," she said promptly. "I'll take Remus," said Black. Liz took one look between Mary and her, before mouthing 'Sorry' at her and saying, "Mary." Left with no option, she sighed and joined Remus and Black just as the latter said in a voice laced with irritation, "Fine – Evans it is, then." It was hard to tell whether Black was angrier than her with the prospect of them being in the same team. She decided to ignore him, and instead turned to Liz.

"Er – how do you play three-a-side Quidditch?" she asked her best friend. Liz's eyebrows went up in surprise before she let out an exclamation. "Oh, that's right, I didn't realize you haven't played three-a-side Quidditch before! It's very easy – no Beaters and no Seeker. Two Chasers and one Keeper who can join the Chasers – at the risk of leaving the goal open, that is. First team to a hundred points wins – or do you want to make it a hundred and fifty?" she added, looking at Black.

"Nah, hundred's fine," said Black, before throwing a sideways glance at her. "I don't think it'll last too long, anyway – so keep a hundred points as the target, and we can play more games." She glared at him; had he implied that with her presence on his team, they would be too weak to compete? I'll show him, she decided angrily, and mounted her broom.

"All right – you and I are playing Chaser, Remus," said Black, before turning to her, "And you, you can be Keeper – if you can manage it. Just – try not to let in too many goals, OK? That way when we eventually lose, we can at least try to lose with dignity." She bristled; she knew that she was a poor flier, but there was no need to broadcast that particular fact. She contented herself by glowering at him again, before they lined up in front of each other. Liz held the Quaffle. "On three, then," she said, "One – two – three!" She threw the Quaffle high in the air, and they all took off immediately as the game commenced.

Within ten minutes, it became apparent that their team was outmatched. Liz and Marlene moved in the air effortlessly, while Black and Remus found it difficult to match them move for move. Plus, Mary wasn't bad as a Keeper, and she made some good saves; in contrast, Lily was hesitant, unsure of herself, and whenever Liz or Marlene took a shot at her, she would make only a half-hearted attempt to save the goal, clearly a little afraid of the big red Quaffle. Black would let out a scream of frustration every time she let in a goal, and the score was soon seventy-thirty in favour of Liz's team.

"Watch the Quaffle, Evans," Black yelled exasperatedly as she let in another goal. "Eighty-thirty," Marlene sang as she exchanged overhead claps with Liz and Mary, who was regularly venturing away from the tree which served as the goalpost, assisting Liz and Marlene rather efficiently. "I'm trying, Black, but I'm not a good Quidditch player – you'd notice that if you stopped shouting for one minute!" she yelled back at him, incensed. "Woah, temper, temper," said Remus, trying hard to keep the peace. Black scowled at her. "You're not a good player, that doesn't even begin to cover it. You're the worst player I've ever played with!" he screamed, his face red.

"Fine!" she shouted, her cheeks flaming. She turned away to hide the sudden tears that had come in her eyes. He was so unkind! "You lot play – I'm out!" Then, before anyone could stop her, she shot off towards the ground. She landed heavily, but she didn't care; she was shaking with rage and hurt. She hated not being good at something, and she hated the fact that someone like Sirius Black could make her feel so bad about herself. Ignoring Liz's cries of 'Lily – wait!' she began to stalk quickly towards the house, her tears threatening to spill at any moment. She was so frustrated that she didn't even notice where she was going, and promptly bumped into someone as she made for the house.

"Woah, watch where you're going, Evans!" said an all-too-familiar voice, and she looked up into the hazel eyes of James Potter, just as his hands quickly stopped her from falling backwards. "Where are you going – the Quidditch field is that way, come on!"

She quickly stepped backwards and shook herself free from his grip. He was absolutely the last person she'd wanted to see. "No, thanks – I don't want to do something I can't," she snapped. She didn't even know why she was being rude to him; he'd just broken her fall, and he'd asked her a simple question. Then she remembered the duel once again, her doubts whether he'd been lying at the time, and she felt angrier than ever.

"Oh, come on – anyone can play Quidditch!" said Potter dismissively, and grabbed her arm. Unsurprised at his firm grip, she shook her arm out of his hand, and said to him dangerously, "Don't tell me what to do, Potter." But before she could say anything else, the others caught up with them.

"Lily!" exclaimed Liz immediately. "Come on – don't get all hot and cross – it's just a game!"

"Tell that to him," she jerked her neck in Black's direction, "He thinks it's a war, no less – he's too stupid to understand that some people aren't good at everything!"

"I only said that you stink at Quidditch," snapped Black, "And tell me, what's false about that? It is what it is!"

Enraged, she yelled at Liz, "See? This is why I didn't want to play! You lot can't keep tempers out of it!"

"It's a bit ironic that you're the one saying it," said Black dryly, but with his eyes narrowed. She rounded on him instead, but before she could say a word, Potter stepped in. "Hey, enough, Sirius. What're the teams you lot are playing with?" Black scowled at his best friend before saying grudgingly, "Hunt, McKinnon and Mary – versus me, Remus, and her." He shot her a glare as he spoke, and she returned it, the tears in her eyes long gone.

"And what's the score?" Potter asked. There was a pause, following which Marlene said, "We're leading – eighty to thirty. First to hundred wins," she added.

Potter seemed to think for a minute. "Well, how about this?" he said finally. "I play with Sirius and Evans, and Remus joins you – we can pick up where you left off." Black looked at him incredulously. "You're kidding, right? It's eighty-thirty – and we were getting hammered before you showed up! Why can't Remus play with us, eh?"

"Because there'll be imbalance," Potter replied promptly. "Have faith, Sirius." Turning to her, he said, "Come on, Evans – let's play!" She glowered at him again. "I thought I was clear before, Potter," she said roughly, "I don't want to play! You lot can have fun!"

"But if you don't play, there are no balanced teams!" Potter exclaimed. "Come on, Evans – play for the rest of us!"

"Yeah, come on, Lily," said Remus mildly, and Mary and Marlene nodded and smiled.

"Please, Lily?" said Liz beseechingly, and that did it. With an exasperated sigh, she said, "I'm going to regret this. Fine, I'll play." Liz and Mary cheered, and they all trooped back to the field.

"I'm warning you, Potter," she addressed him, "I can't play Quidditch – so don't blame me if I let in any more goals. As it is, they're only twenty points away from a win – so there's not really much we can do about it. Incidentally, why did you want to pick up from where we left off? I mean, why not start a new match altogether – with me watching from the sidelines?" she added hopefully. Potter grinned cockily.

"Well – it's like this," he replied, "Imbalance, yes, but starting from thirty to eighty is a bit of a challenge. And challenges – challenges make life interesting." She looked at him in disbelief, and he continued, "Besides, I don't think you need to worry about being a bad Keeper. You're not going to get a chance to even get a hand on the Quaffle!"

Unsure at what he meant, she kicked off from the ground as the game recommenced. Within five minutes, however, she realized why Potter wasn't worried. He was so good – so good, that he scored seven times, bringing the score ninety-eighty in their favour. Black whooped and clapped as Potter scored yet another goal, and with them reaching a hundred points, the game was over. She shook her head dazedly as she made for the ground where Potter and Black were celebrating their win, as the rest of her friends looked on dejectedly; it was as if they didn't know what had hit them.

"That was – brilliant, Potter," she said softly to him, and he grinned lopsidedly. "I told you that you're not going to even get the Quaffle in your hands!" he exclaimed, and held up his hand for an overhead clap; she hesitated, then clapped it with her own. She couldn't help but remember the last time she'd met him – they had both been rude to each other, and it looked like he was ready to bury the hatchet.

"Yes, you did," she agreed, smiling slightly. It felt good to win a game she was an utter mess at, even if it was admittedly through none of her doing. Then again, Quidditch was a team sport, wasn't it?

"Well played, you lot," said a voice from behind them, and she turned around to see Liz and her team standing there. Handshakes followed, and Liz said, "Well, that's why you wanted to join these two, huh, James? You just can't resist showing off!" Potter had the grace to look a little abashed, but his hazel eyes twinkled as he said, "You know me too well, Hunt! And besides – what's the harm in showing off, as long as you're good at something?"

Liz rolled her eyes, but before she could retort, there was a small crack and Minty the house-elf appeared next to them. "Master and Mistress would like Miss Liz and her friends to join them for lunch," said the elf in her high and squeaky voice, bowing to Liz as she spoke. "Right," replied Liz, "Go and tell Mum that we'll be there in twenty minutes, Minty – we're all hot and sweaty, and Mum won't like it if we come to lunch like this, smelling like old dirty socks – especially Black here."

"Hey!" said Black indignantly, just as the elf bowed once more and Disapparated with another crack. "I'm not the only one who's sweating! We all played!" Black added, looking at Liz, who stuck her tongue out at him. "Be that as it may, Black, but you sweat the most, and you stink the most, too! What did you have for dinner last night – dead animals?"

Potter and Remus burst into loud laughter as Black spluttered something incoherent. The girls joined in, and Liz slipped her arm around Lily's shoulders. "Come on, then – quick showers – and then lunch!"

Half an hour later, they were all sitting around the huge dining table (Lily suspected that it had been magically expanded; it had certainly not been this big the last time she'd visited Liz). Minty served them delicious food, and they all talked happily as they ate. Lily chanced a look at the adults who were sitting at the other end of the table, where Mr and Mrs Huntington were talking seriously with two strangers, a man and a woman. One look at them told her that they could only be James Potter's parents.

The man was well-built, with untidy black hair that had a few shades of grey. He was jovial-looking but he had a ruggedness about him that indicated severe hardship; she wasn't surprised, considering that he was the Head of the Auror office, and was arguably one of the most powerful people in the Ministry of Magic. She looked at Mrs Potter, who was a slight woman, with kind eyes, shoulder-length brown hair that too, was flecked with grey, and a face completely devoid of wrinkles. She remembered Liz telling her in one of the letters that Mrs Potter was a Healer. Well, that kind face suits her just fine, she thought. Mum always said that patients always heal quicker when their doctors are nice and kind…

After lunch, Mr and Mrs Potter began to take their leave. They said hello to all the children, and stopped as they spotted Lily. "Well, dear, I don't believe we've met," said Mrs Potter kindly to her. "So let me guess – if she's Mary –" she glanced sideways to Mary, who smiled at her, "—you must be the Lily Evans our James keeps jabbering about?"

"Mum!" Potter hissed, embarrassed; Mrs Potter smiled genially, and Lily blushed slightly. It wasn't surprising that Mrs Potter knew her name, considering that she and Mary were the only ones amongst of Potter's friends there who hadn't met his parents, and Mrs Potter had already met Mary. What had Potter said about her, though?

Shaking the hand extended towards her, Lily replied shyly, "Pleased to meet you, Mrs Potter." She noted that James had inherited his mother's hazel eyes, but Mrs Potter's gaze was gentler and more caring. Mr Potter held out his hand to her as well, and said, "James talks about you all the time," he said, and she blushed as she shook his hand. "You partnered him in that Defence project, didn't you? James did say that you two won first prize mainly because of your hard work."

"Er – it wasn't just me," she said, colouring up even more, giving a sideways glance towards Potter, who was determinedly avoiding her eyes. "Potter – er, James, that is – he's much better at actually using spells than me, and he was the one who taught me all of those Jinxes –"

"Did he, now?" said Mrs Potter, with a knowing gaze at her son. "You didn't tell us that particular bit, Jamie…"

"Mum!" Potter said again, his expression a little piteous, and Black laughed. Beside her, she could see that Liz and Marlene were trying (and failing) to hide a fit of giggles, while Mary was looking at Potter sympathetically. She could relate to Potter's chagrin; parents calling children by their nicknames, in front of their friends, was always discomforting.

"Well, we must get going," said Mr Potter promptly. "It was a pleasure to meet you all again – and it was an even bigger pleasure to make your acquaintances, Mary – and Lily." She nodded and smiled at Potter's father. "Keep our James in check, OK?" Mrs Potter said, looking at her in particular. "He has a tendency to get into trouble –"

"Mum – weren't you just leaving?" said Potter, his face redder than ever with embarrassment, and Mrs Potter laughed. "Yes, yes dear – we're leaving," she said soothingly, before turning to Mr and Mrs Huntington and saying, "Margaret – Rick – always a pleasure. We'll be in touch." Mr and Mrs Huntington waved, and Potter's parents stepped into the fireplace and vanished.

"Don't pay attention to whatever Mum says," said Potter immediately, looking at them all. "She has a tendency to ramble…"

"Whatever you say, Jamie," said Liz, and they all burst into laughter as Potter flushed crimson. This is going to be fun, thought Lily mischievously…

They spent the afternoon swimming in the ocean, and later that evening they all had a cookout on the beach. After a barbecue involving chicken burgers, sausages and ham sandwiches, they all settled over the beach, resting by the side of the ocean and gazing silently at orange evening sky. Liz and Marlene opted to make a sandcastle, and Remus joined them. Black criticized the castle as unattractive, which prompted Liz to challenge him to build a better one; Mary agreed to help him, resulting in some sort of competition. She and Potter were appointed judges, and opted to watch from the sidelines as the sky began to darken around them. Pretty soon, they could see stars, but the castles were only halfway done; Mr and Mrs Huntington then consented to allow everyone to spend the night on the beach, which led to Liz and the others working with even more intensity. After a while, she began to get bored, and by the looks of it, Potter was bored, too.

"I'm going for a walk," he said, suddenly turning to her, "I can't sit still for so long. Want to come?"

She hesitated; she was bored, too, but she was wary of Potter. They had both shouted at each other the last time they'd met, and yet – today, he had played in her team, won her a match, and she'd also made acquaintance of his parents, who seemed nice enough. What was the harm in going for a small walk on the beach with him?

"OK," she said, and got up, "But not too far – it's dark."

"'Course not, Evans," he said easily, and even in the dark his eyes seemed to twinkle like the stars above them. They began to walk towards the water, away from the two sandcastles.

She had to ask him what he'd told his mother about her, she simply had to. What had he said which could result in his mother saying such nice things about her? Had he really told his parents that she had been responsible for the theory part of their project? Well, that's true, said the small voice at the back of her head. But then… All you've done is bad-mouth him in front of your parents, talking about his arrogant and bullying ways… Did you tell your parents how he taught you all those Jinxes? No, you didn't… She felt slightly ashamed of herself. There was more, much more to him than met the eye, there was no doubt about it…

"What did you say to your Mum about me, Potter?" she blurted out.

Even in the relative darkness she could see him blush. "Oh, it's nothing," he said gruffly, "Like I said before, Mum has a tendency to ramble – don't read too much into it, Evans."

Not satisfied, she pressed him again. "Did you really tell your parents that I did all the – er, hard work?" she asked, and he sighed. "Yeah," he said shortly. It seemed from his tone that he didn't want to discuss it… And yet, he added, "It's true, after all – so what's the harm in telling the truth?"

"Easy there," she said; there was a slight edge to his voice, and she didn't want them to start shouting at each other. "Thanks," she added lamely, and he shrugged. "Whatever," he said shortly once again.

She looked at his face, frowning. Even in the dim light of the half-moon, she could see that his brow was clouded. Well, he had been the one to suggest the walk, hadn't he? So why was he being so sour now? "Is there something in particular that you wanted to talk to me about, Potter?" she inquired.

It looked like he was debating whether to ask her or not; finally, he turned to her and burst out, "Why didn't you believe me?"

Completely thrown, she said, "I don't know what you're talking about. Believe you, when?"

"You know," he said brusquely, "That – that day. When you and I duelled each other with Sirius and – and Snivellus." He spat out the last word, and she felt her temper rise. "Don't call him that," she snapped, but he waved his hand dismissively. "I don't understand you, Evans. Why would you ever think we were lying to you? Why didn't you stop to consider that he attacked us first?"

She paused. It was a valid question, after all; she had had only Severus's word that he'd been the one to get attacked by Potter and Black. She remembered her indecision, and the earnest expression in Potter's eyes as he'd spoken to her, imploring her to believe him… Aloud, she said, "Look, Potter – history is against you – you've always attacked Severus with your friends – especially with Black, whom I can't stand at all – so why would you think I'd believe you before Sev?"

He looked directly into her eyes. "Because I haven't lied to you, Evans. I never lied when we worked on our project together, I never lied about my feelings towards Sniv – Snape. Why would I lie to you then? I'm not a coward – I don't need to lie to save my skin – unlike your so-called friend," he added with a sneer. "Git," he spat, and she felt her temper rise once again.

"Look, Potter – he's my friend, so why would he lie to me?" she asked, fighting to keep the irritation out of her voice. Potter looked at her as though she were mad.

"Because – he is a git! He's a lying, cowardly, slime mould, and he will say and do anything to save his miserable skin!" he burst out loudly, and she struggled to contain her anger. He was really making it difficult, insulting Severus again and again.

Potter seemed to regret his loss of temper. "Look, I don't know why you are friends with him, it is none of my business. But because you are friends with Liz and Remus, I feel that it's my duty to tell you. Be careful regarding Snape. If he can lie to you so convincingly, he can do a lot more damage to you… And I'm looking out for my friends here – and for you, as well. Be wary of him."

She stared at him, astonished. Did he know something about Severus that she didn't? She couldn't understand him; one minute he was this noble, chivalrous and loyal person, and the next he was an arrogant bully who had nothing good to say about one of her best friends. Nevertheless, she said sardonically, "I think I know Severus better than you, Potter. So I don't think there is anything shifty about him."

Potter shrugged. "Suit yourself. But don't say that I didn't warn you."

She felt uneasy once again. What did he mean by that?

"Now, come on – I think the others are done by now, so let's go back," suggested Potter, and not sorry for an excuse to not have his company any more, she nodded and followed him back to the sandcastles. After ten minutes of careful judging, she and Potter announced Liz and her group as winners, telling Black that there was a close competition only because of Mary's artistic talent; otherwise, Liz's group would have won hands down. They settled onto the mattresses atop the soft sand, and tired with the day's activities, they all fell asleep rather quickly, except Lily… She lay awake for at least an hour more, thinking about what Potter had said. What was it about Severus that irked these boys? Why were they so mean to him?

They all woke late on Sunday morning, and one by one, everyone except Lily left, thanking Mr and Mrs Huntington for a wonderful weekend. Lily remained; she was going to stay there until the end of the summer holidays, and take the train with Liz and her parents. She decided to speak to Liz about what she thought of Potter's words, as soon as they were alone…

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"We're almost there," Liz announced. Lily looked out of the compartment window to realize that her friend was right; there was a dark shape straight ahead, dark against the reddish evening sky. She felt a supreme pang of happiness: it was her home away from home, and she was at Hogwarts once again…

She reflected upon the last week at Liz's. She'd wasted no time in telling Liz what Potter had told her, and her best friend had agreed with his assessment of Severus; Liz, too, felt that they should be wary of him. Lily had tried to defend Severus, but Liz had cut across her by saying that just like she had Severus's word about what had really happened that day, Liz herself had the word of Potter and Black, who were her friends. Liz had concluded by saying that because they only had the word of only their friends, they were at an impasse, and that it would be better to not discuss it until they had more concrete evidence from either side. Lily had grudgingly agreed.

Following the debacle with the Quidditch game, Lily had begged Liz to teach her a few basics of flying, so that she wouldn't make such a fool of herself the next time they all played. Liz had nodded sympathetically, and all week, she had trained Lily with a few basic moves such that until the end of the week, Lily could at least say with conviction that she no longer lacked the confidence to fly on a broomstick. "Well, you're no Catherine Harmison," said Liz one day (Catherine Harmison was apparently a Chaser of such prodigious talent that the Holyhead Harpies had signed her for the first team itself, just after she'd graduated at the end of last year), "But you'll be fine when we play next time." Her heart had lightened considerably when her friend had said that.

They had departed from London at eleven o'clock that morning, and had spent most of the day discussing the war; Lily had noted that there had been a lull in the attacks for the time being, and had wondered if it was because of the new law that had been passed last year. Liz had seconded that reasoning, and Marlene had provided some more information: her Dad had been on a top-secret mission that had ended in victory for them, which was a clear setback for the dark side. Marlene had overheard this in a conversation her Dad had had with her Mum. A little relieved, Lily hoped that the Ministry would win the war one day.

An hour later they were all seated at the Gryffindor table. She waved to Severus as she saw him head to the Slytherin table on the far side of the room; he waved back, a smile on his thin face. She hadn't been able to meet him on the train that day, but she was hoping that they could sit together and study starting from this week itself. She looked up at the staff table and saw two unfamiliar faces; a petite witch with elbow-length blond hair, and another strongly-built witch with a greying hair and a hard expression.

Professor McGonagall led a long line of first-years into the Hall, just as Potter, Black and Peter took seats ahead of them. Potter at once sent a cocky smile in her direction. "All right, Evans?" he asked, and she nodded to him curtly before turning away and engaging Mark in conversation instead.

Professor McGonagall began to shoot scorching looks at various talking students, and all chatter ceased. The Sorting Hat burst into a new song, warning them about the dangers that lay outside the castle and imploring them to remain united. The Sorting ceremony began with "Ackerman, Charles!" who was sorted into Gryffindor; Lily and the others clapped loudly as Charles Ackerman joined their table. He grinned broadly as he took his place.

"Black, Regulus!"

Lily's attention immediately went back to the Sorting Hat as she heard the familiar name, and the hat shouted, "Slytherin!" A black-haired boy walked off to the Slytherin table, looking a little unsure of himself. His resemblance to Sirius Black was uncanny, so she immediately asked Black, "You never mentioned your brother was joining this year – you never even mentioned you had a brother!"

He said, "I don't see why it's your business, Evans – and besides, Reg is a complete Mummy's boy, always more obedient to my parents – he believes in their philosophy of blood purity, the idiot." Lily nodded slowly; there was more anguish than anger in Black's tone, and it was obvious to her the Black and his brother must have been closer when they were younger, and Black getting Sorted in Gryffindor would have been one of the reasons his relationship with his family deteriorated. Well, she could certainly relate; she too had annoying family members, though admittedly her parents loved her very much. She turned her attention back to the Sorting, just as "Martin, Donald!" became a Gryffindor. She clapped again as Donald Martin joined them; he was a tall boy, with brown hair and blue eyes full of mischief. "This is grand!" he said, examining the gold forks and spoons in front of him. "Mum and Dad still think this is a dream – so I better send them a letter by owl just to reassure them that it is real!"

"Are your parents Muggles, then?" Liz asked him immediately, and he nodded. "That's right… Professor McGonagall came to my house herself a few months ago. Said I'd be coming here… Believe me, I'm not sorry to leave my old school, I was in trouble every week – I couldn't explain how some odd stuff went down around me, see? But then Professor McGonagall explained why," he added, beaming. "I'm sure she did," said Liz, grinning back at him.

In front of her, Potter groaned, "Hurry up – I'm hungry!" She shook her head as the Sorting continued; a few more students joined them. Finally, "Yves, Bernard!" became a Hufflepuff, and the Sorting ceased. Professor McGonagall took the Sorting Hat and the stool away, before returning to the Great Hall. Professor Dumbledore stood up and said, "Welcome, new students! Welcome back, old students! Let the feast begin!"

"Yeah, that's it!" shouted Black as the plates in front of them filled with food. She ate hungrily, talking to Mark and Jane about how their respective summers had been. Finally, as the last bits of pudding cleared, Professor Dumbledore stood up once again. "We have a few more announcements before you all march off to bed. I am pleased to welcome two new teachers this year – first, please welcome Professor Emily Walcott, who has agreed to fill our vacant Defence Against the Dark Arts position." The petite blond haired witch stood up and gave a tiny wave; Lily could see that she was rather beautiful, with high cheekbones and clear-cut features. Liz nudged her and whispered, "Look at Potter and Black!" She obeyed, and was astonished to see them stare at the new teacher with open mouths and unfocused eyes; it looked like they were ogling her. "Hey – she's years older than you two, so no doing anything stupid!" Marlene hissed at them, and they turned to her, still looking dazed. Peter giggled, and Potter said, "Wow – she is a looker, that one!"

"She must also be a brilliant witch – or else why would Dumbledore ask her to teach?" Liz said firmly, just as the Headmaster continued, indicating the hard-faced witch, "And this is Madam Roberta Brenner, who will be taking flying lessons and refereeing all Quidditch matches – until Madam Hooch returns from her year-long break to be the assistant coach for the Appleby Arrows. Please welcome them with a round of applause!"

As everyone clapped, Lily felt a pang of excitement. Two new teachers, she thought… In any case, I will have nothing to do with one… She hoped that this year would be even better than the other two, and that she'd be able to realize her objectives at last…

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