I certify that this work is based on the Harry Potter world of JK Rowling.

Chapter Twenty-Five

In January, Lily had feared that James would evade the town and buckle under the weight of their virtual imprisonment. However, as Lily sat sifting through Harry's baby photographs, it seemed to her that an entire life trapped in one place — or even more than a year — was far too much for the woman who had two jobs, who had fought in battle and worked as a spy.

"Dumbledore," she asked one day, "if James or I were to leave Godric's Hollow, what would happen?"

"The Dark Lord would be able to find you," he said.

"And kill me," Lily said.

"And - well," he mumbled.

Lily squinted at the wizard. When was the last time Dumbledore had mumbled? "And what, sir?"

He straightened and looked at her. "Well, he may not want to kill you."

Lily shook her head. "Why? I've killed Death Eaters - I've tried to kill him!"

"See, that's because of-"

It all settled into place. "Because of Severus." Lily looked up questioningly. "So he wants to kill my husband and my son, just"

"Just not you."

"So really, I can leave, but my husband can't?" she asked.

"Well..."

"Okay, thank you."

Lily walked the small gap between Bathilda Bagshot's house and her own. So, Severus still cared whether she lived or died? But he was okay with the death of her husband and son — her entire family. It was despicable to murder everyone she loved and then expect her to go on. But he was a head Death Eater - the head Death Eater. And this was a move for life, however small. So it was better than nothing, right? Or was it? Lily blinked. The noise around her settled into her name, over and over. James! About one thing Lily was certain. James did not need to know about this. That his old enemy wanted him dead?

"James," Lily said one day. "I think we should meet with Severus again."

James raised his eyebrows. "What, now that he's a Death Eater? Now that he will blab our location and Harry's to his new boss?"

"No, now that he has had time to think about his life."

James wrinkled his forehead. "Lily, are you feeling all right?"

"Yes," she said. She reached for a slice of bread. "Not now, later, whenever we can come out of hiding. Because eventually, we will win this war. I know it. And when the war ends, we will want him on our side."

"Fine. Send him an owl."

Lily did just that the next day. She went to Bathilda's house and sent Severus a letter. His response was the way she learned of a planned attack on Plas Newydd. Voldemort was calling her out. And Lily could do nothing but answer.

For hours, she tossed around the question: Should she tell James she was going? Voldemort didn't want to kill her, so going would be no more dangerous than the Order missions. But Voldemort did want to kill him. He would die if he followed her. And if he knew she was going, wouldn't he want to? But how could she lie to him like that? How would he ever trust her again?

At the end of it, she decided. She had to tell him. "James?"

"Yes, Lily?"

"I heard You-Know-Who is planning an attack on Plas Newydd. I have to go."

James turned around. "Lily. I know it is so important to you. But you cannot. We cannot. He is trying to kill us, see. And Harry needs both his parents."

Lily shook her head. "I still have a duty to these people. Even if I'm not Marchioness, even if I have my own world and its own problems." He opened his mouth. "And I can't just send someone. My family needs to know that when their need was greatest, I was there." Her shoulders drooped. "Like I wasn't before."

"Lily-" James said. Then he straightened. "All right. I will go with you, then."

"But it's like you said. Harry needs both his parents. I don't think something will happen to me, but You-Know-Who will kill you as soon as look at you."

"Why? Why you and not me?"

Because of Severus, Lily thought. "Because he's not scared of me, I guess. Look, if, if something does happen, Harry will still have one person to protect him when You-Know-Who comes. So you need to stay safe. Stay with him."

"Okay," James said. But it seemed almost too easy to be real. Then he thought. "What if I transfigure myself to look different? Then You-Know-Who won't want to kill me, and he'll still think I'm home with Harry."

"And who would watch Harry then? There's just the two of us here, and he can't leave the house."

"There's the cat."

Lily rolled her eyes.

"No, really, we'll just ask Bathilda to come over and watch him for a few hours."

Lily narrowed her eyes. It all made sense.

"C'mon, we have a better chance of surviving if we stick together."

Lily nodded, and it seemed like they were planning Order missions again. "Okay, to maintain the house's security, we should not Apparate directly between here and Plas Newydd. We should have an in-between location we trust - Sirius' house."

"Two, I think, for safety's sake. But one doesn't need to be that far away. We walk to the Quidditch pitch and Apparate to Sirius' house. Then to Plas Newydd."

"What about the other Order members? Are they coming?"

"I just heard about the attack earlier today. But it sounds like a big one - I should notify them, so we can have more help." She grinned. "Not that we need it."

"Okay. And what time will this be?"

"At nightfall is what I read."

"Lily." Lily gulped. "Where did you hear this? I mean, we don't know much about the outside world. Everyone else hears about these things before we do."

"James. You know how we talked about meeting with Severus? Well, I sent him an owl."

"Oh, great. So now-"

"Now we need to ask Bathilda if she can watch Harry for us." Lily left the house and walked next door. "How's the research going?" she asked Bathilda.

"If this book ever gets written, it'll be a miracle," Bathilda said, pushing her hair out of her eyes. "Anyway, Lily, what can I do for you?"

"We were wondering if you could come over to watch Harry for us on Monday. You can research there and all."

"Sure, of course. For how long?"

"We're not exactly sure. See, it would be starting in the evening, and over by the morning, I think. So it might be best if you aimed to spend the night there?"

Bathilda looked up. "What's this for?"

"Oh - nothing. We just need to go out for the evening. But it'll be okay, I promise."

"You're not doing anything dangerous?"

"No, no. Thank you for agreeing to watch Harry, though."

"Sure!"

Lily went back to the house to update James on the situation. "Okay," Lily said. "She said she'd do it no problem. So we're fine."

"Yeah, fine except that Severus Snape now has a way to find our house!"

"James, I sent Blodeuwedd with the letter. I told Severus to give her the response, and he did. And anyway, she delivered it to the town Owlery, not here. Okay?"

"Okay."

"Harry is my son, too. I do know how to be careful. I am the one who stayed faithfully indoors for six months, right?"

"I know, Lily."

"Fine. I don't want to argue now. Let's go to Sirius' house and plan the defence."

Sirius spread out a map on the coffee table as soon as they arrived. When as many Order members as possible had appeared, Lily pointed to the map. "So. Plas Newydd is a part of Muggle Wales, so be careful about your Apparition. I would recommend that you Apparate into the woods, here. It is a heavily forested area, and at this time of year, it is not very likely that there will be riders or hunters out. However, please be careful. Try to cause as little disruption as possible, and be careful not to Apparate into the course of a bullet. James and I will enter Plas Newydd at teatime. That will give us a few hours to talk to my aunt and uncle before the attack. Please do not show yourselves before I have a chance to mention you — it will only surprise them."

"And about when should that be?" asked.

"Just before sundown. I will signal to you from outside the house. Please do not approach the house before then. Bran, who looks after the horses, will see you and notify the staff."

A few of the Order members rolled their eyes at the mention of so many servants. James added, "Look, I know it seems over the top, such a big household. It did too, even to me, at first. But let's not forget our job. Our job is to save the innocent people there, whoever they are."

"That's right," said Gideon Prewett. "So, Lily, where are the best places for us to go once we get there?"

"Well, actually, I think that we will want to stay outside," Lily said. "The inside of Plas Newydd has many curves and places to hide, so we'll want to keep the fight outside as much as possible. However, I don't think that should be too difficult. None of the Death Eaters, I think, will want to fight inside either. None of them knows the house like I do."

"Fine. But what if they are already inside?"

"I will go in alone to check for any Death Eaters. It must be alone, for two reasons. The first is that none of you knows the house like I do, either. You will all be much more effective outside." Lily shook her head sadly. "We keep haemorrhaging members. So we must all do the most we can. The second reason is that You-Know-Who has decided to attack here because he wants to fight. So his Death Eaters of course will go where there are more people. That there is only one person inside will keep the fight outside."

"But surely I could-" James said.

"No." Lily stood. "You cannot stay with me. That would ruin your disguise. And even if it doesn't, who would always be with me? You would."

James nodded. "I will be fine, I promise," Lily said.

Lily and James Flooed back to Godric's Hollow and dropped Harry off with Bathilda. They then returned to the town square and Apparated just outside the front door. There was a party on the lawn. Her uncle waved her over. "Lily, how have you been? And James! How nice to see you! Come in, come in!"

Lily smiled. "We're just here to see you. How have you liked being Marquess?"

"It's been fairly nice. I made a few changes to the castle, though. I hope that your father would have approved."

"I'm sure he would. Times are ever changing, and we must change with them. Is Aunt Vicky here?"

"Yes, here she is. Isn't it wonderful, dear? It's Lily and her husband James!"

She shook their hands. "How are you? Would you like some tea? Are you staying to supper?"

"Tea would be lovely, thank you. And yes, we will stay for a bit, if that's all right."

"Of course!" said Aunt Vicky.

Lily leaned in. "So, what changes have there been recently?"

Uncle John smiled. "We were able to upgrade the school, with some extra funds."

"That's wonderful!" she gasped. She looked at the window as the light outside began to fade. Her uncle followed her glance and asked, "Lily, why are you really here?"

"Okay. Uncle John, Aunt Vicky, I know this may seem a bit odd to you, but do you remember the rumours here that I had magic?" He nodded. "Well, those rumours are true, as it happens. I do have magic, and right now I am in the process of fighting a war in the wizarding world."

"And there will be an attack here next."

"Yes. Around sundown." Lily stood. "Uncle, there are others here, with magic, ready to help us fight the attackers. I'll just call them now."

The members of the Order of the Phoenix walked out of the woods. Lily turned to her uncle. "It seems to me that the gardens outside will be a much better place to fight than inside. I'll just check that there is no one in the house, and then we will keep the fighting outside, so you can all stay inside the house."

Lily walked back down the front hallway. "If I were a Death Eater, where would I be?" she wondered. She searched one bedroom and bathroom after another, but there was no one there. No one except — the staff. Lily made her way down the stairs. The maids were all standing there in a clump, with their arms all tied by a golden rope coming from a Death Eater's wand.

"I am truly sorry, Arglwyddes Rhiannon," the tallest one of them said. "He said he had just come to deliver the vegetables."

"That's all right," Lily said. But where was the Death Eater? One of the maids pointed a quavering finger behind her. Lily turned around, just in time to avoid the Stunning Spell.

Red and green lights flashed all around the gardens. Uncle John watched; even though Lily had encouraged him to stay inside, away from the battle, she had known from his stubborn glances that he would not. But her task was not to protect him, she reminded herself, it was to protect his home, her home, to face — but where was he?

Lily barely missed a Stunning Spell as she looked for the tall figure she knew just had to appear. Laughter behind her made her turn her head.

"It's you," she said.

"Shouldn't you be running?" he asked.

Lily squinted. "You don't want to kill me."

"Correct. But your husband and your son-"

"Are not in any danger."

"Not now, it would seem. Soon." Voldemort surveyed the battleground, and for one anxiety-filled moment, his eyes seemed to settle on James. But he merely laughed again as he Disapparated away.

This was easy. Too easy. He could've done far more damage if he really wanted. To her family, to James, to the Order. But he didn't. Why?

"It's over now," she told her uncle and her aunt. They nodded. Uncle John grabbed her shoulders. "Lily, thank you," he said. "Don't you think you can stay and — "

Lily shook her head. "I have to go." She walked away and Disapparated.

She appeared again in Holyhead, and the real reason for the attack sunk in. He wouldn't kill her. But he still wanted to know where she lived. And no one could tell him, not except Peter. So he would - oh. He would lure her, would lure James, out of Godric's Hollow. And then he would send his Death Eaters to follow her home.

Lily's eyes widened. How could she have put her baby in such danger? She supposed James was running through their pre-arranged Apparition route. He would be at Sirius' now. Should she Floo Sirius? No, better not to contact anyone. And he was disguised - he'd be fine. She would just stay in Holyhead for awhile to throw the Death Eaters off the scent. Lily looked around the street. But where to wait? That - pub looked good, where there were so many other wizards.

She walked into the pub and ordered a Butterbeer. She smiled as she saw a group in heated discussion of the latest Harpies Quidditch match. It felt as much a seamless part of the wizarding world as Hogsmeade, as Diagon Alley. And it was still as much a part of Wales as the rest of it. Lily heard a few rapid conversations in Welsh. As much a part of Anglesey, even. This was the place she had thought about going. The place where she could enjoy the best of both worlds.

A man walked up to her. "Hello," he said. "And where might you be from?"

Lily smiled. "From here."

The man wrinkled his forehead. "I've not seen you here before, though."

Lily closed her eyes. No, she had never been there before. She had been scared. Scared she would want it too much. But she had wanted closeness with the people of Llanfair, not just to be on Ynys Môn. And she had wanted, had needed, to be at Hogwarts, to become a part of the wizarding community in London. She had to be able to leave, to come and go. This was not a real solution. This was too simple. Leaving was leaving, and staying was staying. Lily shook her head. In any case, wasn't it too late to change her mind? This was what was easy, but not right. Right was going back to her husband and child.

"And not for a second do I regret leaving there or coming here. It was the only way to be with the people I was meant to be with, to do the work I was meant to do."

"And I have not left Wales. It is still inside me. I am Welsh, as I always will be, and nothing can take that away."

Lily nodded and turned away from the street. If she stayed longer, she just knew that she would want to stay even more. In a moment, she was in London again.

She materialised just outside St. Mungo's. The next step would be to the square in Godric's Hollow. Should she wait again? Or go ahead and Apparate? Lily turned on her heel, ready to put an end to this event. She saw two Death Eaters materialise in the room just before she left it.

Lily looked around as she materialised in Godric's Hollow, but no one was there. James was holding Harry when she arrived in the living room. "Well then," he asked. "How was your visit back home?"

Lily looked straight at him. "What do you mean? I am home now."

The next day, the group gathered around the coffee table. Lily sighed. Mad-Eye had tried to forbid her from letting so many people know the location, but she just couldn't see another way around it.

"But we have to take the photograph. We've just got to!" she told Mad-Eye.

He rolled his eyes. "And why? We all know what we look like."

"But my son doesn't." James stood beside Lily. "I want to show him who we all are, who we all were."

"To show the Death Eaters too?" Mad-Eye paced the living room. "Because that's what a photograph like that will do, show where the Order is and who's in it."

James said, "Lily, he's got a point. Maybe we should wait a few months, for the war to die down a little."

"No!" Lily felt her eyes fill with tears. "No, it should be now, before we — before we lose others."

James draped an arm over her shoulder and faced Mad-Eye. "You have reservations, I know you do. What if we just take one, for us? Only one copy? Then we will know exactly where it is all the time, and then the Death Eaters won't see it."

Mad-Eye said, "Right."

James turned to Lily. "But does it really have to be here?"

"Does it matter?" Lily asked. "You think we should go elsewhere?"

James spread his arms. "It could work."

Mad-Eye shook his head. "Maybe, but we aren't taking any unnecessary risks."

"Yeah, but — " James paused, then brightened. "It could make sure the photo doesn't give away our location."

"Yeah... look at it like this." Lily glared at Mad-Eye. "What will they see from the picture? Our living room? How would that help at all?"

Dumbledore walked in from the front garden. "Right. The photograph must take place here. Nowhere else."

It took some arguing, but finally Lily was able to convince Mad-Eye. Everyone gathered for the photo — even Remus was there. For ten seconds, before Lily's wide eyes shooed them out of the house once more.

The following days, Lily still was certain they were all going to die. That someone had followed her back. Even though she had evaded the Death Eaters, she kept looking over her shoulder for a hooded, cloaked figure. Every day was like their last.

After a week, though, she convinced herself that she had been careful, that it wasn't going to happen. It was the last for Marlene, and for so many others, but not for them. Things would go on in the same way they always had. Until suddenly it was.

They had taken Harry out earlier that evening. Everyone had loved his Golden Snitch costume. James had even played at tossing him around some, and Lily said nothing. After the walk around the village homes and shops, Lily and James took Harry back to his room. They ignored the black suit laying out for Benjy Fenwick's funeral the next day, pulling out instead a lovely set of jumper and jeans. They carried him back to the living room and played until dinner, or until they heard a creak on the door.

Somehow, Lily knew what it was before James even yelled out to her. She picked up Harry and raced up the stairs to the nursery. The cat yowled in protest as she stepped on his tail in her rush to get in the room. A few minutes later, she heard a crash on the piano. James' signal. He was on his way. Lily piled a few moving boxes against the door, even while her mind wondered what good it would do. She whispered a few words to Harry. Then it was time for what she had to do. She knew she could. She cut her hand and — was that enough blood? But the cut itself shouldn't cause her death. She made the cut on her hand a little deeper, wincing from the pain, and she spread it on Harry's forehead. She then put her finger on his head. And soon, it soaked in. That would save him, right? It would — or it wouldn't.

Bathilda knocked on the door. Lily froze for a moment. She heard footsteps on the stairs moving toward the door. And if she went to warn Bathilda away, of course she wouldn't. She would stay and fight. And then she would die. And so would Harry. Like Lily.

She was going to die. That was strange. It was so odd, waiting for death. And how was death not terrifying? Either that or the cut had been deeper than she thought.

The door creaked open.

"You don't have to die, you know."

Yes. She knew that. But -

"But Harry does."

Voldemort turned to face the baby boy. Before Lily stepped between the two of them, Harry laughed. Voldemort blinked, looking almost afraid.

"Right. So just stand aside-"

"No," Lily said. Time to act desperate, to lower his defences. "Not Harry! Please no! Take me — kill me instead."

And he did.

It was not instantaneous. She had always thought it would be. But she had room for one final thought before she fell to the floor: "Rwyf wedi eich trechu.1"

Many years later, Petunia would still tell herself that the hardest thing she had ever done was burying her sister. Not the saddest - that would have to be the death of her parents. But, by far, it was the strangest experience of her life. The day after Halloween, Petunia discovered a baby on her doorstep. Before she knew it, she was planning an event in the wizarding world. For people she did not know. And the only familiar faces in the crowd - Remus Lupin, and a Severus Snape that was so far back he was hardly even there -

Petunia wheeled the stroller in front of her into the village square. There was a small crowd there, wearing black. Very small. It was odd that, for all the celebrations before, so few people seemed to know how it all really had happened. She laughed. They were all out commemorating the end of the war. And what could be more important than that?

Petunia scanned the faces in the crowd. Even though she didn't know most of them, every face turned to look at her as she walked by. Like they somehow knew who she was. And that was

The funeral itself was much the same as the Muggle funerals she had been to — like the one for her parents. Remus Lupin had helped her pick out every word. Would they like this? Would she like this? It was in English, not Welsh - would that have been okay? Or would they feel it was disrespect to her sister? Remus had said that it should all be in English, and the tombstone too. The only concession she had been able to make was the epitaph. The same phrase that watched over her family forever would watch over Lily and James, too.

After the funeral had ended, she took one last look at her sister's grave. Remus was leaning over it, saying something — was that Welsh? Severus had disappeared into the forest.

Petunia shook her head. Vernon would be home soon, and he would want his tea. Looking at Dudley and Harry laying side by side, she said to them both, "All right. Gadewch i ni fynd adref.2"

1 I have defeated you.

2 Let's go home.