For Love
Disclaimer: I do not, in any way, own Harry Potter.
A/N: Hey everyone!
hpfreakofalltime16: Thank you!
L. E. Masquerade: I'm honored to have something in common with Jo! Thank you! Maybe. But I'm not sure if I'll be able to write that…
EnchantedWords17: Well, Harry doesn't have a paternal aunt, does he? I can't alter it that much. :D Don't worry. You can grieve with the remaining Potters and her friends. And with me.
livestrong617: Good to know that you're alive! And well!
Dancer6HOA: Heartbreaking is exactly what I wanted it to be. :D
AnnabethWeasley22: *cry*
LoathsomeLove: 1) I absolutely adore your username. 2) Love you too, my dear reader. And I'm sorry, no can do!
Love-Pink26: I know! How could she be so cruel as to kill an unborn baby? Even if she didn't mean to?
SiriuslySiera: *sniffle*
QueenKittieKat: Camille is truly an evil witch.
The Black Cat Pounce: And you shall get revenge. ;)
A Fan: Thanks!
hithe original: I'm afraid I can't do it so soon every time. I do have other stories to update. Though one I've been considerably slacking off on…
Fatecaster: Don't cry. *sniffle*
Anonymous: This is fanfiction, and, as you can see, I'm not going by the wiki or canon at all. :D After all, by this time, Lily and James were nearly dead, and Harry was already born. Yes, I was hit, but only a little. Electricity didn't even go, and we only missed a day of school. Thanks for asking!
I would like to say something, but see the end author's note for that. For now, enjoy!
x.o.x.o.x.
"Hilary Potter was loved by many. She was a dear friend, a loving sister, and the exemplary daughter. And in just a few short months, she would have become a wonderful mother, of that I am sure," said Sirius Black as he gave his speech at Hilary Potter's funeral. "A wonderful mother to my daughter, our daughter, a little girl that was to be named Estelle Hadley Potter. Join me in a moment of silence to remember Hilary and Estelle Potter, a life lost and a life never begun."
The silence fell immediately, and the eerie hush remained for moments to come.
"And now I welcome Alice Longbottom, one of Hilary's dearest friends, to the podium," Sirius announced, and stepped aside so that Alice could take his place.
She did just that, sniffling quietly and trying to stem the flow of tears. "It's quite unbelievable that one of my dearest friends is about to be lowered into the ground forever." She gestured to the coffin and the much smaller, emptier one beside it. "I remember one particular memory as if it were yesterday. It was the first of September 1997, the first day of our seventh year. That day, we found out that our friend, Lily Evans" – she paused to incline her head towards the young woman sitting in the first row beside James – "and James Potter had been selected as Head Girl and Boy respectively.
"Of course, we were unsurprised about Dumbledore's choice in Head Girl. But aside from that, Hilary argued with her brother. Sure, it was a tame argument, but it stuck in my head for a sole reason. Back then, Hilary absolutely despised Sirius here; he was to her as James was to Lily. Hilary said something along the lines of 'My summer would have been better if Black hadn't been around', and James, naturally, did not like that very much. He asked where else Sirius could have gone. Hilary retorted with the names of the other two in their close-knit group of four: Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew. Remus was busy all summer, according to James, and Peter's mum was ill so he had his hands full.
"James told Hilary that Sirius was his best mate, and he couldn't let him into the world alone. Sirius had had a minor disagreement with his parents that summer, so he departed from his childhood home for that summer alone." Alice paused for a moment, gathering herself, and spoke over Sirius's soft snort, thankfully. "Hilary returned with the statement that she was James's twin sister. She never said this explicitly, but she expected, at the time, as a foolish seventeen-year-old, that James would prioritize her above Sirius. Picking up on the implication, James, naturally, wasn't happy.
"He said in a soft voice that Sirius was as good as his brother. Why do I remember this particular incident, so irrelevant and boring, a traditional sibling clash? I remember this because, even though James and Sirius were blood-related brothers, they thought of each as such. This imprinted itself in my mind as a very strong bond. And, more to the point, it connects directly to Hilary, Lily, and myself. We've been good friends since we were eleven, and nearly eleven years have not changed a thing… except that Hilary is no longer with us." Alice paused again, breathing in deeply. "We were as good as sisters. We were together through thick and thin, never betraying, never cheating.
"I cannot make a sisterhood speech without the involvement of Dorcas Meadows." Alice inclined her head at the aforementioned young woman, sitting beside her husband in the first row as well. "We were in different Houses at Hogwarts, so we didn't interact often. That is, until our seventh year. Lily had been seeing a bloke named Nicholas Dwyer, and Sirius had been seeing another girl in our inner circle, Marlene McKinnon. Marlene and Nicholas betrayed Lily and Sirius's trust by cheating on them with each other. Of course, we eliminated Marlene from our daily routines, simply nodding hello in the corridors and such. But Dorcas blended easily into our group as if she had been there from the beginning.
"And so, I wrap this speech up by saying this: Never forget Hilary Potter. No matter how close you were to her, she is unforgettable. Truly." Another tear tracked its way down Alice's cheek, but she brushed it away in frustration and floated down the steps to sit beside Frank. Leaning across her husband, she grasped Lily's hand as Lily made to go to the podium. "Good luck," she murmured.
Lily simply smiled slightly in return, letting her know that she was grateful for the support. She stood behind the podium, breathed in deeply, and began. "How could I top Alice's moving speech? I suppose that, first off, I must agree with her. That incident also imprinted itself into my mind permanently, but perhaps that was because it was the day I found out the bane of my existence had been chosen as Head Boy." A few weak chuckles slipped in, from those who were not as close to Hilary as others. Lily allowed herself a small smile, knowing Hilary would find it funny, and continued. "Hilary Potter was an amazing person, and would have, no doubt, made a wonderful mother. We can blame Camille Sanchez for terminating two lives, one that had such potential, and the other that had never started.
"But enough of the person who made sure that this funeral would happen. I must firstly thank Hilary with all my heart. That Killing Curse was intended for me, and the selfless, amazing person that she is, she jumped in front of it for me, taking the curse, sacrificing herself and her unborn child for my life. We must make her sacrifice worth it. Her sacrifice was not simply for me. It was for all of us, all of us in the anti-Voldemort movement." Lily had added that part in, being bold, and noticed quite a few flinches in the audience, but Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling appreciatively at her. "She is a perfect example of how we should handle these dark times.
"The only weapon towards evil such as that Voldemort has achieved is love. There is one power that we all have that Voldemort will never be capable of. And that power is love. We love people enough to sacrifice our lives for theirs, and, because of this, we can prolong their safety." She sounded cryptic, even to her, but she didn't elaborate. "We must make her sacrifice worthwhile. There are dark times ahead, there is no denying. And we must stand together, a united front, to bring down Voldemort and his supporters.
"However, this ceremony is not about Voldemort and the Death Eaters. This is about Hilary Potter and Estelle Potter. As Alice remembered that incident clearly, I remember this one just as clearly. I had told my friends about how my parents died when I was fourteen and I had gone to live in an alley because my sister, Petunia, wanted nothing to do with a freak like me. Hilary was sympathetic, and even a bit pitying, but when I told her I wanted no pity, she immediately took away her pity. That was the amazing thing about Hilary. She cared. She cared enough to do something as small as not pitying me. How many people in the world could genuinely mean it when they take away their pity?
"All in all, remember Hilary Potter. Celebrate her life, don't mourn her death. And remember her sacrifice. I know that I will be, as long as I live, forever grateful to my sister for giving up her life and my niece's for my own." Lily brushed away a few tears and looked up at the sky. "If I ever have a daughter, Hilary, she will be named after you. Because I will hope for her to be as strong and selfless as you were, to be as wonderful as you were. Rest in peace, my friend, because that is what you deserve."
x.o.x.o.x.
The funeral reception had had several food choices, but none of Hilary's friends had been able to stomach even the tiniest bite. They stood several paces away from all of the action, huddled together for moral support, in silence. Lily was leaning half against James and half against the wall, while Alice was basically throwing all her weight onto Frank. Dorcas was standing stock-still, her face impassive, her eyes stony. Kate and Naomi were several paces away from them, looking uncertain as to whether or not to join them.
Finally, a familiar figure breezed over to them, followed closely by a more built one. The first had been a female, the second a male, and the first came in the form of Marlene McKinnon. She had tears in her eyes as she embraced Alice tightly, pulling most of her weight off Frank. "It's so tragic! Oh, I cannot imagine how you feel!" She sounded sincere enough, but Lily, leaning against James even more, eyed her skeptically. "I feel absolutely terrible! Oh, I could have apologized to you all, and we could have become bosom mates again! I regret it!"
"You regret cheating on me?" Sirius asked dryly, his voice hoarse. His eyes were rolling, not believing Marlene's 'act/no act'.
"Of course, Siri!" gasped Marlene. "It was terribly immoral of me, wasn't it? But Nicky was so irresistible, and…"
"Stop," said Lily. "STOP!" Marlene halted abruptly and glanced at her almost fearfully. Lily dragged herself off of her two supports, James and the wall to draw herself to her full height. She glared at Marlene. "What happened to you, Marls? Remember all those amazing times we had from first to seventh year? And now you're acting like a perfect replica of Maya! You're being such a suck-up! No one believes you. Hilary certainly wouldn't have." Her glare switched to Nicholas. "And I can't believe you for just going along with her witchy ways. I have no idea what caused you to change so drastically, Marlene, but I sure don't like it."
She spun on her heel and stalked away, unconcerned about the fact that they were currently in the Chinese Potter Manor, and she had absolutely no clue as to its layout and how to get around. She simply wandered aimlessly until she came upon a beautiful garden full of Chinese flowers and the like. Her eyes scanned the garden for a bench, and, coming upon one, collapsed onto it and placed her head in her hands. To her utter surprise, there was a large patch of lilies nearby. Leaning over, she plucked one out of the ground and inhaled deeply.
"Those are there because of you," a male voice said quietly from behind her. Lily jumped in surprise, whirling around to face James, who was leading Izzy into the garden. "I had Mum and Dad plant those the summer after first year, the summer after I met you."
Lily smiled gently, standing and opening her arms to Isabel. "Really? That's sweet, James. Really. I didn't expect that of you. I was wondering, though. Are lilies from China? I don't think so." Looking away from her ex-boyfriend, she drew Isabel closer to her. "How are you coping, Iz?"
The younger girl just shrugged, leaning over to pluck a few lilies of her own. "Okay, I suppose. I can't wait for Hogwarts to get my mind off of all this." She sighed heavily, plucking off the petals one by one, slowly. "I can't believe she killed Hilary. And my niece!" She sighed again, dropping the stem. "I was so excited about becoming an aunt. And she goes and ruins it."
Neither of the older ones needed to question who the younger girl was speaking of. They exchanged glances, and Lily spoke up first. "Izzy, she meant that for me. Don't be bitter towards Camille. She never meant to kill your sister and your unborn niece." She paused and regarded the girl intently. "Do you like to write, Izzy? As in stories?"
Isabel nodded excitedly. "I love to write!" She sounded more alive than she ever had since Hilary and Estelle had been killed. In other words, since her older brother's disastrous wedding.
Lily cupped Isabel's chin in her right hand and looked into her hazel eyes seriously. For the first time, she didn't see James in those hazel eyes. She saw Hilary. "Then write a story, Izzy. Write a story about Estelle and Hilary. Make up a world in which they were still alive. I'm sure that it will come out fabulously." She smiled warmly. "I'll edit it for you, if you'd like."
"Could I publish it?" Isabel's eyes were wide with a childish anticipation, an excitement, and she seemed to have forgotten about her dead sister and niece for the time being.
"I'm not sure," Lily answered honestly. "You're only eleven, Isabel. One day, I'm sure that it will become a bestseller, but in the meantime, just work on getting the entire story out on parchment." She paused. "Tell you what. I'll buy you a Muggle laptop so you can type it up and save it all onto the laptop so parchments won't blow away in the wind, and so that everything will be in one place." She glanced at James. "Muggle electronic devices do work at Potter Manor, right?"
James looked hesitant to answer, and Lily shook her head in disappointment.
"I'll put a charm on it so you can use it at Hogwarts too," she promised the younger girl. Smiling warmly again, she advised, "Why don't you go to your room and start outlining the story? I can't wait to read it, Isabel."
Isabel jumped off the bench in pure excitement. "Oh, thank you, Lily! Thank you!" She glanced into the sky and said in a heartfelt voice, "I promise I'll write the best story ever for you, Hils! And you too, Elle! I won't disappoint you." With that, she took off.
"Won't she get lost?" Lily asked concernedly, looking after the girl.
"No," James answered softly. "She's been holidaying at this manor since she was five. And the Japanese one, too. She seems to enjoy the Asian properties more than the European ones, for some reason." He grinned. "Even as a little child she did."
"I'm sure," Lily replied sincerely, smiling at him.
"Lily?" James's voice was hesitant.
Lily turned to look at him, threading the lily into her red hair. "Yes, James?"
"What you said at the wedding…" He trailed off, and then picked up his sentence again. "When you said that you loved me… Did you mean it? Or was it just to get me out of the wedding like we agreed to do?"
Lie, lie, lie, Lily chanted in her head, and forced a smile onto her face. "Just to get you out of the wedding, of course! You did break up with me almost four years ago, yes?"
"Yes, but Lily-"
"James, I can't talk about this," Lily cut him off sharply. "Not so soon after Hilary died. She was one of our biggest supporters, you know. She rooted for us to end up together, forever, ever since I started hating you so intensely." Her voice broke. "And now she's gone. I just can't, James. I can't discuss that without seeing her." She spun on her heel and began walking away, but James's voice halted her for the smallest of moments.
"Then shouldn't we honor what she supported?"
x.o.x.o.x.
A/N: Done, done, and done! Right. So my little message. This is purely to get my point across, and I'm sorry if I come off as a bit rude. But someone reviewed on Be Here Now (anonymous) and said that Charles should have died of old age and not by fighting. Yes, I know that this is how Jo wrote it, but this is fanfiction, and I created my own version of his death. I don't even think his real name was Charles! Was it? Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it, and see you next time!