A/N: Hey! There was a brutal error in the site. I posted the chapter relatively early yesteday (for once hahaha) and when I went to check the stats today, I noticed that no one had read it. I thought it was weird, and felt really really sad for a while. Then my boyfriend went to check his account on and noticed that the 12th chapter simply wasn't there to read. If you go on the chapter menu, the last chapter that appears is the 11th! Soooooo... yeah, I'm re-uploading today. I'm really sorry.
The Second Attack
Lily woke up very confused on Sunday.
Something sticky covered her face. Her hand was uncomfortably glued to her cheek by a layer of some substance. Her mouth was dry, and there was a rusty taste on her tongue. She had to open and close her mouth many times before she could understand what flavour it was.
She felt her chest tighten as she understood what was going on.
The badger hadn't bitten any veins and hadn't been able to wake her up in spite of biting her enough to draw blood. Someone had been attacked. Her heart was beating faster and faster and she was no longer sleepy or confused. Could it have been Hector? She jumped off the bed and barely washed the blood from her face. It was early, the other girls were still getting dressed when Lily left the dorm without saying a word.
The Great Hall was almost empty, and to Lily's despair, Hector wasn't there, but she tried to calm herself by thinking that maybe he was still asleep at the Ravenclaw tower. But she had a problem now: She had no idea how to get to the Ravenclaw tower, let alone how to get inside!
Not quite knowing why, she went outside. Perhaps she thought that the view of the relatively clear sky would bring her some comfort. It was windy in the courtyard. The chilly air hardened the skin of her face, and Lily instantly began to shiver. She tried to pull some of her hair to the front of her shoulders to try and hold some warmth.
Even though she still shivered, her body relaxed when she heard Hector's voice coming from the east archway to the courtyard, the opposite entrance from the one where Lily stood. By the sound of it, Hector was irritated.
Lily followed the sound to its source, where Hector was standing next to Amanda Brocklehurst; Justin Finch-Fletchley and two other Ravenclaw girls, one of which Lily knew was Penelope Clearwater, the Prefect. They seemed to be having an argument.
"We will become targets! We are writing 'mudblood' on our foreheads for the heir of Slytherin to come get us," Said Justin.
"Everyone already knows who we are," Hector answered. "We have to tell them that we are not scared, and that we are not going to leave the school!'
"We can't just risk our necks! We are students, it's not our responsibility," Justin kept going.
"I wish you're right, but it's always our responsibility."
"But is it worth it if we are petrified? Or worse?" The Ravenclaw girl whose name Lily didn't know sided with Justin.
"We have to make sure the half bloods and purebloods are on our side, and not the attacker's," Hector insisted.
"But if we are making a fuss, the heir of Slytherin might aim at us, specifically," Justin pointed.
"I think it's too late now, we probably already became targets." Amanda said simply. "But if you want to take a step back because you are feeling unsafe, then the gatherings aren't filling its purpose, so maybe we should just stop," she added, looking at Hector.
"I won't stop, but what you will do is not up to me," Hector said angrily. The group dissolved, each going in a different direction. Lily finally walked to Hector. "Can you believe this?" he said.
"Well, I wish you would stop too," Lily pointed, but the look in Hector's eyes was so furious that she decided not to push the discussion, so she added: "but I know you won't, so how can I help?"
"I'll go to Dumbledore and ask him to give us self defence lessons. The DADA classes with Lockhart won't help us against an attacker."
"But what could help anyone against Slytherin's monster? We don't even know what it is."
"I don't know about the monster, but I know some people who might feel like the existence of the monster gives them free passes to jinx muggleborns," he muttered, already walking back inside the castle and towards Dumbledore's office. Lily followed him.
"Do you know who was attacked?"
"Someone from Gryffindor, I think. Nothing official has been said yet, but Penelope heard McGonagall talking to Flitwick," Hector said.
Lily didn't know what to say, so she remained silent as they followed their way, and waited outside Dumbledore's office. She sat down and looked up at the walls, where there were a few paintings of witches and wizards. The subjects of the paintings moved, but they went through their day as if Lily wasn't there, looking at them. Lily had started to wonder what was written in her mother's letter, and became more and more anxious to read it as the time passed. And she wanted to know how Harry was doing, and if he Hermione and Ron were reunited somewhere, revising their plans with the polyjuice potion.
The door to Dumbledore's office opened and Hector walked out, looking more relaxed than he was before.
"What did he say?"
"He said he will make the arrangements to start a dueling club, with qualified teachers. But it won't be just for muggle borns."
"Well, at least there will be a duelling club with qualified teachers," Lily said. She knew perfectly what worried Hector; that the duelling club would become a space where aggressors would learn how to attack their victims. In spite of that, Hector nodded in agreement. "Where are you going now?"
"I don't know. To the library, I guess?"
The library was three floors beneath them, and Lily would only have a short delay if she accompanied Hector there.
"I'll go with you," she said. "Then I'll look for Harry, see if he is okay, and if anything happened at the hospital wing."
"Thank you," Hector said, understanding she was going to protect him in the deserted hallways. "I'm scared too."
"I know," said Lily, offering her hand, which he took. Then, holding hands, they went down and Hector walked into the crowded library. They let go from each other, and Lily said "please, don't go anywhere alone."
Hector nodded, and went to sit at an empty desk.
Then Lily headed to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom to look for Ron, Harry and Hermione. She knew she had guessed right when she heard noise coming from one of the stalls.
"It's me," Lily said. The door to the stall opened to reveal the trio hiding inside, along with a cauldron, which was perched on the toilet – Hermione had probably conjured a portable, waterproof fire inside the toilet. There was no left space inside the stall, so Lily stood outside. "How's your arm, Harry?"
"It's fine," he answered.
"I heard there was an attack," Lily said.
"There was. Colin Creevey has been petrified, he is in the hospital wing," Harry said.
"That's why we decided to get going with the polyjuice potion," Hermione said.
As the potion simmered in the cauldron, Harry told Lily about a visit he had gotten at the hospital wing, just before Colin Creevey was carried in. Dobby, the same house elf that had intercepted his mail all summer, had gone to the hospital wing and begged Harry to go home. He had been the one to close the barrier to platform 9 ¾ and to enchant Bludger to attack Harry and hopefully get him injured enough to be sent home. He had told Harry that the Chamber of Secrets had been opened before, and that Harry Potter shouldn't be there when it happened again.
"So it has been opened before?" Lily asked nervously.
"We think Lucius Malfoy opened it in his time at Hogwarts, and now he taught his son how to do it."
"Blimey…" she said. Now she wanted more than anything to go to her dorm and read her mother's letter. Maybe she had been at Hogwarts at the same time as Lucius Malfoy, maybe she would know something about it. "Look, I have to go and read a letter from my mom. Maybe there's something about the Chamber of Secrets there- let me know when it's time to go get things in Snape's cupboard."
After a nod from the trio, Lily left the girls bathroom – after saying hi to a less-depressed looking Myrtle – and left to her dorm.
Finally, after days of waiting and evading, Lily opened the letter from her mother.
Lily,
I can't say how sorry I am that you found out like that. I wish I was the one to tell you, but it seems that I'm incapable of gathering the courage to tell you the things you need to know before you find them out by yourself. I have no idea how you must be feeling. As you must already know, my marriage to Roger was never acknowledged in the wizarding world, because I never went back after the war, and I never told anyone. And I haven't told anyone about you being Sirius' daughter either, so the book and quill that register magical children just registered you under my maiden name, and when we went back I decided to leave it like that. But I knew you would get suspicious if you were suddenly called Prewett in Hogwarts, so I wrote to Dumbledore asking to change your name only on the lists. I never told him about Sirius, of course, but I suspect he already knew… Dumbledore always knows.
I'm sorry I lied to you again, Lily. It will never happen again, I promise. Nothing will ever be hidden from you again. To prove that, I will tell you something: I am trying to get Sirius out of Azkaban. I went to the Ministry of Magic last week to find out what I need to do in order to get a trial so I can be a witness. There was never a trial, Lily… he has never been judged, he was just sentenced to life in Azkaban. It will be hard to change that after so long, but maybe, just maybe, I can make a difference. It won't pay for my absence when he needed me, of course, nor it will give him those years back, but I need to try and get him out. Remus thinks I'm mad, and that I will find that Sirius is guilty and I will be heartbroken, but he is being very supportive in spite of that.
I hope you forgive me from hiding things from you – it will take longer to get things right than I had expected to.
I love you.
Violet.
PS: Remus said he is looking for that thing you asked, and will write soon. I don't know what he is talking about.
Lily smiled softly after she finished reading the letter. She was no longer angry at Violet about the last-name registry… it was over, and the recent events were so much more disturbing that she had almost forgotten about her family issues.
The part about trying to re-open Sirius Black's case, however, was an entirely different thing. She wasn't hurt in any way, of course, but the sudden prospective of meeting that man was thrilling to say the least. Lily didn't want to build too much expectation – it was likely that her mother wouldn't even be able to get an audience with whoever was responsible for keeping Sirius Black in jail – but there was no way to suppress the feeling. There was a chance, a tiny chance, but a chance still, that she would meet her father.
Even though it was the slightest chance, the thought that maybe she would meet that man, the man who was her mother's great love, the man who was a friend to Remus when he needed the most, the man who had unknowingly fathered Lily, the man who was currently sitting in a cell in Azkaban- that thought was breathtaking. Even the possibility that he happened to be guilty of the crime he was in jail for didn't match how electrifying the whole thing was for Lily.
By Monday morning, the news that Colin Creevey had been attacked and now laid petrified in a hospital bed had spreaded like a virus. The air was thick with rumour and suspicion. The first years were now moving around the castle in tight-knit groups, as though scared they would be attacked if they ventured forth alone. Ginny was pale and silent again. Lily tried to talk to her, but this time Ginny refused. Percy said it could be because Ginny sat next to Colin Creevey in Charms, but also because Fred and George were taking turns covering themselves with fur or boils and jumping out at her from behind statues.
Meanwhile, hidden from the teachers, a roaring trade of talismans, amulets and other protective devices was sweeping the school. A third year Ravenclaw even offered Lily any amount of money she would ask in exchange for her badger pendant, which she offendedly declined.
In Hufflepuff, a few people were starting to grow very suspicious of Harry – Ernie Macmillan would say to whoever would listen that Harry Potter had attacked to warn Filch, who had tried to expel him; and had attacked Colin Creevey because Colin would take pictures of him all the time. To Lily's dismay, one of the people who listened to Macmillan was Hannah Abbott. Lily and the other girls had to daily convince her that it made no sense that Harry was the attacker, only so that Ernie would talk her into thinking Harry was the attacker once again within seconds.
Hector would spend almost every free hour he had in the library, searching book after book for the monster that had attacked Colin Creevey and Mrs. Norris. Lily would often stay with him so he had company when he left. At first, the boy was resentful of Lily's excessive concern, but as days went by he started to be receptive about it. Eventually Lily found that accompanying Hector on his research was the perfect excuse for her to finish all her essays early, and take her mind off Sirius Black. In fact, Lily was spending so much time with Hector she was barely thinking of the Polyjuice potion and on the plan to raid Snape's private stores.
In the second week of December, Professor McGonagall came around collecting the names of those who would be staying at school for Christmas. Hector wanted to put his name on the list, but Lily almost physically forced him not to, not wanting to risk him being alone in the Ravenclaw tower through the holidays and being attacked in the night. After a small argument, Hector gave in and said he would be going home for Christmas. However, it prevented Lily herself from remaining at school which went against Harry's, Ron's and Hermione's plan to use the Polyjuice Potion in the holidays. Ultimately, they decided not to wait for her.
Unfortunately the potion was only half finished. They still needed the bicorn horn and the boomslang skin, and the only place they were going to get them was from Snape's private stores. After much thought, however, Hermione said that she should be the one to do it while Ron and Harry created a diversion – which would be impossible for Lily, because her Potions class schedule didn't coincide with the Gryffindors'. Lily didn't say it, but she was deeply relieved that she wouldn't have to steal from Snape – should she get caught, the Potions Master would never forgive her. On the other hand, Lily felt guilty for not being able to help the trio further, especially because Harry would expose himself to Snape's rage. Of course she worried about Hermione and Ron too, especially since the latter was her actual relative; but just like Hector had said, she had some weird sense of responsibility for Harry.
On a Thursday afternoon, Lily was watching Hector scan a book with his eyes while she tried to get the right words for her Transfiguration homework. Suddenly, she felt something hit her head and fall. It was a piece of parchment folded and enchanted to carry a message, much similar to the one Snape had used to give Malfoy detention earlier in the year. Lily instantly knew what it was about, and wasn't surprised to read a not summoning her to the Dungeons.
So she went, with her head low and focusing as hard as she could not to think about the Polyjuice Potion or anything that circled the subject – she knew Snape could be able to read her mind if he wanted, and she wasn't great at hiding her thoughts, but her abilities would have to be enough.
The dungeons were colder than usual- or maybe it was only her. The door to Snape's office was open, and Lily saw the Potions Master sitting at his desk. Even though the door was open, Lily knocked before walking in.
"Sit," Snape said between teeth. Lily could barely look at him, and it was obvious he had noticed that.
"Hi," Lily started saying with a shyness that wasn't usual for her. She was giving herself away too easily. "Why did you call me?" She asked, pushing more confidence in her voice and closing her mind barriers as well as she could.
"I wanted to ask why would the Gryffindor Golden Trio steal from my private stores," he said. "I had a suspicion you would know."
"I-I don't know what you are talking about."
"I know you're obviously lying," he growled.
"I'm not!" she snapped, but her eyes were filled with tears of guilt.
"You are an awful liar," he said."If you don't speak, I will have to go in your mind and see for myself." The tone of menace had grown in his voice, and Lily could almost feel his glittering gaze piercing her, although she couldn't make herself look at him.
"Don't," Lily begged. She had felt her mind being invaded against her will once, and it had been horrible to feel every corner of her memories searched.
"Then speak. Say the words, tell me Potter broke into my private stores and tell me why." Snape stood up and was now yelling furiously.
"I can't," she said, knowing it would be useless to deny she knew anything. "Please, trust me."
Lily didn't quite know if she should be trusted, but the idea of betraying Harry made her sick.
"You stubborn girl-" Snape stood up, and Lily started to shake. "You leave me with no choice."
Lily curled up on the chair and closed her eyes, unable to talk or move.
Waiting for the feeling of Snape invading her mind seemed to take an eternity. It was obvious she would never be strong enough to detain him, it would only take Snape a second to see it. Lily dreaded the idea that he would know, she hated to be the one to betray Harry Potter and get him expelled… maybe it's in my bloodline to betray his family, she thought.
The feeling, however, didn't arrive. When Lily was starting to think it was taking too long, there was a loud scraping sound and she finally dared to open her eyes. Snape had fallen back on his chair, looking exhausted and frustrated. She blinked, confused, and he caught her teary eyes.
"You are impossible," he said. "Go."
"But…
"I can't do this to you. Leave. I don't care. Get your dear friends killed if that's what you want. Get the whole school killed and spare me of the trouble to take care of everything, for once." He said irritated, but Lily caught a hint of pain in his voice.
"I'm sorry," Lily said before running out of the room. Her whole body was still shaking. It was impossible to tell whether she was furious, hurt or just feeling guilty. She only hoped there would be a chance to explain in the future, and that it was all worth it
By Monday morning, the news that Colin Creevey had been attacked and now laid petrified in a hospital bed had spreaded like a virus. The air was thick with rumour and suspicion. The first years were now moving around the castle in tight-knit groups, as though scared they would be attacked if they ventured forth alone. Ginny was pale and silent again. Lily tried to talk to her, but this time Ginny refused. Percy said it could be because Ginny sat next to Colin Creevey in Charms, but also because Fred and George were taking turns covering themselves with fur or boils and jumping out at her from behind statues.
Meanwhile, hidden from the teachers, a roaring trade of talismans, amulets and other protective devices was sweeping the school. A third year Ravenclaw even offered Lily any amount of money she would ask in exchange for her badger pendant, which she offendedly declined.
In Hufflepuff, a few people were starting to grow very suspicious of Harry – Ernie Macmillan would say to whoever would listen that Harry Potter had attacked to warn Filch, who had tried to expel him; and had attacked Colin Creevey because Colin would take pictures of him all the time. To Lily's dismay, one of the people who listened to Macmillan was Hannah Abbott. Lily and the other girls had to daily convince her that it made no sense that Harry was the attacker, only so that Ernie would talk her into thinking Harry was the attacker once again within seconds.
Hector would spend almost every free hour he had in the library, searching book after book for the monster that had attacked Colin Creevey and Mrs. Norris. Lily would often stay with him so he had company when he left. At first, the boy was resentful of Lily's excessive concern, but as days went by he started to be receptive about it. Eventually Lily found that accompanying Hector on his research was the perfect excuse for her to finish all her essays early, and take her mind off Sirius Black. In fact, Lily was spending so much time with Hector she was barely thinking of the Polyjuice potion and on the plan to raid Snape's private stores.
In the second week of December, Professor McGonagall came around collecting the names of those who would be staying at school for Christmas. Hector wanted to put his name on the list, but Lily almost physically forced him not to, not wanting to risk him being alone in the Ravenclaw tower through the holidays and being attacked in the night. After a small argument, Hector gave in and said he would be going home for Christmas. However, it prevented Lily herself from remaining at school which went against Harry's, Ron's and Hermione's plan to use the Polyjuice Potion in the holidays. Ultimately, they decided not to wait for her.
Unfortunately the potion was only half finished. They still needed the bicorn horn and the boomslang skin, and the only place they were going to get them was from Snape's private stores. After much thought, however, Hermione said that she should be the one to do it while Ron and Harry created a diversion – which would be impossible for Lily, because her Potions class schedule didn't coincide with the Gryffindors'. Lily didn't say it, but she was deeply relieved that she wouldn't have to steal from Snape – should she get caught, the Potions Master would never forgive her. On the other hand, Lily felt guilty for not being able to help the trio further, especially because Harry would expose himself to Snape's rage. Of course she worried about Hermione and Ron too, especially since the latter was her actual relative; but just like Hector had said, she had some weird sense of responsibility for Harry.
On a Thursday afternoon, Lily was watching Hector scan a book with his eyes while she tried to get the right words for her Transfiguration homework. Suddenly, she felt something hit her head and fall. It was a piece of parchment folded and enchanted to carry a message, much similar to the one Snape had used to give Malfoy detention earlier in the year. Lily instantly knew what it was about, and wasn't surprised to read a not summoning her to the Dungeons.
So she went, with her head low and focusing as hard as she could not to think about the Polyjuice Potion or anything that circled the subject – she knew Snape could be able to read her mind if he wanted, and she wasn't great at hiding her thoughts, but her abilities would have to be enough.
The dungeons were colder than usual- or maybe it was only her. The door to Snape's office was open, and Lily saw the Potions Master sitting at his desk. Even though the door was open, Lily knocked before walking in.
"Sit," Snape said between teeth. Lily could barely look at him, and it was obvious he had noticed that.
"Hi," Lily started saying with a shyness that wasn't usual for her. She was giving herself away too easily. "Why did you call me?" She asked, pushing more confidence in her voice and closing her mind barriers as well as she could.
"I wanted to ask why would the Gryffindor Golden Trio steal from my private stores," he said. "I had a suspicion you would know."
"I-I don't know what you are talking about."
"I know you're obviously lying," he growled.
"I'm not!" she snapped, but her eyes were filled with tears of guilt.
"You are an awful liar," he said."If you don't speak, I will have to go in your mind and see for myself." The tone of menace had grown in his voice, and Lily could almost feel his glittering gaze piercing her, although she couldn't make herself look at him.
"Don't," Lily begged. She had felt her mind being invaded against her will once, and it had been horrible to feel every corner of her memories searched.
"Then speak. Say the words, tell me Potter broke into my private stores and tell me why." Snape stood up and was now yelling furiously.
"I can't," she said, knowing it would be useless to deny she knew anything. "Please, trust me."
Lily didn't quite know if she should be trusted, but the idea of betraying Harry made her sick.
"You stubborn girl-" Snape stood up, and Lily started to shake. "You leave me with no choice."
Lily curled up on the chair and closed her eyes, unable to talk or move.
Waiting for the feeling of Snape invading her mind against her will seemed to take an eternity. Lily dreaded the idea that he would know, she hated to be the one to betray Harry Potter and get him expelled… maybe it's in my bloodline to betray his family, she thought.
The feeling, however, didn't arrive. When Lily was starting to think it was taking too long, there was a loud scraping sound and she finally dared to open her eyes. Snape had fallen back on his chair, looking exhausted and frustrated. She blinked, confused, and he caught her teary eyes.
"You are impossible," he said. "Go."
"But…
"I won't do this to you. Leave. I don't care."
"I'm sorry," Lily said before running out of the room, her whole body still shaking. She hoped there would be a chance to explain in the future.
A/N: Sooooo... in spite of the delay, what did you think? Did you like the chapter? How do you feel about the general development of the story?