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Chapter 15 A Super Secret Mission

Lilly Potter was going shopping for the first time in months. But not for food or potion ingredients or clothes. She was a witch on a mission. She adjusted her backpack, careful to not trigger the release of her fixed up super-suit. Childishly she delighted in becoming like a hero from the comic books she read in her youth. Before she met Severus and before Petunia hated….

No she must stay focused. She would only use the suit if necessary.

She continued along the cobblestone path that made up Diagon Alley, her eyes darting back and forth, looking up the narrow alleys along the way for enemy witches and wizards. She wished the weather was more agreeable, her hood she was wearing would protect her from the chilly rainfall, but it also limited her vision.

Most of the shops were boarded up. And those that remained open were either foolish daredevils, or they were with the Death Eaters. By now she knew which were which. Her old favorite potion shop for all her years while attending Hogwarts was the only potion shop still open in London. She didn't want to believe that the owner, David Duncan, would most likely curse her on sight now.

She needed this mission to go well, she didn't want to be the one who broke the streak of good luck the Order of the Phoenix has been having over the last few months. Her favorite had been the one last month, March 19th to be specific, when she, James, Sirius, Peter, and a team of 10 Aurors had participated in the arrest of 20 death eaters, including Rosier and Nott, two men who had been repeatedly escaping their traps. This victory was attributed to her tracker invention which had allowed James and Sirius to eavesdrop on the planning meeting for a large attack on a factory on the North end of London. Over 900 muggles worked at this factory and based on the information James and Sirius got, they had planned on planting potion bombs around the factory to lead to a large and deadly explosion. She and her team had got the jump on them though and not a single potion bomb was triggered.

Her current mission was very different. Professor Dumbledore had sent her to find an object, scratch that, take an object. He hadn't told her what it was, only that his spy believed that it was the key to defeating Voldemort. He told her the object was the subject of an exchange that was occurring at Borgin and Burkes this afternoon. But he did not know what the object was. Only that it was dark and powerful.

She stopped walking and leaned against the wall, feigning casualness, while searching for movement around her. The shop she was standing next to, Borgin and Burkes, was not a shop she would want to be caught in. The owner was a known muggle killer, who got off time and time again by saying he was defending himself from violent muggles. She gritted her teeth to stop from expressing frustration too noticeably. So many witches and wizards shared this view in a way. That muggles were more like animals than people. And while she hated purebloods like him who thought muggles were animals to be killed as they pleased, she also hated the purebloods who looked down on muggles as animals to be protected. But this was not the time to think about this.

No she must stay focused.

After confirming that there were no witnesses, she apparated to the roof of the building and looked in through the large window that allowed natural light into the shop. She waited up above the building and watched Borgin putter around anxiously. She carefully cracked open the window to allow her to hear the ambient noise within the shop.

90 minutes passed slowly and tensely.

She then heard two distinct pops of apparition, about 30 seconds apart. The two men entered the shop and came her view. They were both hooded from the rain, but she knew immediately who one of them was as Borgin dropped to his knee before him. Both men removed their hoods. Her whole body froze in fear as she gazed down upon Lord Voldemort in the flesh. Voldemort had neatly combed dark brown hair which contrasted strongly with his companion's bright platinum blond hair.

"Rise Borgin," the voice she recognized to be that of Voldemort hissed, "Rise and bear witness to the passing of the book that can bring Hogwarts to her knees from my own hands to that of one of my most trusted servants, Lucius Malfoy."

She watched him pass the small leather book to Malfoy. He held the book close to his chest as though it was a baby and not an incredibly powerful dark object.

"Thank you, my lord," Malfoy spoke, his voice dripping with pride, "You honor my family-"

Voldemort cut him off, "Borgin understands that if he is to ever see this object drifting around the black markets of Knockturn Alley he is to tell me immediately." Both men vigorously nodded their hears. The threat was as obvious to Lilly as it was to them.

No wonder Dumbledore wants this book so badly. Not only is it a threat to Hogwarts, Voldemort fears losing it more than anything.

The deed was done and both men strode from the shop. Voldemort disapparated on the spot leaving Malfoy in the rain, still holding the book protectively to his chest. Malfoy didn't disapparate though. He strode up the same way she had gone, back towards Diagon Alley.

Now was her chance.

She didn't want to risk making a sound by apparating down, so it was time to put the suit to the test. She waved her wand and silently activated the suit. It was form fitting but not tight, like a muggle runner's performance wear. But it differed with a key regard. She flicked her wrist and wings sprung out of the backpack. She waved her wand again while thinking the spell Reducio Suitoreo.

She shrank and shrank until she was the size of a bug. And as she jumped off the roof and let her wings fly her towards her unaware target, she likened herself a wasp. A small flying insect with a powerful sting, in the form of her wand.

Malfoy had slid the book into his large pocket of his robe. He was headed to the very potion shop she had regarded along her way to the fateful meeting. She quickly attached herself to the hem of his expensive black robes as he entered the shop. She grinned as she looked around at the barrels full of miscellaneous potion ingredients.

Her husband was going to be jealous of this part of her mission, it was time to make some mischief.

She detached herself from Malfoy and flew to the shelf in which a small glass jar of fire seeds was stored (rather improperly) above a barrel of valerian sprigs. When brewed properly these ingredients could be used in a fire-breathing potion, however when just thrown together, an explosive reaction would occur.

Once again muggles beat wizards, no self-respecting science lab would allow for two dangerous chemicals that react to one another so close together. And they would never leave them open with no lids in sight. Time to teach them the error of their ways.

She waited patiently for Malfoy to get close enough to the barrel before pushing the jar off the shelf into the barrel below. Just as she expected the barrel exploded and bits of the wooden barrel shot out in all directions. Malfoy was thrown backwards from the shockwave of the explosion, through a barrel of leeches before landing hard on his arse. He lay still on the ground. Lilly knew this was her best opportunity and so she swooped down and located the book in his pocket. She quickly cast Reducio on the book and pocketed it before flying out the door through the keyhole.

She flew into a nearby alley and deactivated the suit and became her normal size once more. She cast Engorio on the evil book and opened it nervously.

What secrets were kept in this book that could destroy the school she loved almost as much as she loved her husband?

There was one thing written on the first page:

T. M. Riddle

But the rest of the book was blank.

Every other page of the book was blank.

Had she grabbed the wrong book? Was Malfoy cleverer than she gave him credit for? Who was T.M. Riddle?

She turned it to the back cover and read the small inscription of a variety shop on Vauxhall Road in London. Sighing, she closed the book and prepared to apparate back to headquarters. Hopefully Dumbledore could figure this one out.

She entered headquarters after passing through the magical gate with gargoyles charmed to ask specific security questions. It was an unassuming building, an old muggle store that had been abandoned some 10 years back when its owners had moved to Canada. She was familiar with the quirky muggle defenses that Author Weasley had installed, trick steps that would ring bells, the fake door that would drop paint on the person's head. All Order members knew had to know them. She nearly jumped out of her skin though when she walked through the front door and James wrapped her into a familiar and comforting hug.

"Sorry Deer," he said as he felt her jump. He let go of her and looked at her eyes closely. "Did everything go alright? I've been trying to get information about this secret mission from Dumbledore, but he's been real closed lips about it."

Peter and Sirius entered the room cheerfully and she greeted them with a quick "Hello".

"Yes, everything is fine James," she replied back refocusing on her husband, "and my super secret mission was to pick up this blank diary that he was giving to Malfoy." She ensured that she did not speak the name Lord Voldemort, as there was a taboo curse on it and speaking the name would bring Death Eaters faster than you could say Quidditch. James was unsurprisingly upset at this revelation.

"He was there!?" James practically shouted, "You shouldn't have gone to do this mission alone. Especially with the baby on the way."

"James please-"

Sirius cut in, "Yeah what was Dumbledore thinking? You could have died."

"Maybe the marauders should have a word with him," Peter said darkly, hand on his wand. The three men started for the stairs to Dumbledore's office.

"GUYS STOP!" she yelled.

They stopped and turned back to her.

"I volunteered for this mission. I knew it was going to be risky. Hell, I even thought he might be there. But I had to do something! I know you guys want me to stay home, be pregnant, and stay out of danger but I can't. I had to do something," she stopped and wiped the tears that forming in her eyes, "Marlene, Fabian, Gideon, and all those other people we've lost… I can't let it be in vain."

James crossed the room in two strides, and they clung to each other. "I'm sorry Lilly," he whispered into her auburn hair, "I get so focused on protecting you and Prongs Jr. that I forget how important this fight is to you."

Sirius touched her shoulder, "we should still talk to Dumbledore and see what can be made of this super secret you-know-who diary."

And so they did. After informing them all of what had happened during her mission (James, Peter, and Sirius were jealous of her fun in the potion shop), Lilly showed them the book she had stolen.

Lilly was still concerned that she had not grabbed the correct object, that this was some random notebook of Malfoy's that he tricked her into taking. But Dumbledore put this theory to rest immediately.

"This diary was once owned by Tom Marvolo Riddle, a man now commonly known as "He-who-must-not-be-named". You succeeded Lilly, but now we must determine why Tom believes that this artifact of his contains so much power."

"Why?" Sirius asked pointedly. They all starred at him. He continued, "Why don't we just destroy the thing and be done with it?"

The normally timid Peter piped up, "Maybe it's a bomb?"

Dumbledore nodded, "besides that risk, we could learn about this object to try to combat any he makes in the future. And how long it takes for him to make it. However, regretfully we have learned nothing so far, I will need to do some research before we move forward."

Dumbledore returned to writing his letters, and so recognizing the dismissal, the group left Dumbledore's office. She turned to the boys, "I suppose you all are going to collect Lupin for tonight, it is getting to dusk soon."

Sirius nodded, "Yeah, we'll take him out to the woods and be back in the morning."

He was attempting to look calm, but Lilly could see the concern in eyes. The two men had recently celebrated their two-year anniversary of dating, but just like her and James, the war was putting a bit of a strain on the relationship, especially with all the undercover work Remus was doing with Voldemort's werewolf packs. She hoped the two could work it out.

James leaned forward and kissed her cheek, "See you in the morning, Love."

"Stay safe," she said back, trying to ignore the fear she felt every time he left the safety of headquarters.

2 Hours Later

Lilly was sitting at one of the few desks in the makeshift library that Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall had set up. The diary sat lifeless in front of her. She had chosen to disregard the warning from Peter and set the thing on fire while they were all gone but even then, the diary did nothing.

Why put so many protections on an object that doesn't have anything in it?

She smirked and wondered if that was why it was empty; it was so powerfully charmed that one couldn't even write in it.

Curious, she picked up her quill and wrote:

This is a test.

The ink lingered for a moment on the page before sinking into the paper. Fresh ink appeared below where she had written:

A rather successful one, I would say.

She closed the book with a snap and ran to get Dumbledore. Who was writing to her, whether it was the book, or even Voldemort himself, it was right, her test was successful.

12 years later

Luna knocked happily on the door to the resident bathroom ghost, Myrtle's stall, and stepped backwards two steps.

The ghost flew out of her stall and looked toward her with a few tears in her ghostly eyes.

"What do you want?" she looked around, "Are your friends looking for more books to throw at me?"

Luna frowned. More books? Did she normally have books thrown at her? Perhaps Pansy would have thrown a book at her for a laugh, but she doubted that her new friends would. Although Ginny has been acting very strange recently, maybe she did it out of frustration with her lack of two arms.

"No, I'm here to visit with you. I know you and Nick were friends and I wanted to see how you were doing with his second passing."

Nearly headless Nick was no more. Initially they had all thought he was petrified like the other students and cat, but he was different. He turned a sickly shade of green and grew lighter and lighter, until there was nothing left. Nothing but a memory. Tensions were increasing more and more, with ghosts becoming increasingly angry with the staff for not doing anything else to protect them from this unknown danger. A couple had left the building, likely searching for another building to haunt instead. Her friends still suspected that it was a member of the Slytherin house committing the attacks, but Luna suspected that it was an angry magical creature.

Myrtle looked away and put her hands to her face, beginning to cry again. "He was the only ghost that liked me you know," she paused and wiped her eyes, "he always invited me to parties and to dinner. We liked to sit by the lake on Saturday mornings. But now he's gone. Gone for good."

She began to sob, and her words were now incoherent. Luna wished she could touch her shoulder or give her hug, but her ghostly form limited her to words to console her.

"He lived a good afterlife and he enjoyed his time with you, Myrtle-" she began, unsure of how to help the crying girl.

Myrtle screamed suddenly, "LEAVE ME ALONE," and dove into the nearby toilet, creating a slash of water that washed a old leather notebook to her. She picked it up and opened the first page.

T. M. Riddle

The name felt both familiar and unrecognizable to her. Maybe she had a class with this student. She would have to ask her friends for help.