WRITTEN FOR THE QUIDDITCH LEAGUE FANFICTION COMPETITION.

Season 9, Round 6: Link 'Em Up

Prompt: Lily LunaAlbus Severus

Optional Prompts: (object) blanket

(emotion) surprise

(word) memories (altered: memory)

Also written for:

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (Challenges and Assignments): Assignment 10

Culinary Arts: Types of Knives: Slice & Dice but not Stabby

Task 4 - Kitchen Shears: Write about someone feeling confident because something happened (it could be a person complimenting the character, receiving good grades, or just feeling good while being with friends) or write a fic in the Next-Gen era.

Word Count: 1083 (Google Docs)

Thank you to DashFnanz and S L Blake for beta-ing!

I Won't Forget You

August 31, 2017

Lily Luna Potter couldn't sleep.

She tugged her blanket up to her chin and buried her head in her pillow. She willed for sleep to come, for drowsiness to overtake her. But nothing happened. She stayed fully, undeniably awake.

Lily huffed loudly. Luckily, it was the middle of the night—nearly two o'clock in the morning—and her parents and brothers should be asleep by now, at least she hoped they would be. The only sound from outside was the melodic tweeting of the birds.

She threw her blanket over her head and closed her eyes. She imagined soft lullabies playing.

Still, nothing happened. Lily stayed completely, totally awake.

With a sigh, she abandoned all thoughts of falling asleep. She knew she wouldn't be able to go to sleep anyway, because tomorrow, Albus was leaving her.

Not forever, of course. Just until the Christmas holidays. Lily's brothers would return home for two short weeks before they set off for Hogwarts again. Then she would have to wait until the Easter holidays to enjoy their company once more.

James had gone to Hogwarts two years ago, and Lily had gotten used to it, eventually. For the first few months after he had left, she'd been a wreck, crying everywhere and refusing to see anyone. She still missed him a lot, but at least the Potter home was much quieter without the constant banging and explosions coming from James' room.

Now, Albus was going to leave for Hogwarts too.

Lily wanted to cry.

She wondered what would happen when Albus left for Hogwarts. She hadn't really thought of it. Until now, in the early hours of the day that the Potter family would set off for King's Cross station and return with only one of their children in tow, the reality hadn't really set in yet.

Lily looked up at the ceiling of her room. Stars glittered and moved around on the wallpaper, a birthday present from Aunt Luna.

Lily knew what was above her room. The roof. She loved the roof, with all its little plants in different colored pots. There was a big table with five chairs around it, an umbrella fanning out above it.

Being on the roof often helped Lily calm her nerves, especially at night. Perhaps it was the sound of the wind rushing past her, or maybe it was the tranquil and calm atmosphere.

Lily's eyes widened. Why hadn't it come to her before? She could go up to the roof! True, she and her brothers were barred from going onto the roof without their parents' permission because of the high heights, even though the edges of the roof were charmed to not let anyone fall. Don't trust magic all the time, her father would say.

Lily didn't like breaking rules, because Mummy and Daddy would be disappointed in her if she did. But this was a special case. Albus was leaving! Lily was quite sure that she could go up to the roof for about fifteen minutes and leave the house without anyone noticing. She'd just have to make sure not to move anything.

The bedroom door creaked only slightly as Lily pushed it open. She paused, looking around to make sure that the sound hadn't woken anyone up.

A minute passed. Then two. Finally, after five minutes, Lily tiptoed outside quietly.

She walked up the stairs, careful to avoid the squeaking step. Finally, Lily pushed open the mahogany door that led to the roof, closing it carefully behind her.

She walked to the edge of the roof, closing her eyes with a small sigh. Then a voice interrupted, "What are you doing here?"

Lily's eyes snapped open. She froze in surprise, wondering, who in Merlin's name would be here, so late at night?

Sitting at the edge of the roof, legs dangling over the side, was Albus, facing her.

"A-A-Albus?" Lily stuttered.

"Lily."

"What are you doing here?" Lily demanded, her surprise gone.

"Just, you know, thinking."

"Thinking about what?"

She was probably being very rude at the moment, but Lily didn't care. She clenched her hands into fists. Albus was probably thinking of all the exciting possibilities that Hogwarts opened for him—not Lily.

"You."

His answer shocked her more than his being on the roof at two o'clock in the morning did. Lily found herself unable to speak, her mouth momentarily hanging open like a fish gasping for air.

When she had recovered her wits, Lily snapped, "Why would you think of me?" All the hurt about Albus leaving her for Hogwarts bubbled up inside of her. "Shouldn't you be thinking of how great Hogwarts is going to be for you? Why are you sparing a thought for your little nine-year-old sister?"

Albus looked hurt. "Hey, Lily. You matter to me more than Hogwarts does. Did you ever think otherwise?"

For a moment, Lily was stunned into silence. There was an awkward pause.

Albus broke the tension first. "So, um, Lily… since you're already here, why don't you join me?"

Lily hesitated for a moment, then walked over. She sat down at the edge of the roof beside her brother.

The cold wind made her hair billow around her head like a cloud. Goosebumps prickled on her bare skin.

The stars twinkled and the moon shone, as always.

The wind blew, as always.

"You're cold," Albus noted, observant as ever. He lay a blanket across her lap. It was warm and soft, immediately warming Lily up.

"Thanks," she said quietly, pulling it up, around her shoulders.

They sat in silence for a while, simply staring at the shining moon and glittering stars above them.

The silence became slightly uncomfortable, and Lily looked down at part of the blanket that rested on her lap. Her eyebrows drew upwards in surprise. She noted the little lump at the edge of the blanket, and the random purple line of stitches in the middle of it. Her throat closed up. "This is—this is the one I gave you, right?"

Albus nodded. "My eighth birthday, remember?"

Lily nodded as the memory came back to her. "Yes," she said. "The cake exploded."

Albus grimaced. "That's not really important."

"You had marshmallows in your hair for days!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

Albus cleared his throat. "Um, Lily?" he asked.

"Yes, Albus?"

"I just want you to know… I love you more than anything. Even Hogwarts. I won't forget you. I promise."

Lily took his hand. "Me too, Albus."