Lily Potter and the Spectre of Dread

by colcustard

Hazel Lily Potter was hopeful that things were getting better for her. But with the escape of a convicted mass murderer, a new House, and a horde of cloaked monsters that cause their victims to relive their worst memories, she's in for the worst year of her life. Can Lily overcome the Spectre of Dread, or will she succumb to the pit of despair? Book Three of Lily Potter. Fem!Harry

6. Asari Apothecary

"I still can't believe she gave you a robe," Ginny whined.

"Give it a rest, Ginny," Ron said. "You haven't dropped it once since we got back from the game."

"She didn't get me one!"

"She only had the one robe, Ginny," Lily said happily. She was considering buying them each an ice cream cone.

"I don't see why you have to keep wearing it around the house," Ginny grumbled. She had her hands in the pockets of her robe.

"Just be thankful she didn't wear it out here," Ron said. She was lucky, Lily had to agree. Lily wore it every chance she got. She'd even taken to sleeping in it. When she wasn't wearing it, it was tucked in her wardrobe, where it'd be safest. She had yet to dare wearing it outside. She even took it off on the way home from the Quidditch match when it started to rain.

It was time for another shopping trip. The Weasleys had yet to buy their school things, and so they found themselves in Diagon Alley once more. They already bought most of the stuff. Ron, Lily, and Ginny all split off after buying all the books. She thought she'd have to argue hard for not shopping at Flourish & Blotts, but the Weasleys got almost all their texts at a secondhand shop.

Lily was still trying to decide if she should ask the Weasleys while she was sitting with Ron and Ginny at Florian Fortescue's ice cream parlor. She was running out of time to do so; the new school term was right around the corner.

"Still have to get a new wand," Ron said, checking his list. He had most of it crossed off.

"And we have to pick up potions ingredients," Lily said, tapping the outstretched paper.

Ron scoffed. "What's the point? We can just share, Slytherin and Gryffindor always have Potions together."

"The point, Ron, is that I haven't bought mine yet, either," Lily said.

"And neither have I," Ginny muttered, "Not that you remembered I'm here."

"I thought you already did your shopping?" Ron said, ignoring his sister. Lily gave her a little pat on the hand.

"Everything except for the ingredients," she said. "Sae's family owns an apothecary, and I wanted to go there. Cedric didn't want to go by himself."

"Why not?" Ginny asked helpfully.

"It's in Knockturn Alley," Lily said with a nonchalant shrug.

Ron's face lit up in excitement. "Knockturn Alley? Really?"

"And you want to go there?" Ginny said with a horrified face.

"You don't have to come with us," Lily said with a sly smile. "But why wouldn't I?"

"Lily, what do you imagine is going to happen if somebody sees the Girl-Who-Lived going into Knockturn Alley?" Ginny asked, waving around to the crowded street just to emphasize her point.

Lily gave her a wink. "Good thing we won't be seen." She took a bite of her ice cream. Nice and minty, with a chunk of brownie and caramel in it. Absolutely wonderful.

"Thirteen inches, made of willow and unicorn hair," Ollivander said happily. His ancient white hair and his aged face looked exactly the same as the last time Lily had seen him. He had a box in his hands, and he was offering the wand inside for Ron to hold. They had a stack of boxes sitting on the nearby counter that Ron already attempted. They'd been here for nearly half an hour.

Lily drummed her fingers on the armchair she was sitting in, near the door. Ginny wandered off to find somebody else after she got bored. Lily wondered if she'd find her way back for the excursion into Knockturn Alley. She had her doubts.

"Woah," Ron said. Lily could feel a bit of blowing wind filling the room, felt her hair lift from it. Ron's whipped around his head as his face lit up into a smile. Ollivander's stayed perfectly still, although his smile grew a bit wider.

"Yes," the old man said proudly, "I thought unicorn hair was the way to go."

"My old one had it," Ron said. "Err- it didn't come from here, though, I don't think."

"And what happened to it?" Ollivander asked. The wandmaker was packing up the assorted boxes and wands around the two of them. Lily wondered why he always did it by hand. This was the third time she'd gotten to see him work.

"Err-"

"He broke it," Lily finished for him. "We were in a cave, and it got crushed by some falling rocks."

Ollivander nodded as if he'd guessed at it. Lily didn't know how he possibly could have.

"And you, Miss Potter?" he said. "Are you in need of yet another wand?"

"No," Lily said. She crossed her legs. She didn't like to think that she was already on her second.

"Still," Ollivander said. He wandered off into a row of shelves, disappearing within the stacks of boxes. "I believe we shall try one, just in case it is time."

"What's he on about?" Ron whispered.

"Dunno," Lily whispered back. "Guess he wants to sell another one."

"I don't imagine he sells too many in a day. Maybe he really needs the money?"

"Maybe," Lily said. Ollivander was back in sight, now, carrying a single box with him. He pulled the top off as he approached Lily. She recognized the dark wand within. She'd tried it out twice already.

"Eleven inches," Ollivander said as he thrust the box forward. "Holly, phoenix feather. Go on, Miss Potter."

Lily let out a sigh, but she picked the wand up. She could feel a tingle of warmth, but she otherwise wasn't impressed.

"Close," Ollivander muttered. "Very close. Perhaps next year? You'll have to come and see me, just in case."

"Sure," Lily said as she placed the wand back. "I could just buy it now, if you want."

"No, no, no," Ollivander said quickly. "A wizard cannot have two wands, Miss Potter, the results would be disastrous."

"If you say so," Ron muttered. Ollivander didn't seem to notice.

"I did not promise to bring all of you," Lily protested.

"Oh, come on, Lily," Fred said.

"Yeah, you can't just leave us out of Knockturn Alley!" George agreed. "We've been dying to get in, you have to let us come!"

"What'd you tell them for, Ginny?" Ron whined.

"Because they wouldn't let me sneak off without them!" Ginny said a bit too loudly. They were still in a crowded street. "They kept following me!"

"Look," Lily said gently. "I can't take all of you. You won't fit- err- we'll be noticed with so many people. You guys will have to find another chance."

"That isn't fair!" Fred said.

"Yeah!" George agreed. "Come on, Lily, we gave you our map, the least you can do is-"

"What map?" Ginny asked.

"Look," Lily said before another row could ensue. "I'm taking Ron. Ginny, you had your chance, I can't take you now without taking the others."

"But-"

"We'll bring you back a souvenir, Ginny," Ron said. "We need to get moving, or mum'll notice all of us are missing."

"Fine," Ginny relented.

"Now you all go back," Lily said, gesturing to the three unwanted guests. "And don't you dare say where we're going."

"But-" George started.

"Fine," Lily said in a frustrated tone. "What do you want? We'll bring it for you, just hurry up."

Fred grinned and elbowed his equally smiley brother.

"Nothing much," George said. He nudged his brother back.

"We made a list," Fred said. He dug into his pocket and handed Lily a sealed scroll. She glanced at it with a look of feigned interest, then tucked it into her robes.

"You two were planning on sneaking in, anyway, weren't you?" she asked. The twins just smiled at her in response.

"Oi, step on my foot again, see what happens," Ron growled.

"Sorry," Lily said snidely, "But maybe if you'd stop breathing down my neck, we wouldn't have this issue."

"I can't help where I breathe," Ron said. "Not when I have to hunch over so far."

"I have to crouch, too, Ron," Lily whined. "You're not the only one who's tall."

"Maybe this was a mistake," Ron whispered. They were near a crowd of sketchy looking wizards. They were carrying some sort of large cage into what appeared to be a butchery. Lily didn't want to stick around. The smell was horrendous.

"Look, buy one haunch of Acromantula, get another for free," she said giddily. She was faking it for Ron's expense. She hated spiders, too, but he really hated them.

"Will you get a move on?"

"Fine," Lily said. She shuffled forward, making sure to keep the Invisibility Cloak covering their entire bodies. It was hard to do, with how big they were now. They both had to hunch over, Ron, in particular, almost pinned to her back. She couldn't stand the lack of space, but it was the only way to move through these streets unseen.

She had no idea how they'd fit a third person under it. If Ron was coming, from now on, it'd just have to be the two of them. That was, of course, assuming somebody didn't confiscate the thing as soon as they got back to school. Professor McGonagall knew of the cloak's existence, but she was no longer Lily's Head of House. She'd have to wait until Lily did something to warrant taking it away.

Now, if she told Snape, she definitely wouldn't be getting it back until she left school. It was almost worth not bringing it at all.

Almost.

"How much further?" Ron asked. They had pause to let a rather large man pass through the narrow street, lest he bump into and discover them. Lily was pretty sure he was a troll or ogre wearing a very large trench coat; he certainly smelled like one.

"How should I know?" she said in a high-pitched whine. She was still plugging her nostrils shut.

"Do you not know where it is?"

"Course not," Lily said. "Haven't been yet, have I?"

"I knew this was a mistake," Ron grumbled.

"Why did you even come? All you've done is complain."

"Couldn't let you go down here on your own, could I?"

"I've already been down here on my own."

"Then you should already know where it is."

"Piss off, Ron," Lily said. She felt him elbow her, so she sent one right back, and then they were locked into a furious, silent fight, that Lily easily won. She had the advantage of not being afraid to play dirty. Ron was still grunting with every step as they neared another set of shops. Lily had to elbow him again to silence him when a bundled-up witch approached. Lily was pretty sure she heard them, still, as the lady stretched out a hand to grab them as she walked by. They were saved by Ron quickly pushing Lily's head down.

"We should head back," he said, "This isn't working. We can come back next year, once you ask where it is."

"Not hurting anymore?" Lily said. "We have to be close, let's just go a little further."

"I was just playing it up. Like you could hurt me."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Look," Ron said quietly, pointing towards a sign hanging above a nearby shop door. "I think we're here."

Lily hadn't even noticed it, at first, but he was right. The larger sign read in characters she couldn't read, ones that matched quite a few shops on this particular stretch of road. A smaller one below it read, in English, as Asari Apothecary.

"That'll be it," Lily said. "Err- should we take the cloak off here?"

"We'll duck into that alley, first," Ron said, pointing again. "Nobody in there. We don't want people knowing you have an Invisibility Cloak."

"Good idea," Lily said. She grabbed Ron by the collar, and then pulled him into the alley after her.

The bell clinked softly as they pushed inside the door. Lily did her best to flatten the fringe around her scar. Now that she was visible, she really didn't want people knowing who she was. Especially not in here. Without the safety of being invisible, she was seriously wondering why she'd come. Even Ron seemed a bit nervous.

The shelves were crowded with all sorts of items and ingredients. At a glance, Lily saw a jar of jellied serpents (conspicuously labelled as "grape flavored"), a bundle of arachnid legs the size of Lily's own, another jar that wasn't labelled but dripped with a fluorescent yellow liquid, and a set of vials labelled, horrifyingly, as "virgin female blood."

"Welcome," a bored voice said from the front. That took Lily's eyes away from a pewter cauldron simmering with some sort of purple substance.

"Hello," she answered back in a squeaky voice.

"Anything I can help you with?" the teenaged girl asked. She was leaning her head on her hand, and she was staring at the newspaper she had spread open on the counter. Lily was pretty sure she didn't even check to see who was in the shop. She was scratching at the side of her nose. It actually was a bit longer than Lily remembered, as it turned out, but still not as long as her sister's. She was wearing a large apron, just like Lily had been when she was working, but it was stained with several unidentifiable substances. She also had her hair tied back with some sort of cloth.

"Hey, Sae," Lily said. She approached the counter quickly, not wanting to look at any more items. Ron was still staring at something with a look of horror on his face. She was pretty sure he'd found the virgin blood.

Sae finally looked up, her pretty green eyes slightly widening in surprise.

"Potter?" she said. "What are you doing here?"

"You invited me," Lily said. She leaned on the same counter, taking a glance at what Sae was reading. It was in the same language as had been on the sign. Lily couldn't read it, but she recognized the picture on the cover. It was showing Sirius Black's thin face and his ragged, matted hair. Lily was surprised that the picture wasn't moving.

"You weren't supposed to actually come," Sae said. "Merlin, do you have any idea how dangerous Knockturn Alley is for somebody like you?"

"Shouldn't have sent that voucher, then," Lily said. "Why are you reading a Muggle paper?"

"Grandmother runs it," Sae said with a shrug. "She's a squib, can't animate it herself."

"She doesn't have somebody else do it?"

Sae shook her head. "Not since her husband passed. She won't let anybody else do it. What are you doing here?"

"I think we already covered that," Lily said. "Why are you selling human blood?"

Sae shrugged again. "For potions? And we have a vampire that comes in once a week to stock up. He doesn't like to bite people. Says it's- err- tastier that way. Did you need anything?"

"I have a list," Lily said, sliding the twin's scroll across the counter. Sae opened it quickly, grunting as she read it. "And- err- our school supplies. Two sets, please."

"You'll have to get the flesh-eating scarab wings somewhere else," Sae said as she rolled the scroll back up. "Fresh out. I can get you some magna beetle pincers, though, if you want. They have almost the same effect."

"Sure," Lily said. She was sure the twins would find some way to use them, even if she had no idea what they were. They certainly weren't in any book she'd read. Yet.

"I'll be back in a moment," Sae said. She straightened her apron a bit before setting off. "You two stay there and don't touch anything. Some of the stuff bites."

"She seems nice," Ron said. Lily jumped. She hadn't realized he was standing behind her until he ran his fingers across her shoulder, pretending to be a spider.

"That'll be 37 galleons," Sae said as she finished bagging and wrapping everything. Lily paused with her hand hovering over her coin purse.

"Thirty-seven?" She repeated. "That's more than the books cost this year."

Sae shrugged. "We don't have Lockhart teaching. Besides, your school stuff was only three galleons total. It's everything else that ran up your tab. Don't know why you needed mermaid blood, but that stuff doesn't come cheap, does it?"

"I'm going to kill those two," Lily grumbled. She paid for it, though, even if it practically emptied the rest of her funds. She'd have to go withdraw some more if she wanted anything to spend during the school year. "I don't suppose I can get that free cauldron?"

"Did you bring the voucher?" Sae said with a smile.

"You know I have one, what's it matter?"

"Sorry, Potter," Sae said as she handed over the bags. "My sister said you came to her last game."

"I did," Lily said with a satisfied smile. "She isn't here now, is she?"

Sae shook her head. "Has her own flat. She just came by to visit yesterday, is all."

"You never told me you had a sister," Lily said. "Let alone one that plays for the Harpies."

"I have two sisters," Sae corrected. "And a brother. Just didn't think to mention it, is all."

"Where is everybody?" Lily asked. "How come you're here alone?"

Sae shrugged. "Slow day. Mum's- err- out. Daichi took Aiya to Diagon."

"How old are they?" Lily asked.

"Daichi's a fifth year," Sae answered. "He's in Hufflepuff. You haven't met him. Ai starts this year, she just turned eleven in May."

"Your brother is three years older than you?"

"Two," Sae corrected. "I'm the same age as you."

Lily frowned. "But you're a second year? You just started-"

"My birthday is September 2nd," Sae interrupted. "They don't let you attend Hogwarts unless you've turned eleven before the first."

Ron snorted. "Bad luck, that. Got you right on the cutoff date."

"I'll have to get you something," Lily said. "What do you want?"

"Nothing," Sae said.

"There has to be something you-"

"Not a thing," Sae said with a fake smile. "Is there anything else I can help you with?"

"It'll be a surprise, then," Lily said with a sigh. "I'll figure something out."

"Don't forget Hermione," Ron said. "She's right after."

"Right," Lily said, trying to commit that to memory. She was bad with dates.

There was a loud thud on the ceiling above them, followed by a groan that startled Lily.

"What's that?" Ron asked.

"Rats," Sae said. She was crouching behind the counter, now, searching for something. Lily was pretty sure she was just pretending.

"Rats?" Ron said. "Rats don't groan like that, it sounds like our ghoul."

"A ghoul, then," Sae said a bit angrily. "If you're done shopping, you can leave now."

"But-" Ron said.

"Come on," Lily said, pulling him aside. She could take the hint. Whatever it was, Sae didn't want to talk about it, and Lily wasn't even sure she wanted to know.

"Would you please stop breathing on me?" Lily asked. They were pressed against another wall, waiting for a sudden crowd to pass.

"You're the one who's crushing me," Ron said. "Blimey, when did you get so heavy, anyway?"

"Haha, Ronald," Lily said. "Just wait until your mother hears about this."

"What's she got to do with anything?"

Lily pointed down at the exit to Diagon Alley. "She's waiting for us right there, Ron. Ginny looks like she's about to cry." She had her arms crossed and was tapping her fingers angrily on her arm while she stared down the dark alleyway. The twins were nowhere to be found. Lily was pretty sure they were already dead.

"Bloody hell," Ron said. He glanced around them, searching for another way around them.

"We'll have to backtrack," Lily said with a sigh. "We'll have to take the cloak off. I don't want her taking it."

"Are you mad?" Ron said. "We'll just sneak around her! We can take the cloak off at, I don't know, Florian's or something, and just pretend we never even came down here."

"Ron we're lucky she didn't come storming into Knockturn Alley," Lily said. "I highly doubt she'd believe we never came in."

"Worth a shot," Ron said. He sounded like a man who knew he would soon be dead.

"We'll try it your way, then," Lily said quietly. She started forward, listening to Ron's whine of fear become higher.

"Just you wait until your father hears about this!" Mrs. Weasley shouted. Ron and Lily were both sitting at the table back in the Burrow. Mrs. Weasley, at the very least, had the sense not to berate them in the middle of a crowded street. That was certainly an improvement from the last year.

"Does he have to?" Ron dared to ask. Lily was just wondering how the twins managed to get out of this one. They (and Ginny) just got sent up to their rooms. Percy was standing in the doorway, polishing his Head Boy badge, listening intently and waiting for his turn to scold them.

"Sneaking into Knockturn Alley!" Mrs. Weasley continued. She liked to throw her hands into the air as he ranted. "Really, what were you thinking?"

"We just wanted to say hello to my friend," Lily said. "Her family own a-"

"You could have been killed!" Mrs. Weasley said. She was pulling at her hair, now.

"We were fine, mum," Ron said. "Really, who's going to kill a couple of teenagers in broad daylight?" Lily didn't point out how dark it was down there.

"Ronald Bilius Weasley," Mrs. Weasley said very sternly. Ron flinched. He knew what the full name meant. "Do you have any idea, even the slightest notion, what could have happened?"

"We were fine," Ron said again.

"You could have run into Sirius Black!" Mrs. Weasley went on. "He would have killed you in broad daylight, Ron, or did you forget?"

"I did," Ron admitted quietly.

"I told your father this was a bad idea," Mrs. Weasley said. "Really, I said I didn't want to take you lot by myself, but he thought it'd be fine! 'What kind of trouble could they possibly get into at Diagon Alley?' I expected this from the twins, yes, but never you two!"

"Sorry," Lily said sadly. She tried looking at her feet. That usually seemed to work on Mrs. Weasley.

"The both of you are to go up to your rooms," Mrs. Weasley said far less angrily. "And you are not to leave them for the rest of the summer, excluding meals."

"Are you-" Ron started to say.

"Not another word, Ron," Mrs. Weasley said dangerously. "You can get started on your studies. And no magic, Lily, is that understood?"

"Yes," Lily said quickly, her eyes going cross. Mrs. Weasleys finger was wagging in her face, now, instead of her son's.

"Your wand," she said, changing to holding the hand out. Lily didn't argue. She placed wand and holster firmly in the woman's hand.

"You can't just-" Ron started to protest.

"Get marching," Mrs. Weasley said. The two of them scrambled to their feet in their haste to obey.

"I thought we got off lightly, to be honest," Ron said that same night. He snuck down after his parents went to bed, and was now sitting at Lily's desk, while she laid on her bed, staring up at Gwenog Jones (she was, of course, wearing the robe again). She had her Herbology text laying open across her chest. She just couldn't be bothered to read it. Her cat was sleeping at her side, the only reason Ron hadn't brought Scabbers down to visit. That was for the better. They got along well when he wasn't present, and she didn't feel like arguing again.

"I miss flying," she said, still thinking about the Quidditch player staring down at her.

"Lily, it's been three days."

"Still," she said.

"Did you finish your Charms notes, yet?" Ron asked. That was the book he had open in front of him. They were supposed to be studying together which was, of course, illegal, but what Mrs. Weasley didn't know wouldn't hurt her.

"I don't take notes on Charms," she said, letting out a little groan as she sat up and attempted to get back to work. She had a bottle of ink sitting on her bedside table, and her quill was resting right next to it. Her Potions book was a little further down the mattress, with the Transfiguration book sitting right next to it.

"Why not?" Ron asked. Lily heard his quill stop moving.

"Don't need to," she answered. She was having a hard time focusing on this passage on Puffapods. "Charms and Defense I just pay attention to. That's all I need. Herbology I go over for Potions and Transfiguration, because a lot of that information is relevant in those. Well, not so much Transfiguration, but it's sometimes-"

"What about History of Magic and Astronomy?"

"What about them?"

"Fair enough," Ron said. His quill started scratching again. "What are you going to do for Arithmancy and Ancient Runes?"

"No idea," Lily admitted. "Ancient Runes will probably be useful in Transfiguration and maybe Potions. Care will probably be good in Potions, too, actually, depending on what we cover. But I am not going through that book. I'm tired of it biting me. I'll just make do with the lectures. Arithmancy seems useful for everything. I think I'll just always keep my notes on me."

"Hope you have the space for it all in your books."

Lily glanced over at her Potions book. The margins were getting really full.

"Maybe I should have planned this better," she said. "Copy all the relevant notes on parchment, first, transfer them over after? Then I could do it based off what seems useful."

"Maybe. Sounds like a lot of work."

"Ron, you took every class."

"Don't remind me."

Lily crept up the stairs quietly, deciding it was now or never. They left for Hogwarts tomorrow, and she still hadn't approached the subject of her scroll. It wasn't too late; Mr. and Mrs. Weasley would still be awake. Her cat crept alongside her, and she hoped he wouldn't try swatting at her legs again. She really didn't want to risk a fall.

She raised her hand to knock on the door, freezing upon hearing raised voices.

"She ought to know!" Mr. Weasley said.

"Arthur, you know we're not supposed to," Mrs. Weasley said in response.

"Of course I do, but that doesn't make it right."

"She's better off not knowing. Something like that, it changes a person. She's had a hard-enough time as it is, poor dear."

"She's in danger, Molly," Mr. Weasley said a bit lower. Lily had to press her ear closer to the door to hear. "If she knew why he was after her, she might not have snuck away yesterday. Of course she's doing what she'd normally do, she doesn't realize how much danger she's in."

"We don't even know if he's actually after her!"

"Molly," Mr. Weasley said in a certain tone, "Who else could he be after?"

"But-"

"And we're fairly certain he is," Mr. Weasley interrupted, "It's not in the official reports, the Minister has been keeping it a secret, but before he broke out, he was heard repeating one, singular phrase, over and over to himself: 'He's at Hogwarts. He's at Hogwarts.' What else could it mean than he's after her?"

Mrs. Weasley was silent for a moment. "He doesn't know she's a girl, then?"

"Of course not," Mr. Weasley said. "He doesn't get news, where he was. All the loyal Death Eaters still call her-"
"How did he even find out?"

"Fudge handed him a paper," Mr. Weasley said in a mocking tone. "'Didn't see the harm in it,' he said. It was just one paper, he thought, what harm could it do?"

"I still think we shouldn't tell her," Mrs. Weasley said. "You know how she and Ron are, if they know the truth, they'll go looking for him. Blimey, Arthur, she's more of a nightmare than the twins, these days."

Lily took her ear away from the door, not wanting to hear anymore, and headed back down the stairs from whence she came. She tossed her scroll onto her desk, then laid face first down onto her mattress, wondering if she'd be able to sleep tonight.

She was right to worry, of course, and she was exhausted at the breakfast table. She was the only person who was fully packed and ready to go, and Mrs. Weasley was rewarding her by constantly shoveling food onto her plate. Lily wasn't much in the mood for talking, and she was ignoring the older woman's questions by constantly shoving said food into her mouth. Ginny came down next, taking a plate with far less food on it.

They all heard a thud at the window, and Lily was pretty sure the glass was cracked from whatever made the noise. Mrs. Weasley fixed it with a wave of her wand, pulled the window open, and then grabbed a scruffy, limp owl from the planter beyond it.

"Post's here," Ginny said helpfully between bites of toast.

"Here you are, Lily," Mrs. Weasley said. "It's for you."

"Who would be writing to you?" Ron said as he sat down for his own hurried breakfast. Lily shot him a look, then glanced at the sender, and made some sort of happy squeal that got her looks from all around the room.

"It's from Gwenog Jones!" she said as the tore the envelope open. "She remembered!"

Ginny made a sudden noise, too, that seemed to match Lily's earlier one.

"Bloody hell," Fred said as he passed through, looking for some item the two lost.

"There's two of them," George said in horror.

"What did she send, Lily?" Ginny asked.

Lily pulled out two wide photographs, then wiped a tear from her eye. She was standing in it, surrounded by the entirety of the Holyhead Harpies. She had a stupid look plastered on her face, one that she was certain she was currently wearing again. Lily could see her chest rising with a sort of frantic laughter. Gwenog Jones winked at her. Her large signature was on the bottom right corner, wrapped in a big heart. Lily stared at it and passed the spare over to Ginny without sparing her so much as a glance. She heard Ginny squeal again.

"I'll be in my room," Lily said as she rose suddenly. She was still holding her photograph.

"You haven't even read the letter," Ron said, holding it up from the table. Lily snatched it from his hand, then dashed from the table, leaving her breakfast half finished. She could hear Ginny chatting happily from the kitchen as she closed her bedroom door behind her.

"Time's up, you lot," Mr. Weasley shouted upstairs. "Cars are here. You'll be taking what you have, and we'll send you the rest."

The Ministry sent three cars for them, and all the drivers were dressed in different coloured robes. Lily thought they looked ridiculous, quite unlike the cars they brought with them, although Lily had no idea what kind of car they were. They had four wheels, and that was enough.

As each Weasley left the house, Lily watched their clock hands change from "home" to "travelling." Lily was last out, closing the door sadly behind her, wondering what hers would have said in the first place.

Lily was seated in the middle car, along with Ron and Ginny. The adults (and Percy) got into the lead car, and the twins got the back car to the themselves, something Lily was sure they were quite happy about. Lily just felt bad for the driver. As they pulled away from the house, Lily realized she'd forgotten her Gwenog Jones robe on her bed. She felt awful about it, but she didn't kick up a fuss. She didn't want it to get stolen or damaged.

Ginny hardly talked at all during the drive; she spent the entire thing staring at her autographed photo. Lily's was safely tucked away in her photo album, where all her other precious pictures were, which she liked to leave at home for safety.

They arrived at King's Cross early for once, something Lily was thoroughly surprised by. There were more Ministry officials waiting for them as they arrived, and those officials got carts for them, loaded them, and even steered them through the station. Lily liked it, but she did wonder why they needed all the additional security. There was no way Sirius Black would show up here.

Lily's chauffeur went in first, and so she went right after, running straight at the third pillar between platforms nine and ten.

She came out on Platform 9 ¾, where the crimson train engine was waiting, white smoke billowing from the stack. The platform was far more crowded than Lily had ever seen it, absolutely jam packed with worried looking adults. Lily pushed her way through them, following her trunk through the crowd. She heard a few people call for her, waved in their general direction, but otherwise kept moving. The Ministry official stopped in front of an empty car, picked up Lily's trunk by himself (while Lily grabbed her cat and broom), and then hopped straight into it, placing her trunk on the rack above the right bench.

Ron's trunk arrived next, followed by Ginny, Percy, and the twins, and they were all loaded into the same compartment without a single word from any of the Ministry people. Lily found it all a bit discomforting.

"You lot be good," Mr. Weasley said. His wife was too busy giving them each a tight hug, and a quick kiss on the head. Lily pushed away from her own.

"And stay out of trouble," Mrs. Weasley added after she was finished. She shot a pointed look at the twins and, to her horror, herself. At least she finally returned the girl's wand; Lily clasped it firmly back onto her arm.

"A word before you go, Lily," Mr. Weasley said, pulling her aside from the others as they climbed, one by one, into the compartment.

"Yeah, okay," Lily said, not really having a choice in the matter.

He led her over to a small section of station that happened not to have anybody on it. Then, he leaned in close, and lowered his voice.

"I wasn't supposed to tell you any of this," he began, "But I thought you ought to know."

"About what?" Lily asked.

"Sirius Black," he said. "I need you to swear to me, Lily, that, no matter what you hear, you won't go looking for him."

"Why is he after me?" Lily asked, thinking back to the previous night.

"I can't tell you that, Lily," Mr. Weasley said sadly. "Molly thinks you'll go after him. I disagreed, but I promised I wouldn't say anything to you."

"I should still know."

"I'll tell you," Mr. Weasley said, "Once Black is found. I promise. But you need to swear in return that you'll stay safe, that you won't go looking for him."

"I promise," Lily said.

"Good girl," Mr. Weasley said. He gave Lily a firm pat on her shoulder. "Now, let's get you on that train, shall we?"

"I'm going to go find a different compartment," Lily said after ten minutes of dealing with the twins arguing with Percy and Ginny.
"I'll come with you," Ron said. He rose after her, standing on the seat so he could get both of their trunks down. None of the other Weasleys even noticed them leave the compartment. Lily shut it gently behind the two of them.

"This one's free," Ron said five minutes later. They'd spent that entire time searching, but every compartment seemed to be full.

"Thank Merlin," she said. She pulled the compartment door open first, stepped in, then let out a little gasp of surprise. There was a man sitting on one side already, wearing a shabby robe, and with a tattered briefcase on his lap. He didn't look particularly old, but his face was weathered with hardship. He was snoring softly, his head leaning against the window.

"Come on," Ron said, shoving her forward a little. "It's either here or back with the others."

"Fine," Lily relented. She sat in the far corner across from the man, just to put some distance between them, while Ron loaded their trunks in the space above. He sat across from her afterwards.

"Who do you reckon he is?" Ron asked, nudging his head in the man's direction.

Lily shrugged. "New professor?"

"What's he taking the train for, then?"

"How would I know, Ron?" Lily said. The train suddenly lurched forward, and they began moving. Lily couldn't help but feel a bit excited.

"I'm going to go get changed," she said, hopping up on her seat to get at her trunk.

"Already? What are you in such a rush for?"

"If I go now, there'll be less of a crowd," she said. She was already wearing most of what she needed, truth be told, with her green and silver waistcoat and black trousers. She just needed to throw on a robe and put the tie on. She mostly just wanted to run into a few people.

"I'll keep the seat warm, then," Ron said, leaning back into the cushion and closing his eyes. He pulled his sickly rat from his shirt pocket, letting the poor thing stretch out on his lap. He was lucky that Weasley was still in his cage. Lily would be correcting that in a short while.

"I'll let the others know where we are if I see them," Lily said. She closed the door softly behind her.

She didn't run into anybody on her way to the bathroom, nor inside of it, but she did run into Sae on the way back. The girl was arguing loudly with an older boy in the hallway. He was taller than her, already wearing his school robes which were hemmed with yellow and black, and he kept his hair cropped short.

"You were supposed to carry her owl for her, Daichi," Sae said.

"She's not a baby, Sae," Daichi said back. His voice was already quite deep. "She can carry it herself."

"Then where is it?"

"She left it at home," Daichi said with a shrug. "I can't help that she forgot it. What do you want from me?"

"I wanted you to do what you were-" Sae started to say. Then she noticed Lily waving at her from the background and brushed some hair from her face to calm herself.

"You must be Daichi," Lily said, quickly strolling forward and extending her hand. Daichi looked puzzled as he accepted.

"You must be Potter," he said, his eyes darting to her hair and forehead. "Where did you learn my name?"

"Where else would she learn it, dung for brains?" Sae said. "I told her."

"Oh," Daichi said. He rubbed at the back of his head, then pulled open the compartment door he was standing in front of, and quickly dipped inside of it.

"He's an idiot," Sae said with a jerk of her head.

"He seemed nice," Lily said. She thought Sae was being a bit too mean, but she didn't have the necessary experience to tell for sure.

"Sure," Sae said. "Did you need something, Potter?"

"I just thought I'd say hello," Lily said. "We're in the back, if you want to come sit with us."

"Maybe later," Sae said. "I'm with Aiya and Daichi, right now. Some of his friends, too."

Lily glanced inside, saw Cedric sitting in there, and then quickly ducked out of the way before he could see her.

"I'll just leave you to it, then," she said.

"Wait," Sae said, reaching out a hand and grabbing Lily by the arm. "Aiya wants to meet you, you should say hi."

"Do I have to?" Lily asked, glancing at Cedric again. He, too, was in his school robes, although he had a shiny new Prefect's Badge pinned to his chest.

"Yes," Sae said, already pulling the door open and dragging Lily along. She tried to keep a straight face as the compartment went silent.

"Hello," Lily said in a squeaky voice.

"This is Hazel Potter, Ai," Sae said. Sae finally let go of her, so she could ruffle the hair of a girl that really didn't seem that much younger than either of them and was clearly embarrassed by her sister's action.

"Hello," Aiya said nervously. She was already wearing her school robes, too. Lily got the feeling they'd all come in them, even though they were no longer required to do so. She had her hair cut in the same bob that Sae had been wearing during her first year (the older girl has since grown it out, although it still hung loose around her shoulders). Her nose was completely different from her two siblings, being much smaller, and she had brown eyes instead of the green.

"Hello," Lily said again. She added a wave to it, just to feel extra stupid. Sometimes she really hated herself.

"Hello, Lily," Cedric said awkwardly. Some of his friends muttered the same acknowledgement.

"I thought you'd be more excited," Sae said plainly. "You're a big fan of-"

"I am not," Aiya argued quickly, her face turning red. "I'm not six anymore, Sae."

"You still have that-"

"Please, stop," Aiya said, burying her face in her hands.

"Well, anyway," Sae said straightening up further. "As you can see, she's wearing green and silver, just like I promised, so you don't have to join Gryffindor anymore."
"Is that what this is about?" Lily asked, her anger flaring up slightly at the thought of being used.

"Told you we weren't lying, Ai," Daichi added helpfully.

"I never said you were," Aiya said. She stood up quickly, pushing past her sister. "I'm going to go sit somewhere else. I'll see you at school."

"Ai, wait!" Sae said. Her sister was already out the door.

Now it was very awkward. Lily couldn't help but wish she was still listening to the Weasley's arguing over who had packed poor old Errol into Percy's luggage (it was almost certainly the twins).

"I should be going," Cedric said, quickly rising from his seat. "Supposed to meet with the rest of the Prefects."

"I should get going, too," Lily said, jumping on the opportunity. "We're in the back, Sae, if you want to come sit with us." She already said that, of course, but the only person who noticed was herself.

"Maybe," Sae said again.

Lily didn't wait for any others to speak to her and backed out of the room as quickly as she could. Cedric, thankfully, went the other direction, so she was spared having to speak with him.

Just ten seconds later, she ran into Katie Bell, who was coming out of a different compartment. Katie gave a little squeak as they locked eyes, then quickly looked at her feet. She had her hair in a much shorter cut (she used to tie it back, like Lily), barely reaching past her chin. She wasn't wearing her school robes, but she was holding them in her hands. Lily got the impression she was trying to sneak off and get changed before she could run into a certain somebody.

That certain somebody took the moment to pull her into a hug, just so she knew there was no harm done.

"We're in the back if you want to come sit with us," she said as she pulled away. Katie looked surprised and happy.

"You aren't mad?" she asked.

"I have had a very long and difficult summer," Lily said, "I was mad at first, sure, but I'm over it. Did you want to come sit with us?"

Katie smiled, then frowned, glancing back in the compartment she'd just come from.

"Can't," she said sadly, "Already promised Angelina and Alicia I'd sit with them."

"I'll see you at school, then," Lily said, patting her good friend on the shoulder. "We're getting tea at Hagrid's this weekend. Want to come?"

"I'd love to," Katie said. "Would you like-"

"There you are, Potter," a familiar drawl said. Lily let out a sigh and turned to face the blonde menace.

Draco Malfoy was staring at her with a snide look on his face, his two thick cohorts, Crabbe and Goyle, standing at his side as usual.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" Katie asked on her behalf. That made her feel a bit more confident.

"Nobody was talking to you, Bell," Malfoy said, not even bothering to spare her a glance.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" Lily said instead.

"Saw you in the papers, Heiry," Malfoy said, making sure to use her least favorite nickname. "Thought for sure you'd be expelled. Safe to say you've been shown the usual favoritism."

"I suppose so," Lily said with a cold smile. "Or perhaps they were just lying. Didn't think of that, did you?"

"Please," Malfoy said, "And what was that outfit about, Heiry, I don't think I've ever-"

"Don't call her that," Katie said. She sounded far angrier than Lily felt.

"My father was talking with the Minister just last week," Malfoy said, ignoring her. "From what he told me, you're-"

"Nobody cares what your father thinks, Malfoy," Lily said. "He's lucky he isn't in prison for what he did last year."

"What was that, Potter?" Malfoy said, all traces of his false friendliness vanishing from his face. "You're blaming him for you petrifying a few Mudbloods?"

"Don't say that word, Malfoy," Lily said coldly. "That's your only warning."

"You might have the rest of the school fooled, Heiry," Malfoy said, "But don't think you've fooled me. Shame you had to go rescue that Granger. School could've done without that Mudblood know-it-all tramping about like-"

Lily had enough. She reeled back, put her weight into it, just like Artie showed her, and swung her fist into Malfoy's face. It was one of the most satisfying moments of her life, although her hand hurt afterwards. Malfoy was knocked back, his bodyguards failing to catch him. Goyle stepped forward, as if to retaliate, but Lily already had her wand out, and was aiming it at the three of them.

"I warned you, Malfoy," she said. Her knuckles still stung.

"You'll pay for that," Malfoy said from the floor. He was staring at her with pure loathing.

"What's going on here?" Percy called out. He was walking right towards them, his chest puffed out. "I'll have you know I'm Head Boy."

"Nothing, Percy," Lily said, tucking her wand back in the holster. "Malfoy just tripped, is all. Isn't that right?"

Malfoy was back on his feet, now, and rubbing at his jaw, where an angry red welt was forming. He didn't say a word; he just turned and stormed back in the other direction, Crabbe and Goyle chasing after him.

"I hope you didn't do what I think you did, Lily," Percy said sternly.

"She didn't do anything, Percy," Katie added helpfully. "It went exactly as she said."

Percy didn't look like he believed it, but Lily felt like she could have kissed Katie. She couldn't believe how well things were going for her already.

"You punched Malfoy?" Ron said in excitement.

"Look at my hand," Lily said, showing off her bruised knuckles. Ron whistled at them, his face split into a huge grin. Neville looked like he wanted to, while Hermione was clearly pursing her lips at the thought of it. She didn't say anything, though, which was an improvement from the previous years. The shabby professor was still snoring in the corner.

"Maybe we shouldn't talk about this here," Neville said nervously.

"Wish I'd been there," Ron said wistfully. He had Scabbers in his pocket again. Weasley was out, and was sitting in Lily's lap across from him, staring at the bulge. Lily hoped he'd get over it soon; he hadn't focused on the rat since their first year.

Hermione clearly opened her mouth to say something, locked onto Lily's eyes, and then shut her mouth after thinking better about it.

"What's on your mind, 'Mione?" Lily asked helpfully.

Hermione hesitated before speaking. "I don't think you should have done that. You're in the same House now, Lily."

"I'll be fine, Hermione," Lily said. "Really, it's not like we were going to be mates, anyway. It was a lost cause to begin with."

"And he's been on the outs with half of Slytherin since he lost them all three games last year," Ron added. "Lily's right, she'll be fine."

"Still," Hermione said. "You should at least try not to get into fights with him."

"Fine," Lily said with a shrug, "If he behaves, I'll behave, I promise."

"Fat chance of that," Ron said with a snort.

"Oh no," Neville said suddenly.

"What's up, Nev?" Ron asked.

"I forgot the Potions homework," he said, his face turning white. "Snape's going to kill me."

"We'll be at your funeral, mate," Ron said.

"You can copy mine, Neville," Lily offered. She heard Hermione sniff in disapproval.

"Thanks, Lily," Neville said, a bit of color returning to his face.

Lily stood on the cushion so she could reach her trunk. She had to stoop awkwardly so her head wouldn't touch the ceiling.

She had her Potions work in her hand when the train suddenly lurched, the brakes screeching in protest. Lily toppled over, falling over onto Hermione, both girls letting out a squeal as the lights flickered off, surrounding them all in darkness.

"What's all this, then?" Ron asked.

"Why's it so cold?" Neville asked. Lily could hear his teeth chattering (it might have been her own).

"Lily, get off," Hermione said with a groan.

"Sorry," Lily said.

"Quiet," a deeper voice said.

"What's going-"

"Quiet, I said," the professor repeated. A bright light suddenly appeared at the tip of his wand, illuminating all of their scared faces. The professor offered them a tired smile, then stood.

"I shall return shortly," he said. "I'll speak with the driver. Stay here."

As he reached for the handle on the door, it opened suddenly. Hermione (or perhaps it was Lily, she really couldn't be sure) let out a gasp of fear, and both girls pushed their way to the back of the compartment as the black robed figure stared inside. Lily felt her heart rate soar, her breathing becoming ragged as her eyes locked onto the gnarled, skeletal hand protruding from the figure's frame. It seemed to notice her staring, and it drew the hand back into its cloak.

"Sirius Black is not in here," the professor said calmly. "You will take your search elsewhere."

The figure didn't move. It continued staring inside.

It moved forward. Lily couldn't breathe. Her vision went blurry, and her head was splitting in agony. She shut her eyes to clear them. She was seeing mixed colours of red, yellow, and white. Somebody spoke, and she felt the fear worsen, even though she couldn't figure out who it was.

"Nobody wants you here."

Then everything went dark.