Prologue
End of April
Hogwarts
Lily hadn't planned on going to the Ravenclaw Quidditch Victory Party, but Mary had wanted one last night out before they buckled down for the next month to study for OWLS. Considering the state Mary had been in for the past few months, Lily had jumped at the girl's words. Mary hadn't wanted to go out or touch alcohol since that night back in February.
Due to her familial relationship with the captain of their Quidditch team, Lily was able to get them inside of the Ravenclaw tower with ease. They'd spent nearly an hour there, Lily leading lines of shots and dancing on the cleared common room floor.
Mary once told her she was the life of any party.
And as Lily did an eighth round of shots with the Ravenclaw beaters, she couldn't help but feel brilliantly alive.
"What is Lovely Lily Everett doing out after hours?"
She grimaced at the monicker, turning from Mary and the boys to see Sirius Black and James Potter standing in front of her.
"Black," she greeted, not bothering to acknowledge his words. He was still bitter that she'd docked him points when she found him and Priscilla shagging in the broom closet on the fourth floor. "Glad to see you're still in one piece."
"What are you on about?"
Lily's cheeks were flushed from the fire-whiskey and she was feeling a bit devilish as she leaned in, meeting his stormy eyes.
"I'd assumed you would have combusted by now from blue balls after I sent Priscilla back to the Hufflepuff Common Room," she drawled wickedly. Next to him, Potter chuckled and Lily looked to him, locking eyes with one of the most revered boys in their year.
"Bugger off," Sirius said. "I'm going to the bar Prongs."
James ignored him, holding her eyes still as he ran a hand through his hair.
"Wanna dance?"
She blinked at him and Sirius scoffed, walking off as Mary stiffened.
"I don't try to make interacting with you lot a regular thing," she replied icily.
"Slytherins?' James scoffed. "Half your family was in Slytherin."
"Death Eaters," Lily hissed in a low voice, quiet enough for only Mary and James to hear. One of her brothers was in his year but stuck to the Ravenclaw sixth years, Grant Montague and Eric Chang. His eyes narrowed and Mary's hand came to Lily's shoulder.
"Careful now Lovely Lily," he said in a warning tone. "No one believes a girl who cries wolf twice."
Anger plumed into her as the alcohol sent spontaneity into her veins.
"A word Potter," Lily hissed, grabbing his arm and pulling him out from the common room. She found the abandoned closets used for luggage and pushed him inside. She turned, ready to lecture him.
"You have a lot of bloody nerve to—"
His lips were on hers.
Lily felt James push her into the wall, kissing her deeply as her mind drew to a blank. Instinct took over as she returned the kiss, leaning upon her toes to meet his lips. His hand came to her waist and she pressed herself into him, losing herself in James Potter's lips and the many shots she'd taken.
But recalling that night, when she'd found the circle of Slytherins surrounding Mary, she forced herself to break the kiss, slapping him. His eyes flashed before he chuckled, moving back from her.
"Not so lovely are you?" he murmured in a low voice. She ignored him, forcing the door open.
"Stay away from me and Mary," she spat, flouncing past him.
June
Hogwarts' Graduation
William Everett was getting old.
As he surveyed the rise of the castle in the distance, he tried to conceal his panting breaths. It'd been over two decades since he'd been on the field as a cursebreaker in Greece but he felt every year since then.
But Hogwarts looked ageless, beautiful, and magical in the same way it had been in his youth. The sun gleamed off of its white walls as he turned to smile at his wife.
"Jules is to meet us at the castle," Marie said, squeezing his hand. His firstborn was a quidditch player, playing for Greece's National and professional team.
Although his wife was fully recovered, he was still careful, guiding her towards the castle and Lakefront seats. He could see the students gathering and heard her sigh.
"Only two more to go after this," she noted. He caught her sad expression and brought his arm around her shoulder.
"We haven't been alone in nearly 25 years," he replied wryly. She gave him a bemused look.
"The house is so empty," she replied.
"We have Quaffle," he reminded.
"Quaffle's a dog."
They made small talk with Orion and Walburga Black and he marveled at his wife in the sunlight. Marie had never looked so beautiful. She had tan skin with long loose red curls and matching gold eyes. All of his children inherited that skin and her sparkling eyes except for his youngest who'd gotten his pale English skin and startling green eyes.
Suddenly something rammed into his wife and he smiled, seeing familiar red hair.
"Manam!"
Marie embraced their youngest child. Lily had been a surprise, neither of them expecting another. He was nervous after Jason's birth but seeing the small bundle with his eyes and Marie's hair had settled everything.
"My Lovely Lily," his wife murmured, kissing Lily on the cheek. William frowned at his daughter, noting the sharp differences in her appearance. She'd grown more, taller than her mother. Gone were the round cheeks of her youth. She had her mother's sharp bones and the same curved smile.
"Father," she said, hugging him tightly. He chuckled, squeezing her close.
"Lovely," he greeted. "You're burned up."
His hand came to her peeling nose and freckled cheeks. She was the only of his children who burned under the sun like him, freckling in the summer months as he did.
"We had practice outdoors this past month," she reminded. Before he could take out his wand and tap her face to alleviate her burns, she let out a cry of joy, moving from his arms and barreling into her brother.
"Jules!"
"I think we're due to be seated," Marie noted. William nodded but frowned looking around the lakefront.
"Where's Jason?"
"Probably snogging Farah," Lily said in a bitter voice. William rolled his eyes, feeling annoyance that his second youngest would miss the twins' graduation.
The graduation ceremony started, Headmaster Dumbledore preceding before letting the Head Boy speak. Immediately, he smiled, watching as his last son strode onto the stage.
"They grow up so fast."
William squeezed his wife's hand again, looking across the stage to see his eldest daughter staring at her twin.
"Pet looks well."
"Shush I'm trying to listen," Lily huffed, throwing him and Marie a look. He chuckled, facing the front and enjoying the moment of peace.
"Congrats!"
Lily had thrown herself at her brother and sister, grinning up at them. Petunia made a noise of complaint but Luke chuckled, ruffling her curls.
"Thanks, Lovely," he replied. The rest of their family came over and Lily ruefully marveled at them. She'd always been the odd one out, taking on their parents' features all of them had missed. She'd never been golden like them: Jules was a famed Chaser for Greek's National team, Lucian was the brightest and had been Head Boy, Petunia was the beauty and Jason was beloved by all. She was just Lovely Lily, never golden but bearable in the presence of her siblings.
"We're so proud of you," her mother declared, embracing each of the twins. Lily looked past her family, as she locked eyes with James Potter.
She frowned at him, recalling their very public argument only weeks ago. He'd been tormenting Severus, Lily's friend, after one of their OWLs, and Severus had not responded well when Lily tried to intervene.
Mudblood lover
The word struck close to home, Lily's best friend being Mary MacDonald, one of her fellow Gryffindors. She'd ended the friendship immediately, but could still remember Potter's cold laugh at her emotional display.
She wondered what he was still doing here— Potter was a sixth year, one year older than herself in Jason's year. He was also a Slytherin, associated with the pureblood crowd that her family avoided. She held his gaze for a moment before looking away back to her family.
"Glad you could join us," her father said gruffly as Jason slinked over, hair looking mussed and an obvious hickey on his neck.
"Can you be any less obscene?" Petunia scoffed, taking her wand to discretely apply a concealer charm to his neck. Jason merely shrugged, looking careless.
She'd always been jealous of his way to charm any room.
"Manam I missed you," he said, embracing their mother. Lily locked eyes with Petunia who looked annoyed as their mother began slathering their brother with compliments.
"Ready to go home?"
"Yes!" she declared, excited for another peaceful summer with her family.
One Week Later
Malfoy Manor
He was close enough to Nagini that the snake looked dead at him. James raised a brow at the beast and it hissed something, the Dark Lord looking over.
"Nagini is quite fond of you," he noted, flicking his wrist to summon the beast. James looked around the long table, marveling at how he'd found himself seated so close to the Dark Lord despite his young age.
It came with work— with the blood and killing of countless.
He didn't feel any of it.
"Do we have any news about new initiates?"
Abraxas Malfoy ran through a list and the Dark Lord frowned, hand coming to Nagini's head.
"We have the funds and power of eighteen of the families in the Sacred 28," he said aloud. "What we need is new blood, not old blood."
Immediately James's mind came to the rueful thought of the Everetts, one of the wealthiest pureblood families in England. Despite their blood status, they were not members of the 28, having become a cadet family from the Blacks three generations back. His mind flickered to the image of their youngest: Lily. She'd stayed in his thoughts for nearly the past month following their confrontation.
"James Potter."
"Yes?" he asked, looking over at him. The Dark Lord smiled.
"You're in school with the Everett children yes?"
He could feel the Dark Lord probing at his mind and let him in.
"Yes I am," he answered, recalling the siblings. They were all blonde and golden-eyed, except for Lily. Their family stayed out of blood conflicts, able to fall back on their mother's foreign Greek blood.
"Five purebloods," the Dark Lord mused, breaking from his mind. "Is it true what they say about their proclivity for charms work?"
James bit his tongue, recalling watching Jason Everett in class, doing the most complex charms with ease, and altering them before his eyes.
"Yes."
"Why have they not taken up with our cause?"
He looked at his master and felt him probing in his mind again.
"They're mudblood lovers," Rickon Lestrange snapped with a frown. "William Everett would rather run away to his wife's island than fight."
"Why have they not been persuaded?"
"With what? They have money and influence already."
"Be creative— they have what three sons?" the Dark Lord said. "Two daughters. I'm sure one could be sacrificed."
The room was silent before Darren Mulciber spoke.
"The youngest is a Gryffindor— associates with mudbloods and blood traitors like the Prewitts— she's chosen them over my son," Darren declared. James rolled his eyes; Lily had nearly gotten his son expelled when Dante fucked up a mission and decided to rape her friend Mary in the woods this past winter. "Making an example of her-"
"No," James exclaimed, rising. The Dark Lord looked at him, meeting his gaze and James let down his mental shields. He let him see Lily through his eyes, their first meeting in Charms School, and the years he'd spent watching her from the corner of his eyes.
"Get down boy," his uncle hissed. James ignored Charlus, knowing that he'd pay for this when the two returned to Potter Manor.
"No," The Dark Lord said with a curious smile. "Now this is interesting. What would you do for the Everett girl?"
The question was directed at him and James's stomach curled as he thought about Lily Everett; her bright, lively eyes dead for this war.
"Anything," he answered firmly. The Dark Lord's lips spread in a wicked smile and he nodded.
"Bring me the family and you get the girl."
Late June
London
Lily hadn't intended to get absolutely plastered with Mary and Michael Wood. But as the night progressed, the trio had managed their luck hopping from London pub to club late into the night. Eventually, to her dismay, they'd run into her brother Luke who insisted on carting her back to his apartment.
She was laughing as he led her along.
"You're lucky I stopped in Piccadilly with Frank," Luke Everett sighed. She twirled around the nearby light post as he groaned and lifted her free. It was raining and she was giddy.
"Live a little Luke," she said vivaciously. With her friends, she was no longer Lovely Lily, the pressure of the moniker that followed her everywhere alleviated.
"You're living enough for the two of us," he said with a chuckle. Lily broke from his grip, leaning against the wall of the alley shortcut he'd taken them down. She felt nausea build in her and prepared to vomit against the bricks when she felt someone grab her.
"Don't move."
She gasped, feeling rough hands at her waist. Lily trembled as a blade came to her throat and watched as Luke's wand went out.
"Let go of her."
Another muggle stepped from the shadows and she cried in horror as he stabbed moved to her brother, stabbing him twice. She struggled against the one holding her as Lucian stumbled forward, trying to help her, only to get stabbed again.
"You weren't supposed to stab him," one hissed. "We need to leave."
Lily was released and stumbled to her brother, landing on the rain-soaked ground by his side.
She could see blood come from his chest and stomach and screamed.
"Please Luke," she begged, bringing her hands to his wounds. "Stay with me."
"It's okay," he sputtered, blood dripping from his mouth. She began to sob. "Lily it's okay."
She could hear muggle voices and tried to apparate them, barely remembering Petunia describing it once. They landed on the ground in front of St. Mungos and she clung to him.
"Help," Lily cried, sobbing. "Get a healer!"
"It's okay," Luke gasped. She continued to cry, feeling dark spots appear in her vision.
He was speaking but a ringing sound came into her ears and she watched his eyes slowly grow duller.
"Please," she begged. "Please don't die."
He continued to speak, voice growing weaker as he suddenly stopped, eyes losing their focus. She was pulled from him suddenly and cried out as a healer grabbed her. She thrashed against their grip as they surrounded him
"What happened?"
She looked up dazed into a pair of coal grey eyes.
"He's dead," she cried, over and over until blackness engulfed her.
She didn't recognize any of the next events at the moment, but in later days would recall seeing her parents bursting into the bloody road, her mother screaming at the sight of the blood and her son's corpse. She'd recall the way her father collapsed to his knees in front of Luke's body, crying out.
She couldn't remember much of that night, not that aurors that came and took a replica of the memories from her mind. Not the healers that examined her, one scoffing that she was intoxicated.
The next thing Lily remembered was five days later, moving towards her brother's casket as people streamed into the Wizarding Cemetary in Godric's Hallow. She stopped in front, freezing at the sight of his pale face and panic filled her.
She couldn't stay.
So she ran.
AN: Inspired by Ruin, with some characters from my other story In the Dark making appearances…
R&R