How to Disappear
Summary - Lily Evans was forced to leave the Wizarding world after graduation. Now, it's June of 1979 and she's ready to make her return, but Voldemort is stronger than ever. Who can Lily trust? AU. Lily/James. Rated T for drug use and profanity.
AUTHOR'S NOTE – Hi everyone! This is my very first published fic and I hope you all like it. Please read and review.
CHAPTER 1: DYNAMITE
SUMMER 1979
Sweat trickled down Lily Evans's temple. She had tried multiple times to call her father that morning to no avail. The line rang and rang, but Lily was disappointed once more.
"Dad, it's me. I guess you're still not up. I just wanted to call and check in with you. I miss you and I'm going to stay with Marlene at her flat. I'll call you again later." Lily's voice nearly broke and she had to end the message, suddenly uncertain if he would ever speak to her again. She knew he was awake. It was nearly 11am and he had been avoiding her calls since she left. She just needed to make sure he was safe.
Lily debated for a second, but instead left the turnout where she had pulled over and walked back to her car. As the engine turned over, Lily fought the tears and willed them away. She had cried too much in the past day.
If he wants to talk, he'll find a way. In fact, it's better that we haven't talked yet. That way I won't get another earful.
She had been on the road for two days, taking the long way and appreciating the views on the way to Lily drove closer and closer to the city, she felt the heat continue to grow. She wasn't sure if her hands were clammy with the sweltering heat or nervousness.
For maybe the third time that day, Lily felt the self-doubt creep in. There was no real plan. Her entire instinct was survival and once she had escaped her childhood home, there was nothing. No job in London, muggle or magic. It could be intimidating, but to Lily anything was better than where she had been. She was done with her life in Cokeworth.
Thankfully, her old friend Marlene McKinnon from her Hogwarts days had offered her spare bedroom in her flat. Lily had some money saved for two months or so, but she knew that she had to find a job. She would be happy doing anything as long as it meant seeing Marlene again. A barista, a waitress, any job that would have her was good enough for Lily.
She stopped in front a sleek, charcoal-colored building. It wasn't terribly old, but also wasn't the newest building on that street. Lily quickly spotted Marlene waiting outside the in a small courtyard on a bench. She smiled as she gathered a few of her things from the car before walking over to her.
"Marlene! I'm so happy to see you again. How have you been?" Lily jumped, wrapping the small, dark-haired girl in a warm hug.
"Lily! I'm so happy you're here. I still really can't believe it. It's been ages. How's your dad? And Petunia?" She asked excitedly, holding Lily out at an arms-length and examining her up and down.
"Dad has been so infuriating, he was just not hearing me the last few days. I was packing and if he saw me, he would just get in a mood for the rest of the day. I don't think he quite understands why I had to leave. And Tuney… well you know how she can be. We haven't spoken much since she moved out with Vernon," Lily answered and began to fill Marlene on all of the goings-on of the past month or so. They wrote to each other quite often, but it had been months since they saw each other.
"Okay, enough about my boring Muggle summer! What have you been up to?" She inquired, walking with Marlene towards her car.
"Well, I've been working for the Ministry at the Department of International Magical Cooperation with my Uncle Jack. I love working there, but it's rather lonely. All of my colleagues are in their thirties and know my uncle. Everyone kind of treats me like a little girl and I feel like they all think I'm only there as a result of nepotism. It's frustrating. I wish they'd give me some more responsibilities. It's such a boys' club," They picked up all of the necessities to and turned back to the lobby of the facility.
"Wow, I expected you to have a lot more things. I'm afraid I'm a bit of a hoarder. Unfortunately, the lift's broken. But I'm on the second floor so no worries!" said Marlene and led Lily up to her flat and started helping her unpack. Lily stood at the landing of the steps, a small smile on her face. She couldn't wait to start this new journey.
The week passed in a blur. Lily had rekindled her friendship with Marlene as though no time had passed since their time together at Hogwarts.
Marlene's flat was quite small, but Lily was just glad she had a small space all to herself. She caught up with Marlene about the deteriorating circumstances for Voldemort's opposition.
The Ministry grew increasingly corrupt and Lily was fairly confident she knew most of what was going on.
The information she had was fairly inaccurate. Marlene was involved with the Order of the Phoenix who gave her information the Daily Prophet would never publish.
Lily spent her first day with Marlene, struck by all of the information she had.
"Er, Lily, I know we kept in contact while you were at home, but erm… I meant to ask you. Have you seen Severus at all?"
Lily nodded. She gathered her thoughts. There was a iciness in Marlene's tone that Lily had never noticed before.
She opened her mouth to speak and closed it again. Marlene looked at her for a minute, commented on the weather, and began to make dinner.
Meanwhile, Lily felt as though she had hit a wall in her hunt for a job. She called various restaurants in magical London, even some in Muggle London, caterers, coffee shops, and even as a receptionist at various offices. She just needed something to help her pay Marlene for all of her kindness since she had moved in.
She knew Marlene came from an old Wizarding family, but they were by no means wealthy. Lily tried to pay for her own groceries and various toiletries, but Marlene refused, confident that Lily would find a job soon.
Finally, Lily received a call for an interview for a restaurant in Muggle London. Once she hung up the phone, she told Marlene the name of the restaurant. She squealed.
"How in bloody hell do you know about it? It's a Muggle restaurant." It was a small Italian spot, Martinelli's. Lily had perused through the menu and it was more upscale than she expected. She saw it as a welcome distraction from the chaos of the magical world.
Lily was hardly a wallflower at Hogwarts, as Head Girl, prefect, and member of the Slug Club. She met all kinds of powerful people through Slughorn on both sides of the war with Voldemort. The chances of running into someone unsavory if she wanted to work at the Ministry with Marlene were infinitesimally higher than as a server at Martinelli's.
"Everyone loves that restaurant, Lily. Muggle and Magic," Marlene said, as though it should have been obvious. Lily groaned, knowing that her thought about safety in the Muggle world was incredibly naive.
Her interview had been nerve-racking, to say the least. Paul was an older man with sandy blonde hair, who had a bit of an air of mystery around him. Lily couldn't quite put her finger on what it was about him that unnerved her.
"So, Lily," Paul, the general manager, began quietly. "You've worked as a barista? Tell me about that, what did you learn?"
"Well, erm, I learned how to make lattes, teas, prepared food for the—" Lily started.
"Prepared food? So, can you cook?" he asked, skeptical of her ability.
"No, actually, it was actually just more like bakery items. It…" Lily trailed off and took a deep breath before attempting to continue. This is absolutely going bloody nowhere.
Paul interrupted her once more.
"I should have been clearer. I did not mean skills. I mean what knowledge did you gain," he clarified. Lily frowned.
"Erm, I learned—"
"Lily!" called Sirius Black, entering the empty dining room spotting Lily and Paul seated at a table. Lily's eyes widened at the sight of him. She hadn't seen Sirius in close to a year.
He looked much skinnier than the last time she saw him, his face gaunter and somehow more handsome than ever.
"Sirius? What are you doing here?" Lily asked, with a look of excitement and confusion on her face.
"Oh, I know some people. Just came by to pick something up," Sirius flashed a toothy grin at Lily, quickly realizing what he had interrupted. Before Lily could inquire about his vague answer, he headed towards the door. "So sorry to interrupt, I'll be on my way. We need to have a chat, Lily. Later, Paul." Sirius waved goodbye and Lily laughed nervously, eyeing Paul, who rolled his eyes.
"Well, it was nice to see you Sirius." Lily smiled and waved goodbye. Just like that, he was gone. Lily looked down at her watch. It was now nearly ten in the morning. She looked around the empty dining room. Who was here this early?
Lily received her answer a few minutes later, in the middle of explaining to Paul all of her (limited) knowledge of wine.
James Potter strode through the kitchen doors, back behind the bar area. His hand shot up to run through his hair as soon as they made eye contact. Her breath caught, trying to gauge his reaction. It was like he wore a mask, concealing his emotions and giving Lily no insight as to how he felt.
She knew he lived this general area, but London was no small city, and this was the last place she expected to see him.
Lily hadn't been listening to Paul in a few minutes, as he droned on about the importance of the food safety certifications.
"Okay, Lily, do you have any questions for me?" Paul said, beginning to stand.
Her head was scrambled. Fleamont Potter was a very wealthy man with connections within the Ministry. Surely, James could be working for the Ministry. Lily's mind raced with the wildest of ideas, all trying to answer one question: what was James Potter doing here?
"Erm, no, I don't. Thank you so much for your time." Lily stood, reaching out to shake his hand.
Lily grabbed her purse and watched Paul stride back to the kitchen area. She turned back towards the bar area to search for him. He was gone.
...
A/N: Please leave a review! Just so you guys know, I like to follow canon as much as possible but this story very clearly is going to deviate from it as you can already see from the timeline I'm working with. Made a few changes hope you don't mind! Thanks
Hope you're all staying safe and well! xoxo