Escaping her Destiny: Chapter 5
The light was pouring through the crack in the curtain directly into Lily's eyes. She sat up, stretching sleepily. It looked like it was going to be a beautiful day at Hogwarts.
But as she stood up, Lily had a vague feeling, somewhere in the back of her mind, that something was wrong. She shook it off. What could go wrong on a day like this? But the feeling persisted. Lily sat down on the edge of the bed, deep in thought. It was a few minutes before she remembered her dream.
Her dream . . . her parents had died. Lily could feel hot tears welling up in her eyes. There could be no mistake about it; this dream was a vision, and it was sure to come true sooner or later. She had a horrible foreboding that in this case, it was going to be sooner.
After Lily had been sitting on her bed and weeping silently for a couple of minutes, Joyce came over, intending to wake her up. "Time to go to breakfast, sleepyhead!" she sang out. "Come on, Lil, get up!" She opened the curtains that surrounded Lily's bed, and gasped when she saw her friend's tear-streaked face. Immediately, she sat down next to Lily, grasping her in a tight hug. "Lily, what's wrong?" she asked in a concerned whisper.
Lily shook her head fiercely. "Nothing! I just had a nightmare, that's all." But in spite of herself, a single tear traced its way down her cheek.
"Are you sure?" Joyce asked dubiously. "It would have to be a pretty bad nightmare to get you so worked up."
"Well, it was!" Lily stood up, and started dressing herself for school.
Once she and Joyce had reached the Great Hall, Lily stood in the doorway for a few minutes, surveying the scene. Nothing seemed unusual or out of place. The Slytherins were at there table, bullying a small and frightened first year. Sirius, James and Remus were sitting near the head of the Gryffindor table, deeply engaged in a conversation with Peter Pettigrew. Everything was just as it should be; it promised to be a normal day at Hogwarts.
Lily dragged Joyce to the foot of the table, as far away from James and his gang as possible. But no sooner had she sat down that the daily flock of owls swooped down upon them. Lily continued to eat; she wasn't expecting any mail that day. Her mother had assured her that she would write once a week, and Lily had recieved her last letter two days ago. So when an owl came to rest right in front of her, she was bewildered. Neverhteless, she slowly untied the message that was tied to its foot, and opened it. Inside was a short note:
September 14, 1977
Dear Miss Evans:
We regret to inform you that your parents, Mr. and Mrs. John Evans, were both slain last night by Voldemort. Voldemort is a dark wizard whose power is steadily rising. Your parents are just a couple of the hundreds of Muggles who die each year at his hands. You have our sincere apologies and sympathy.
Yours Truly,
Perry Bones
Department of Magical Injuries
Ministry of Magic
For a moment, Lily stood frozen to the spot, her eyes scanning the letter once more in hope that she might have misread. But her second reading confirmed her first, and with a cry of horror she dashed out of the Great Hall and up the Gryffindor Tower, clasping the letter to her chest as she ran.
She was sobbing on her bed with the curtains drawn around her when she heard steps trampling up the staircase to her room. She quickly wiped her eyes, making sure that there were no traces of tears left, and hid the letter underneath her pillow. As the door creaked open, she flung aside the curtains to her bed, and pasted on a bright smile.
"Lily, are you all all right?" "What happened?" Sirius, James, Joyce, and Remus burst into the room, followed by a timid Peter Pettigrew. They all started talking at once, but quickly became quiet when Lily opened her mouth.
"I'm fine. Really," she added when she saw the skeptical looks on all of their faces. "I'm feeling a bit homesick, that's all. I just got a letter from my parents." She was unable to supress the falter that crept into her voice, and her eyes stung with the tears that she tried to blink away. Lily quickly averted her face before any of her friends could notice.
"Well that's good!" Sirius said cheerfully, quickly restored to his good humor. "Guess what, Lily?" His voice became teasing. "Jamie-boy here has something that he wants to say to you." James flushed hotly, but Lily couldn't tell whether it was because of what he wanted to say to her, or because of the ridiculous nickname.
Sirius started herding everyone but James and Lily out of the room. "Go, people, leave them alone!" He called. "They need privacy."
Accordingly, they were left alone. Lily motioned for James to sit down, and he did, twisting his hands nervously. "Um, Lily," he began, "I didn't mean to tell you now, but I really like you. A lot."
He ran his hand backwards through his hair, a gesture that seemed strangely familiar. Lily closed her eyes, and for a moment she could see James doing the same thing in her dream, just before Voldemort arrived. She shuddered slightly, and opened her eyes again. James was watching her intently. "Lily, are you sure that you're okay?" he asked.
"Yeah. I'm sure. What were you saying?"
"Oh, well, I was wondering if you would like to go out with me." Before she could answer, he hurried on. "I understand if you don't want to, I mean, I know we're really young and all that, or maybe you have someone else you like, but I'd really like it if you would."
Lily groaned inwardly. Could this day get any worse? "Um, James, I'm sorry, but I just can't do that," she said in a small voice.
"You mean you you think that we are to young?" James looked puzzled. Lily nodded slowly. "Well, that's okay." He turned, and had almost reached the door when Lily called him back.
"Wait, James!" He paused, and turned around, his face brightening with hope. "I don't know if I should do this, but I would like to tell you about it." The boy walked swiftly back and sat next to her on the bed.
"What is it?" he asked encouragingly.
"Did you know that I am a Divinator?" James shook his head, slightly confused at this abrupt change of topic. "Well, I am. Anyways, I see some prettty horrible stuff in my dreams. Last night, I saw my parents dying." Lily's voice wavered. "And this morning, in the Great Hall, I received a letter from the Ministry. It said that my parents were dead."
James gasped. "Oh, Lily, that's awful! But how did they die?"
"Have you heard of Voldemort?"
"Isn't he that Dark Wizard who is gaining power?"
"Yeah. He killed them."
"I'm so sorry!" James put a sympathetic hand on her shoulder. Lily quickly brushed it away.
"But that's not all. You see James, that wasn't the only dream that I've had. I also have this dream that keeps recurring. It involves me and you. We are older, married, I think, and we have a baby. He's really cute, too." For a moment, her startling green eyes softened. "But then this man--Voldemort, I think--comes in, and he takes out his wand, and kills both of you. I am all alone, and he tortures me, and then he kills me too." Lily started to cry as she talked. "So you see, I can't go out with you. I can't bear the thought that one day you will die because of me. That's what happened to my parents. If only I had woken up when I had that dream, and warned Dumbledore, or anybody, really, then they might still be alive."
James was looking a bit frightened. Nevertheless, he put his arm around Lily's shoulders. "You know, Lily, if you went out with me it doesn't necessarily mean that you would end up marrying me," he pointed out.
But Lily shook her head vigorously. "I can't be with you at all! Listen, James, we can't even be friends. Its the only way to be sure that I will never cause your death. Please, James."
James stood up. "Okay, Lily, if that's the way that you want it to be." He bent down and kissed her gently on the cheek before exiting the room, leaving Lily to collapse in a flood of tears.
The light was pouring through the crack in the curtain directly into Lily's eyes. She sat up, stretching sleepily. It looked like it was going to be a beautiful day at Hogwarts.
But as she stood up, Lily had a vague feeling, somewhere in the back of her mind, that something was wrong. She shook it off. What could go wrong on a day like this? But the feeling persisted. Lily sat down on the edge of the bed, deep in thought. It was a few minutes before she remembered her dream.
Her dream . . . her parents had died. Lily could feel hot tears welling up in her eyes. There could be no mistake about it; this dream was a vision, and it was sure to come true sooner or later. She had a horrible foreboding that in this case, it was going to be sooner.
After Lily had been sitting on her bed and weeping silently for a couple of minutes, Joyce came over, intending to wake her up. "Time to go to breakfast, sleepyhead!" she sang out. "Come on, Lil, get up!" She opened the curtains that surrounded Lily's bed, and gasped when she saw her friend's tear-streaked face. Immediately, she sat down next to Lily, grasping her in a tight hug. "Lily, what's wrong?" she asked in a concerned whisper.
Lily shook her head fiercely. "Nothing! I just had a nightmare, that's all." But in spite of herself, a single tear traced its way down her cheek.
"Are you sure?" Joyce asked dubiously. "It would have to be a pretty bad nightmare to get you so worked up."
"Well, it was!" Lily stood up, and started dressing herself for school.
Once she and Joyce had reached the Great Hall, Lily stood in the doorway for a few minutes, surveying the scene. Nothing seemed unusual or out of place. The Slytherins were at there table, bullying a small and frightened first year. Sirius, James and Remus were sitting near the head of the Gryffindor table, deeply engaged in a conversation with Peter Pettigrew. Everything was just as it should be; it promised to be a normal day at Hogwarts.
Lily dragged Joyce to the foot of the table, as far away from James and his gang as possible. But no sooner had she sat down that the daily flock of owls swooped down upon them. Lily continued to eat; she wasn't expecting any mail that day. Her mother had assured her that she would write once a week, and Lily had recieved her last letter two days ago. So when an owl came to rest right in front of her, she was bewildered. Neverhteless, she slowly untied the message that was tied to its foot, and opened it. Inside was a short note:
September 14, 1977
Dear Miss Evans:
We regret to inform you that your parents, Mr. and Mrs. John Evans, were both slain last night by Voldemort. Voldemort is a dark wizard whose power is steadily rising. Your parents are just a couple of the hundreds of Muggles who die each year at his hands. You have our sincere apologies and sympathy.
Yours Truly,
Perry Bones
Department of Magical Injuries
Ministry of Magic
For a moment, Lily stood frozen to the spot, her eyes scanning the letter once more in hope that she might have misread. But her second reading confirmed her first, and with a cry of horror she dashed out of the Great Hall and up the Gryffindor Tower, clasping the letter to her chest as she ran.
She was sobbing on her bed with the curtains drawn around her when she heard steps trampling up the staircase to her room. She quickly wiped her eyes, making sure that there were no traces of tears left, and hid the letter underneath her pillow. As the door creaked open, she flung aside the curtains to her bed, and pasted on a bright smile.
"Lily, are you all all right?" "What happened?" Sirius, James, Joyce, and Remus burst into the room, followed by a timid Peter Pettigrew. They all started talking at once, but quickly became quiet when Lily opened her mouth.
"I'm fine. Really," she added when she saw the skeptical looks on all of their faces. "I'm feeling a bit homesick, that's all. I just got a letter from my parents." She was unable to supress the falter that crept into her voice, and her eyes stung with the tears that she tried to blink away. Lily quickly averted her face before any of her friends could notice.
"Well that's good!" Sirius said cheerfully, quickly restored to his good humor. "Guess what, Lily?" His voice became teasing. "Jamie-boy here has something that he wants to say to you." James flushed hotly, but Lily couldn't tell whether it was because of what he wanted to say to her, or because of the ridiculous nickname.
Sirius started herding everyone but James and Lily out of the room. "Go, people, leave them alone!" He called. "They need privacy."
Accordingly, they were left alone. Lily motioned for James to sit down, and he did, twisting his hands nervously. "Um, Lily," he began, "I didn't mean to tell you now, but I really like you. A lot."
He ran his hand backwards through his hair, a gesture that seemed strangely familiar. Lily closed her eyes, and for a moment she could see James doing the same thing in her dream, just before Voldemort arrived. She shuddered slightly, and opened her eyes again. James was watching her intently. "Lily, are you sure that you're okay?" he asked.
"Yeah. I'm sure. What were you saying?"
"Oh, well, I was wondering if you would like to go out with me." Before she could answer, he hurried on. "I understand if you don't want to, I mean, I know we're really young and all that, or maybe you have someone else you like, but I'd really like it if you would."
Lily groaned inwardly. Could this day get any worse? "Um, James, I'm sorry, but I just can't do that," she said in a small voice.
"You mean you you think that we are to young?" James looked puzzled. Lily nodded slowly. "Well, that's okay." He turned, and had almost reached the door when Lily called him back.
"Wait, James!" He paused, and turned around, his face brightening with hope. "I don't know if I should do this, but I would like to tell you about it." The boy walked swiftly back and sat next to her on the bed.
"What is it?" he asked encouragingly.
"Did you know that I am a Divinator?" James shook his head, slightly confused at this abrupt change of topic. "Well, I am. Anyways, I see some prettty horrible stuff in my dreams. Last night, I saw my parents dying." Lily's voice wavered. "And this morning, in the Great Hall, I received a letter from the Ministry. It said that my parents were dead."
James gasped. "Oh, Lily, that's awful! But how did they die?"
"Have you heard of Voldemort?"
"Isn't he that Dark Wizard who is gaining power?"
"Yeah. He killed them."
"I'm so sorry!" James put a sympathetic hand on her shoulder. Lily quickly brushed it away.
"But that's not all. You see James, that wasn't the only dream that I've had. I also have this dream that keeps recurring. It involves me and you. We are older, married, I think, and we have a baby. He's really cute, too." For a moment, her startling green eyes softened. "But then this man--Voldemort, I think--comes in, and he takes out his wand, and kills both of you. I am all alone, and he tortures me, and then he kills me too." Lily started to cry as she talked. "So you see, I can't go out with you. I can't bear the thought that one day you will die because of me. That's what happened to my parents. If only I had woken up when I had that dream, and warned Dumbledore, or anybody, really, then they might still be alive."
James was looking a bit frightened. Nevertheless, he put his arm around Lily's shoulders. "You know, Lily, if you went out with me it doesn't necessarily mean that you would end up marrying me," he pointed out.
But Lily shook her head vigorously. "I can't be with you at all! Listen, James, we can't even be friends. Its the only way to be sure that I will never cause your death. Please, James."
James stood up. "Okay, Lily, if that's the way that you want it to be." He bent down and kissed her gently on the cheek before exiting the room, leaving Lily to collapse in a flood of tears.