Chapter 50

Answers and Endings

Note from the authors: Thank you, all of you, from the bottom of our hearts for all your support and reviews. We are nearly at the end of Year 4, and now Voldemort is back! With the changes to canon, I'm sure you'll have a lot of questions about year 5. All we will say for now is that the best is yet to come. There is also an answer to one of the questions we've been asked about Rita in this chapter, about why she was so different, and we hope you like it. Please, do keep the reviews and support coming, we love seeing your views.

As Lily and Ginny landed back in front of the maze, she became aware of the fact that they were being watched, with no one making a sound for a few moments. Someone screamed as they saw Fudge's body, just as Fleur raced over to Lily, hugging her tightly, weeping as she did. Lily heard whispers around her, talking about the fact that Fudge was dead.

Minerva came over, hugging her. "Lily, we need to get you out of here," Minerva said firmly.

"He… he's back, Aunt Minnie! Voldemort! He's back!" Lily cried out loudly.

"Lily, what?" Minerva's eyes widened in fear as she looked at Lily.

"The Death Eaters… they were… they were going to kill Ginny and me… but Fudge… he saved us," Lily explained, tears streaming down her face. Aurors came rushing over, looking at the scene.

"Lily… what…" Hermione was there, as was Ron, both pulling Lily into a hug as she wept. The teachers quickly began to get the crowd of people away from the area.

"Voldemort! I fought him… I had to… he's back!" Lily cried, holding onto her friends. Two men came over, looking at Lily.

"What happened, Potter?" one of them asked, tightly holding of her shoulder.

"Please unhand Lily," Dumbledore's voice said. Lily looked up and saw Dumbledore, Sirius, Remus, Molly, and Bill walking towards her.

"Dumbledore… Fudge… the girl is screaming about You-Know-Who," the first man said firmly.

"Voldemort is indeed back, Deputy Minister White. I witnessed it myself, as did Molly, Bill, Sirius, and Remus," Dumbledore said. Elpenor White, the Deputy Minister for Magic, frowned.

"Are you insane, Dumbledore?" White began angrily. "This won't stand. I don't know what happened to Minister Fudge, but as his assistant, I will not allow you to use his death to press your own agenda!"

"Are you blind as well as stupid?" Lily snapped angrily. "I was there, I saw it happen, don't tell me it didn't happen!"

"NOW SEE HERE!" White snapped angrily. "I will not be spoken to like that by a child."

"I'm a lot smarter than you are, you arrogant jerk. How the hell did someone as brave as Fudge put up with you?" Lily snapped. White glared at her.

"I'll be in touch about how you run this school, Dumbledore, since it's clear the students need to be taught properly," White said, nodding to two assistants who began to use magic to move Fudge's body.

"Come, Lily, we need to get you to the hospital wing, for rest," Dumbledore said. Lily looked at him, feeling weak, and stressed, before darkness began to overtake her. She felt dizzy, and the last thing she saw was Sirius and Remus racing to catch her as she fell.

Lily moaned in pain as she slowly returned to consciousness. Her head was throbbing, but she felt comfortable, wondering what was happening. She could hear people talking, so she listened in.

"Albus, what are we going to do?" Molly asked. Lily could hear the fear in her voice.

"Right now, we must summon the Order of the Phoenix. We will need everyone to begin to counter Voldemort's plans, and quickly," Dumbledore replied. "Severus, you know what you must do?"

"I do," Snape's voice said calmly.

"Are you ready?" Dumbledore asked, as Lily opened her eyes, finding herself in a bed in the hospital wing.

"I am," Snape turned and left the hospital wing immediately.

"Molly, please contact Arabella Figg, Mundungus Fletcher, Hestia Jones; the old crew," Dumbledore said.

"Of course," Molly agreed. Lily heard her leave, before she sat up.

"What's going on?" Lily asked weakly as she tried to get out of bed.

"Lily, you should be resting," Sirius told her, gently pushing her down again.

"I… I need… I don't know what I need," Lily said weakly. Dumbledore sat on a chair next to her.

"Lily, you brave girl, you wonderful woman. What you did was braver than anything anyone could have expected. I must ask you to remember, and tell me what happened," Dumbledore said.

"Surely this can wait until morning, Albus," Sirius insisted. Albus looked at them both, no hint of a smile on his face.

"If I thought it would help to put Lily into an enchanted sleep, I would, but it will be better if she faces this tonight. I'm sorry to ask you to be brave again, especially after what happened," Dumbledore said.

Lily took a breath and began to explain what happened, starting with entering the maze. When she reached the part about Krum and Cedric, she froze.

"Are they both okay?" Lily asked. Dumbledore nodded.

"When Cedric woke up, he explained that he had seen Krum, who attacked him. Before he went down, he saw Krum's eyes, as you did, and knew that he had been placed under the Imperius charm," Dumbledore said.

"At least we know who did it," Lily said bitterly. "How could Crouch have been Moody?"

"We found Alastor in his trunk after bringing you to the castle. You were out for four hours, Lily. We have some answers, I believe, and I hope your recollection will help us piece the rest together," Dumbledore said kindly, indicating a sleeping Alastor Moody, missing his leg and magical eye. "We retrieved his wand from you when you fell, which you took from Crouch."

"The real Moody was in his trunk. Crouch and Peter surprised him and kept him there in case Crouch needed information. During the year, he kept drinking from his flask, which was always full of Polyjuice Potion," Sirius explained.

"That makes sense," Lily muttered bitterly. "I just… I don't get why no one spotted it. But it makes perfect sense, it explains everything. He put my name in the Goblet, he gave me advice for the first task… he's been playing us this whole time. He even managed to stop us asking questions… about me being…"

"I have, whilst you were sleeping, had Minerva and Remus investigate this. You were never bound by the magical contract. Your deadname came out, because Voldemort refused to accept your true self, I believe, or to ensure your friends did not doubt your innocence, so you weren't alone. Either way, magically, you are, and will always be, Lily, and not Harry," Dumbledore explained.

"I know that doesn't mean much now, Lily, but you should have a moment of peace, knowing that," Remus said softly.

Lily shook her head as she felt her anger rising; how could she have been so blind? How could she not have seen this coming? Now, thanks to her, Voldemort was back.

"I should have seen something," Lily said angrily.

"Lily, this isn't your fault," Remus said firmly. "You can't blame yourself."

"Remus is right, Lily. You should take a breath before continuing," Dumbledore said. Lily took a deep breath, and closed her eyes, before opening them and telling more of the story.

She mentioned about the potion that Pettigrew used, including her blood being used and being able to touch her without turning to dust. Dumbledore merely nodded. For a moment, Lily thought she saw something like… triumph in Dumbledore's eyes, but she mentally shook off the feeling.

"So, Voldemort has overcome that particular obstacle. The spell used sounds like old, dark magic. I doubt Pettigrew would have been able to perform such a spell without whatever Voldemort did to help him get strong enough for this," Dumbledore said.

"Why didn't Voldemort kill Pettigrew for failing him for not stopping Fleur?" Sirius asked. "I mean, we know he's got a temper."

"I suspect that Voldemort has his own twisted code of honour. Pettigrew is the reason he returned, and so he would have forgiven one mistake. From what I saw, Pettigrew almost killed Molly," Dumbledore explained. Sirius growled angrily, and Lily saw his canines start to elongate.

"Uncle Sirius, please, calm down," Lily said, putting a hand on Sirius's hand. Sirius blinked as he quickly jerked and looked at Lily.

"Thank you," Sirius said softly.

"Pettigrew will pay for his crimes, Sirius, I assure you," Dumbledore said. "Once Fawkes left with you and Ginny, Lily, we ended the battle and left. We were outnumbered. Right now, Bill and Molly are talking to Auror's as we speak, giving a list of names of Death Eaters, but right now, I doubt that anything will come of it. Elpenor White, whilst having been working for Cornelius for a while, does not share his vision, and will likely deny the fact that Voldemort has returned."

"Does he work for Voldemort?" Lily asked, frowning.

"I do not know, he has a history of fighting Dark Wizards, but in these times, anything could be possible," Dumbledore said. "So, what happened next, after Voldemort was reborn?"

"He invited me to join him. He tried to say that he would be better for the world, that the world was corrupt, and his regime would let the world be at peace," Lily answered, frowning.

"That, Lily, is why Voldemort can charm so many people. I am sure he sounded logical and smart in his desires," Dumbledore said. Lily nodded, closing her eyes.

"He sounded like a believer, which I knew was one thing that made him dangerous. He truly thinks he needed to be in charge, but the second I refused him, he began to deadname me, and refused to accept me as myself" Lily said.

"Sadly, he does believe his own rhetoric, but when you rejected him Lily, he stopped attempting to woo you. Had you agreed, he would likely have tortured you, or worse, before too long," Dumbledore said.

"I knew that right away," Lily agreed. "How could he think I would agree with his logic?"

"Voldemort's biggest mistake is thinking that everyone would agree with his twisted logic. Never having been truly loved, or raised in a loving environment, made him think more of how the powerful and the strong should always lead," Dumbledore explained.

"Lily would always be better, no matter who raised her. It's her nature," Sirius said firmly.

"What you just said, Sirius, is an old debate between Nature and Nurture. Lily is an amazing young woman, yes, and very good hearted, but do not count yourself out Sirius. You raised Lily properly, with kindness, and love," Dumbledore replied.

Sirius rewarded Dumbledore with a small smile as Lily continued, explaining about the duel, and how she saw her parents, and Bertha, who warned her about Moody.

"The wands connected?" Sirius asked sharply. "How?"

"Priori Incantatem," Dumbledore replied.

"The Reverse Spell Effect?" Remus asked. Dumbledore nodded.

"Exactly," he confirmed. "Lily's core is a Phoenix feather, as is Voldemort's. In fact, they come from the same Phoenix. This one, in fact," as Dumbledore explained it, Fawkes landed on Dumbledore's desk, letting out a soft, soothing cry.

"From Fawkes? My wand's core comes from Fawkes?" Lily asked, looking at the bird, who began rubbing himself against Lily's hand.

"Indeed. The day you brought your wand, Lily, Mr. Ollivander wrote to me and told me that you had brought the wand," Dumbledore explained. "When a wand meets its brother, it won't work properly against it."

"That's what happened then?" Lily asked.

"Yes. If the two owners force the wands to do battle, a rare effect will take place. One of the wands will force the other to regurgitate spells it has performed, in reverse, so you saw some form of the murders that Voldemort performed, including your parents," Dumbledore confirmed.

"Lily and James returned?" Sirius asked, looking at Dumbledore.

"No spell can truly return the dead, but their spirits would have returned through the spell, for a short time anyway," Dumbledore replied.

"They… they told me… how proud they were of me, of who I was… and they called me Lily," Lily said, tears welling up in her eyes.

"I told you that they'd be proud of you and accepting of you as well. They loved you, and would be proud to help you transition," Sirius assured her.

"It was just nice to hear them calling me Lily," Lily said, with a sad smile. "After they delayed Voldemort, and after Bertha warned me of Crouch, you arrived, sir."

"And you stopped Crouch from attacking me, for which I am very grateful," Dumbledore said, with a small smile, as the door to the hospital wing opened, revealing a distraught looking Rita.

"Dumbledore, is it true? Is… is he back?" Rita asked weakly.

"He is, I'm afraid," Dumbledore confirmed. Lily's heart fell; this was all her fault. She remembered what Voldemort said about Rita.

"Professor, please, help keep Rita safe! This is my fault, I shouldn't have told you about him," Lily said, fear in her voice. Rita sat next to Lily.

"Don't be silly, Lily. I knew it would make people upset when I ran the story, but this isn't your fault, people deserve to know the truth," Rita said, gently hugging her.

"I agree, and you needn't worry, Rita, I will ensure you are protected," Dumbledore promised, with a smile. "You have been a good friend to Lily, and whilst your past stories have been quite inflammatory, I have enjoyed reading your columns and stories this year."

"Thank you, Dumbledore," Rita said, with a weak smile.

"Please, meet me in Professor McGonagall's office, we need to finish our meeting, Rita," Dumbledore said. Rita nodded.

"Lily, be careful, please," Rita said, before leaving. Sirius frowned as she left.

"Albus, I've never known Rita Skeeter to be anything but vindictive. Why has she been so kind to Lily this year?" Sirius asked. Dumbledore flashed his usual, warm, charming smile.

"Ever since Lily has been at Hogwarts, she has been wanting to help others, but there is something I have not told anyone, because I wasn't sure how it was possible, and I have been researching it. What I am about to tell you is not something I know for sure, but I believe it to be true," Dumbledore said.

"Lily, you were raised in a loving home, but you spent so long having to hide away who you were because you were afraid, as the world is not a kind place. There was, I believe, a deep-seated feeling of there being inequality and unfairness in the world, and you wished things would be changed. You were always powerful, and you come from a long line of powerful witches and wizards, so as you grew, you developed an aura of kindness, love, and decency," Dumbledore explained.

"How does that make a difference, sir?" Lily asked, confused. Dumbledore's eyes seemed to twinkle as he looked at Lily.

"You see Lily, as you grew, so did your aura, and people are drawn to it. When good people spend time around you, your aura draws them to you, and helps people to find the goodness in themselves. Rita might have written vicious articles, but she is a good person deep down, and so she found that goodness within herself, and your aura brought it out. For those who have darker auras, such as Voldemort, they will find themselves repulsed by you," Dumbledore explained.

"How is that possible?" Sirius asked, frowning.

"It is an old magic, almost like a hidden talent, but it is very rare. Lily comes from an old line of magic, and although such magic has not been seen in a long time, it is possible others have the same kind of ability," Dumbledore explained. "Now, Lily, I want you to go to remain here, for some rest, whilst I meet with others. Much must be done in order to stop Voldemort, but for now, Lily, you should sleep."

"Absolutely," Sirius said, sitting on the chair next to the bed and holding Lily's hand. She didn't fight it; instead, she yawned as she felt exhausted still, despite having been unconscious. She fell asleep quickly, feeling happy knowing how her parents felt about her transition, that feeling overwhelming the feeling of depression from knowing Voldemort was back.

She knew that whatever happened, she would make sure Voldemort didn't win, no matter what it took, and as sleep took her, she didn't want to leave Sirius's arms, especially now.