Disclaimer: Harry Potter characters, places, and ideas belong to J.K. Rowling and Warner Brothers, not me.
by Auror5
"My little girl is growing up." Zinnia fondly gazed at Lily.
Lily was waiting for Fiona's father to pick her up. She was quite excited for tonight, on her thirteenth birthday; she would see Merlin, the wizard band, in concert. Also, Lily would spend a fortnight at the McKinnons.
"Here, let me look at you." Zinnia critically gave her a once over.
"Muuuuum."
Zinnia allowed Lily to wear lipstick for the occasion. She was clothed in a royal purple and white dress with matching jacket and hood, and she wore her favourite gold, dangling earrings. Lily's rich, dark red hair was wound up in a bun on her head.
"Now, sweetheart, remember to stay with your group."
"I will, Mum."
"And don't take any drinks offered to you by strangers, and no smoking."
"Daaaaad!"
"Don't go anywhere with strangers, dear," Zinnia sternly pronounced.
Lily sighed. "Mum, Dad, I'm not a baby."
Just then, they heard a knock at the door, and Wesley went to open it. Liam McKinnon and Fiona stepped inside. At once, Liam began speaking to Zinnia and Wesley. Fiona joined Lily.
"Oy, Fi!"
Fiona had braided her waist length hair and put it up in a unique, but very attractive, style.
"Hi! Happy Birthday! I hope we get a chance to meet the band members. That would be so cool. Oh! Here." Fiona handed Lily a small, square tablet with a wooden border. A glass-like surface with a strange milky glow was in its centre.
"What is it?" Lily inquired.
"An autograph tablet. You see, when it is written on, the autograph remains forever. Also, images can be transferred to the surface."
"Brilliant!"
"Let's hope we get their autographs! I really want Zack's. He is so cute!"
"Max is cuter," Lily countered.
"No, he isn't!"
"Yes, he is!"
"Girls, come along. Craig and Sasha are waiting." Liam picked up Lily's suitcase, and walked briskly out the door.
Zinnia grabbed Lily and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "Enjoy yourself, sweetums."
Lily grinned. "Thanks."
Wesley gave her a rough hug.
"Ow, Dad!"
"Sorry, honey. Behave yourself."
"All right. Bye, Mum. Bye, Dad," Lily yelled as she ran out the front door.
***
About an hour later, Lily, Fiona, Craig, and Sasha stood outside the concert hall. There were hundreds of people, all teenagers and young adults, milling about. Lily and Fiona spotted Daisy and Catherine, and shouted them over.
"Happy Birthday, Lily!" greeted Daisy and Catherine when they arrived.
"You two look really great. I like your outfit, Lily. And Fiona, you must show me how you did your hair. It's so splendid!" Catherine gushed.
"Thanks!" Lily and Fiona exclaimed at the same time.
"Why don't we go in? It's boring out here," Daisy suggested.
"But we still have about thirty minutes," whined Fiona.
"It will take us at least twenty minutes to find our seats," Sasha interjected.
"Oh, all right."
They began to make their way over to the huge double doors. Nearly there, Craig and Sasha spotted some of their friends and walked off to join them, but not before Craig admonished them to not do anything stupid.
At the door, they met Oliver, Anthony, James, and Sirius. The girls gawked at James and Sirius. Both were dressed identically: black trousers, boots, and robes. Their robes were open, revealing bare chests. James had dyed his unruly black hair stark white, and his glasses were a screaming shade of red. Sirius had put his hair in spikes, and dyed it a vibrant red and gold.
"Erm, your parents let you go out without a shirt?" Lily ventured.
James and Sirius glanced at each other.
"Er, well, they don't know," James responded. "We, erm, changed our appearance after my dad dropped us off."
"So, your parents don't know about your hair?" Catherine inquired.
"Er, no." Sirius grinned mischievously.
"What about your glasses?" Fiona said.
"No."
Fiona snorted. "Your parents are going to kill you, if you're caught."
"Oh, don't worry. We aren't going to let that happen, are we, Master Sirius?"
"Nope. Not going to happen."
Lily shook her head and thought, Great. Of all the boys we run into, they have to be Hogwarts silliest.
They entered the hall. On the way to their seats, they encountered other familiar faces. They saw Snape, Rosier, and Avery with Kernville, Yolke, and a few other Slytherin girls. The girls glanced haughtily at Lily, Fiona, Daisy, and Catherine. The boys scowled at one another. Lily noticed that there were raised platforms interspersed throughout the hall, with steps leading up to them. She was not exactly sure of their purpose.
Shortly after they were seated, the concert hall began to fill rapidly. A few minutes later, the drapes on the floating stage pulled back to reveal the wizard band, Merlin. The hall erupted with screams and whistles, and the band started to play. Soon everyone was standing and dancing, some on their seats.
During one number, Lily happened to catch James and Sirius running to the top of a nearby raised platform. Lily grabbed Fiona by the arm to get her attention. James and Sirius reached the platform summit and started dancing wildly. Lily and Fiona looked at one another and burst out laughing. When they glanced up at the platform again, they observed James and Sirius ripping their robes off, which they threw into the nearby audience. The crowd roared. They gyrated their hips to the music, and attracted the attention of many. Shortly afterwards, Oliver and Anthony joined James and Sirius on the platform. They also ripped off their robes and shirts while swinging their hips like lunatics.
Lily was unsure whether she should continue laughing at the boys' antics or pretend that she did not know them. To her great surprise, Fiona and Daisy joined the boys on the platform and danced almost as wildly! Catherine then grabbed Lily's hand, and gave her a "shall we join them?" look. Lily shrugged, and they edged toward the platform. Once on top of it, Lily danced shyly at first. After awhile, she became less inhibited and danced as freely as the rest of her peers.
Suddenly, lavender beams of light surrounded the platform on which they danced, and the crowd roared.
Lily yelled to Fiona, "What does this mean?"
Fiona shouted, "We get to meet Merlin backstage!"
Lily screamed with excitement.
A few songs later, the band played a slow number. Lily was not exactly thrilled with the prospect of dancing with any of the boys on the platform for all were shirtless and sweaty. James asked her to dance with him. Groaning inwardly, she reluctantly placed her hands on his sweaty shoulders and grimaced.
"Er, sorry. Here." James stepped back, pulled a handkerchief from his trousers' pocket, and wiped off as much sweat as possible.
They resumed dancing. James stepped on her toe.
"Ouch!"
"Er, sorry."
"Erm, how can you see out of your glasses? Isn't everything red?"
"Yeah, but I can see all right."
"Oh. Ouch!" He had stepped on her toes again.
"Sorry."
Lily noticed, around his neck, he wore a thin gold chain from which a pendant of a lion hung.
The song finally ended. Lily was thankful, for James had stepped on her toes a total of seventeen times.
***
After the concert, Lily and the rest of her group were escorted to a narrow chamber and told to wait. While waiting, the door ahead of them opened. Professor Konrad and two witches stepped out. Lily and her friends' mouths dropped open in shock, and they began blushing furiously. Konrad and his companions wore tight, not to mention quite revealing, attire.
Konrad smirked at them and gruffly spat, "Congratulations, sprogs!" Then he took a swig from the reddish-brown bottle he held. Lily noticed the bottle contained a label that read, "Goblins Gold."
Once Konrad and his companions left the chamber, they stared at one another with red faces. The girls started giggling. The boys snorted and made crude comments about Konrad and his companions.
The door from which Konrad exited opened, and they were beckoned to come in. Once inside, they met the band members: Max, Zack, Jett, Thor, and Crowe. Each member signed the girls' tablets and transferred their images onto them. Since the boys did not have any item on which the band members could sign, they autographed the boys' bare backs instead. James and Sirius also begged them to etch "Merlin" onto their foreheads, even after Max, the bandleader, warned them that it would take at least three months for the etch to disappear. After much whinging and begging on James and Sirius' parts, Max reluctantly etched their foreheads.
Later, they waited outside the concert hall for their parents to pick them up. Oliver, Anthony, James, and Sirius shivered slightly in the mist for they had been unable to locate their robes or shirts. Lily felt sorry for them, but at the same time was amused.
"You four are going to be in a heap of trouble," Craig teased. "Just wait until your parents see you."
At that very moment, a sleek black car pulled up and a man leapt out. Lily reckoned it must be James' father for they looked remarkably alike.
"What the...? James, where in the hell are your robe and shirt? What the bloody hell did you do to your hair and glasses?"
"Er, well, erm, some girls...."
"James Godric Potter, don't you dare feed me any rubbish! Get in the car! You too, Sirius."
James and Sirius, with some hesitation, headed for the car door. As they passed Mr. Potter, he smacked them both on the back of their heads.
"Ow, Dad!"
"Ouch! What did you hit me for, Mr. Potter?" Sirius rubbed the back of his head.
"Get in the car, and remain silent! Just wait until your mother sees you, James!"
Disgusted, Mr. Potter re-entered the car, slammed the door, and sped away.
Lily and the rest of the group laughed.
***
As they rapidly headed to Windermere from the concert, with the car having a tendency to leap over objects in front of it, Lily yawned and bent over to brush a spot of dirt from her shoe.
"Oy, what's this?" Sasha removed a folded piece of parchment from the hood of Lily's jacket.
Lily sat up and frowned. "Let me see."
Sasha handed the folded parchment to her.
Lily, with Sasha and Fiona peering over her shoulders, unfolded it and read,
Lily, the prettiest girl here,
I love you.
Lily blushed.
"Uh oh!" Sasha teased. "Why, you have a secret admirer. D'you think it's the same bloke who sent Merlin's Enchanted Glass?"
Lily shrugged. "I don't know."
"Do you recognise the handwriting?" said Fiona.
"No. D'you?"
"No."
Lily stared out into the darkness, watching the full moon seemingly follow the car, and wondered.
***
Lily had been at the McKinnons for slightly over a week. In a few more days, she would return home. Thus far, she had enjoyed her stay with the McKinnons. While with Fiona and her family, she visited the headquarters of Witch Weekly, for which Kendra wrote articles. Lily also enjoyed the tours of the Ministry of Magic, of which Liam worked in the Law Enforcement division. She had also attended one of the Wimbourne Wasps' Quidditch games.
Kendra opened the door and peeked into Fiona's room, which was in disarray with clothes, magazines, and other items strewn about. Lily, sitting on the floor reading a magazine, and Fiona, sprawled on her bed staring at the ceiling, glanced at Kendra.
"Girls, it's late, almost midnight. Time for lights out, and for you two to tuck in."
"Mum, can we have another five minutes? Pleeeaaase?"
"Five minutes, not a second more."
"All right."
Kendra closed the door softly.
Lily read an advertisement for Post Owls. The advertisement claimed that an owl would appear without delay to deliver mail anywhere. All one had to do was walk to a window, lean out, point a wand, and say, "Charta Aerius." The service only cost seven sickles. Lily thought that this was just the thing she needed for what she was planning to do.
"Fi, do you want this magazine?" Lily held it up for her to see.
"Erm, no. You can have it if you want."
"Thanks." Lily placed the magazine in her suitcase, and climbed into bed.
"Wait! We must practice kissing before the lights go off," Fiona exclaimed while leaping from her bed. She grabbed her autograph tablet, the one Merlin transferred their images onto, and began kissing it.
Lily searched for her tablet, located it, and practiced kissing on it, also.
They were plunged into darkness as the lights went off.
"Well, we've had days of practice. I think we'll be able to kiss a boy just right, don't you think?" Fiona said in the dark.
"Sure," Lily replied, thinking that kissing a boy would not be the same as kissing a tablet.
***
On an afternoon in late July, Lily was in her father's study typing on a piece of parchment. She decided to type her note instead of handwriting it so as not to give herself away. Her father allowed her to use his typewriter. Lily read over what she typed.
Headmaster Dumbledore,
Dolohov, Travers, Lestrange, Malfoy, and Macnair are supporters of Lord Voldemort. They said that the Dark Lord is on their side. I saw them torture a kitten. Macnair killed it. Also, I saw them torture a Hogwarts student.
-A Concerned Wizard
Lily thought to herself that there was no way Dumbledore would figure out who had written the note. She folded it, and ran upstairs to her room. Once inside, she shut the door and flung open the window. Leaning out, with her wand pointing in no particular direction, she quietly said, "Charta Aerius." A few minutes passed, but there was no sign of an owl. After about ten minutes, Lily, very disappointed, plopped onto her window seat. Just then, a tawny owl flew into her room.
"Am I glad to see you!"
The owl hooted softly and stuck out its leg.
Lily attached the note to the owl's leg, and then placed seven sickles into the pouch on the other leg. "There you go. Have a nice trip!"
The owl nipped her affectionately, and then soared out the window.
"Well, that's done."
***
In early August, Lily and her parents planned to visit Hogsmeade. Wesley insisted on seeing Hogsmeade before allowing Lily to visit there on the weekends. All third year students were allowed to visit Hogsmeade on certain weekends, provided that they had permission from their parents. Wesley did not want to sign the form until he had seen the place. Also, he requested, through Liam, permission to visit Hogwarts.
On the first Saturday in August, Lily and her parents travelled to the McKinnons, from where they would depart for Hogsmeade. Once they arrived at the McKinnons, Kendra told them that they would travel to Hogsmeade via Portkey instead of Floo powder. Wesley became excited with the prospect of another trip by Portkey.
At Hogsmeade, they visited the various shops, which Lily and her parents greatly enjoyed. Lily's favourite shops were Gladrags Wizardwear, Honeydukes, and Fantastic Dreams, a shop that sold numerous enchanted items. She begged her parents to buy her things from each shop. At Gladrags Wizardwear, her parents bought her a beautiful velvet green dress robe, the colour of which perfectly matched her eyes. In Honeydukes, they splurged on an assortment of sweets. Zinnia's weak spot was chocolate, on which she freely spent until Lily, Fiona, and Wesley literally dragged her from the shop. At Fantastic Dreams, Lily immediately became entranced with a book containing a photo of a sailboat on a sea. She could hear the waves lapping, the seagulls distant cries, and actually felt a breeze coming from the page. She reached out to touch the page, and exclaimed in surprise when her index finger was wetted. After much pleading on Lily's part, her parents purchased the book filled with magical photos, each of which told a story.
Once they completed their purchases, Wesley directed his clan to the Hogsmeade branch of Gringotts. Although the Hogsmeade version was quite grand, it was not as nearly as impressive as the one in Diagon Alley. Wesley decided that Lily would need a supply of money, if she were going to visit Hogsmeade. At Gringotts, Wesley asked the goblin, Grishnon, if it were possible to establish an allowance of five Galleons per week for Lily. Grishnon explained that it could be done. After everything was in order, they met the McKinnons at the Three Broomsticks.
While eating lunch in the Three Broomsticks, Liam spotted Percivall Super, Minister of Magic. He walked over to his table and spoke with him briefly. Super rose and accompanied Liam to their table.
"Minister, this is Wesley Evans, whom I have spoken to you about. Wesley, this is Percivall Super, Minister of Magic."
Wesley stood and shook hands with Super. "How do you do? Pleasure to meet you, sir."
Super smiled distractedly.
Liam continued, "Wesley, Mr. Super will make the final decision on your case, whether to grant you permission to visit Hogwarts. I understand that Professor Dumbledore is at the castle now. Is that correct, sir?"
"Yes. Please tell me, Mr. Evans, why do you wish to visit Hogwarts? Normally, we do not allow your kind onto the property."
Wesley flushed. "Sir, my daughter attends Hogwarts. As a parent, I am very much interested in my child's welfare."
"Isn't that the case with every parent? I fail to see what makes your case so special," responded Super.
"Isn't it true, sir, that the vast majority of the children's parents were once students of Hogwarts?"
"Well, yes, but as I stated before, we normally do not allow your sort on the property."
Wesley's face became suffuse with anger. Zinnia gently placed her hand on his wrist.
"Look, Mr. Super, I only wish to know the type of environment my daughter is being schooled in: how she is being taught, her sleeping arrangements, and the character and credentials of her teachers. Any parent, whatever the sort, would want to know these things. I'm her father for God's sake. I pay my hard earned money to send her to this bloody school. The very least you people could do is allow my wife and I to visit!"
Super appraised Wesley with a chilly stare. "All right. I will grant you permission to visit Hogwarts, but only for this one time."
"Thank you, sir. I am grateful."
Super nodded, and returned to his table.
"Slimy bigot," Wesley muttered.
After lunch, they headed to the station from which they would leave for Hogwarts. Lily quickly realised that they would take one of the horseless carriages. She wondered if the ones in Hogsmeade were the same as the ones they used to transport Hogwarts students. Wesley expressed his fascination over the fact that no one or nothing was driving or pulling the carriages.
In a few minutes time, they arrived at Hogwarts. They stepped out of the carriages. Zinnia and Wesley wore identical expressions of mingled shock, fear, anger, and disgust on their faces. They could not see Hogwarts properly! They only saw a large fetid pond containing the rotting hulk of an automobile and an overgrown, weed filled, and rubbish strewn field, all of which the wreck of a former castle brooded over.
"Come, Mum, Dad! I want to show you my room!" Lily grabbed each of their hands, and tugged them toward the main entrance of the castle.
Zinnia and Wesley stared at one another and wondered how on earth their daughter would enjoy coming to such a rotten place. Anger began to take over Wesley's jumbled emotions.
"Welcome to Hogwarts!" Liam smiled broadly at Wesley and Zinnia.
Just when Wesley was seriously considering ramming his fist into Liam's face, he received the shock of his life. Next to him, Zinnia gasped. A very large, imposing castle had replaced the ruin that was before him. Confused, Wesley glanced around and noticed that the fetid pond had been replaced with a large and peaceful appearing lake. The grounds about the castle were immaculate, with fresh and beautiful flowers growing here and there. Completely baffled, Wesley and Zinnia gazed at each other.
The group walked into the castle, and was greeted by Headmaster Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall.
After the introductions, Wesley stated, "Thank you, sir, for allowing my wife and I to visit your school on such short notice. Tell me, where exactly is this school located?"
Dumbledore thought for a moment. "Hmm, would you find my response adequate if I only told you in which country Hogwarts is located? I fear that is all I can divulge."
"All right. If you aren't at liberty to share more, I am willing to settle on which country this school is in. We're in Scotland, are we not? There are mountains nearby."
"Yes, well spotted!
"Come. Professor McGonagall will give you and your wife a tour of our fine school while I speak with your daughter."
Lily was startled by this announcement, and glanced up at Professor Dumbledore.
"Is that all right with the two of you? It's only for a moment, and we will rejoin you."
Wesley glanced quizzically at Zinnia. Zinnia shrugged in response.
"All right," Wesley replied, slightly unsure.
"Thank you, sir. Miss Evans, why don't you follow me?"
Lily followed Dumbledore.
"How do you like Hogwarts so far?" Dumbledore inquired as they proceeded through one of the corridors.
"Erm, it's okay." Lily was uncomfortable for she found Dumbledore slightly intimidating.
Dumbledore chuckled. "I hope one day you will eventually find Hogwarts more than 'okay.'
"I notice each year, at the end of term, you consistently score near the top of your year. That is quite an achievement. If you manage to, erm, dethrone Potter and Black, you will end up at the top."
Lily looked up at him and wondered if he were making a joke. He smiled down at her with a teasing twinkle in his eyes.
"Ah! What is a little competition amongst students? Trying to achieve the highest marks is a worthy goal, wouldn't you say?"
Lily nodded her head.
"I thought you would agree. Alas, here we are!"
They arrived outside a statue of a gargoyle.
"Fizzing Whizbees," Dumbledore uttered, and the gargoyle jumped aside.
Ahead, Lily spotted an escalator spiralling upwards. They stepped onto it. At the end, with Lily feeling slightly dizzy, Dumbledore opened a door and she walked into a spacious room. She observed that it contained a number of intriguing and fascinating items.
Suddenly, she heard eerily, beautiful music.
"I see that Fawkes has taken a liking to you."
Lily spied a bird with magnificent red and gold plumage peering at her.
"It's beautiful! What kind of bird is he, sir?"
"A Phoenix. Come, have a seat."
"A Phoenix? The kind that can be reborn from ashes?" Lily sat in a chair in front of a large desk.
Dumbledore smiled. "That is correct."
"Wow!"
Fawkes flew over and landed on the desk while still singing and watching her.
"Sir? May I touch him? Please?"
"Yes, you may."
Lily slowly reached out her hand and gently touched the bird. She noticed that it was strangely warm to the touch. She stroked it softly. The bird closed its eyes as though it were experiencing something quite wonderful. Lily smiled.
"Lily, have you seen or experienced anything out of the ordinary since you have been in Hogwarts?"
Dumbledore's question alarmed Lily, and she stopped petting the bird. Fawkes ceased singing.
"Erm, no. What do you mean, sir?"
"Have you seen or experienced anything distressing? Has anyone in Hogwarts ever harmed you?"
Lily became afraid, and wondered if he had determined that it was she who sent the note.
Fawkes returned to his perch.
"It's all right to tell me, Lily. I'm on your side," he said, softly.
Lily wrestled with whether or not to tell him about what happened. She did not want him to become disappointed or disgusted with her. She thought, I could have saved the kitten! I had my wand with me, but I forgot about it. What kind of witch am I? What kind of witch would forget to use the wand in her pocket? I could have saved the kitten! If I had kept my head, the kitten would be alive today. I could have taken it for my own. Snowball wouldn't have minded. Why did I forget to use my wand? It's my fault the kitten died! I killed it because I was a stupid witch who forgot to use her wand. I hate myself for that! I killed it! I can't tell him this. He would wonder what kind of witch I am, and he will know that I let a poor kitten die.
Lily squirmed in the chair for a moment, and then quietly replied, with eyes downcast, "Erm, no."
Dumbledore sighed. "Very well then." Briefly, he stared off into space.
"Just so that you know: recently, I have been keeping a close watch on the activities of Malfoy, Dolohov, Travers, Macnair, and Lestrange. You have my word that I will do my utmost to ensure that they will not harm you or any student in this school again."
Lily looked down at her hands with tears in her eyes.
Softly he said, "There is nothing for you to be ashamed of, Lily."
A tear escaped and rolled down Lily's cheek. Fawkes landed on her left thigh, and she began to stroke its bright feathers. She whispered, with tears spilling down her cheeks, "I had my wand, but I forgot about it. It was my fault the kitten died."
"Lily, you were outnumbered by older boys who had more experience with magic than you. One of them would have disarmed you. They intended for that kitten to die, one way or the other. You alone, with your limited experience, could not have saved it."
A weight seemed to lift from her shoulders.
"Can you make me one promise before we rejoin your parents?"
Lily nodded her head.
"Could you promise me that if you see or experience anything wrong in this school, you will come to me?"
"Yes. I'm sorry I didn't say anything before." Lily's voice trembled.
"Fear and guilt are the reasons you remained silent. That is understandable. I would also be incorrect in thinking that they did not threaten you. Your silence has been forgiven. Now, you must forgive yourself." He stood.
Fawkes returned to his perch.
"Let's rejoin your parents, shall we?"
Lily rose from the chair while wiping her eyes. Dumbledore placed a hand gently on her shoulder as they approached the door.
In a corridor, on their way to Gryffindor's common room, Dumbledore gave her a few lemon drops. Lily wondered how in the world he figured out that it was she who sent the note.
Once they caught up with Lily's parents and the McKinnons, Lily and Fiona escorted Wesley and Zinnia around the Gryffindor common room. Zinnia and Wesley were amused by the water temperature settings in the girls' bathroom.
After slightly more than an hour upon arriving at Hogwarts, they left with Wesley and Zinnia having a favourable impression of Dumbledore. Lily felt happier and more at peace than she had been in a long time.
---------
Note: I have no idea who was the Minister of Magic before Cornelius Fudge. It could have been someone named Kookleburro or something. We may find out in a future book or in an interview. If we do find out later, remember that this was posted on 3 June 2001. Also, remember that flames will be used to heat my cauldron. ^_~