Disclaimer: Harry Potter characters, places, and ideas belong to J.K. Rowling and Warner Brothers, not me.
by Auror5
The voices seemed to be coming from the end of an interminably long tunnel. Distantly, someone sobbed hysterically. The words were meaningless.
"The warlock across the way saw four of them enter the building."
"There are only three here, one dead."
"Then, where's the other?"
"Don't know."
"What about this one? Has anyone questioned her?"
"I tried. It's no use. She's incoherent. Has anyone summoned a medic?"
"I sent for two. Perhaps we should cover the body. Anyone know who he is?"
"I recognise him."
"Who is he?"
"He's Bronson's youngest son, Oliver."
"Oh shite. Has he been informed?"
"No."
"I think this one may be coming around."
"Careful, Thompson. She has a nasty gash on the back of the head, that one."
"What's her name?"
"Don't know."
"Hullo. What's your name?"
"I think she's still unconscious."
"Where are the medics?"
"Please try calming the girl. We can't get any information from her as long as she is in that state."
"Lovely. Look who just walked in."
"Good afternoon, gentlemen. I'm Rita Skeeter, correspondent with the Daily Prophet. Who is in charge here?"
"Look, we don't have time for an interview. We have a crisis here. Would you be so kind as to leave the premises?"
"Just one question, sir. Is it true that these crates contain an assortment of weapons belonging to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?"
"Lady, we're going to have to ask you to leave."
"How did the boy die? Is You-Know-Who responsible?"
"Lady, please. Leave!"
"Is it true that You-Know-Who abducted one of the girls? Shaftmine, across the street, saw three girls and a boy enter this building."
"Could someone please escort this witch out of here?!"
"Thompson! The medics have arrived."
"May I have a moment with this girl?"
"No! You will not question her! We asked you to leave!"
"Come, now. Thompson, is it? My readers have a right to...."
All voices faded into silence.
***
Lily slowly opened her eyes and glanced around. She was in an infirmary, and her head throbbed unmercifully. While staring at the clock on the wall, she drifted away.
***
"Lily, I'm so sorry. We should have come with you and Ivy. We shouldn't have let you two go alone."
Lily opened her eyes and blinked owlishly. Her head was better, but she felt very groggy. James, appearing desperately sad, peered down at her.
"I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault."
"We should've come with you two."
"What could you have done? There was nothing you could have done, James. He would have killed you, too."
"I could have lost you."
"I'm so sleepy," she whispered.
"Lily...I love you."
Before she could begin to respond, Lily fell into a dreamless sleep.
***
The next morning, Lily felt much better physically, but mentally she was in a state of despair. She listlessly picked at the breakfast Madam Farmasea had brought in.
Fiona and her mother, Kendra, walked into the wing. Spotting Lily, they rushed over to hug her.
"How are you?" said Kendra softly while smoothing back Lily's hair.
"All right," she mumbled.
"I sent an owl to your parents explaining that there had been an accident, but that you were okay."
"Thanks."
"Lily, is it true? About You-Know-Who...."
"Shh, Fiona! Don't bring that up now! What did I tell you?"
"Sorry, Mum."
"Lily, you haven't eaten a thing. Please do try to eat."
"I can't."
Kendra gazed at Lily with compassion. "You poor dear. It must have been very frightening."
Tears rolled down her cheeks. "There was nothing I could do," she croakily whispered.
Kendra gathered Lily into her arms and embraced her tight.
"Honey, I don't think most of us would be able to do anything in a situation like that."
After Lily's tears abated, Fiona and Kendra coaxed her into eating a piece of toast.
Professor Dumbledore, Liam McKinnon, Edward Potter, and a wizard Lily had never seen before entered the hospital room. Slightly bewildered, Lily gazed at Kendra with a questioning expression on her face.
"It's all right, Lily," said Professor Dumbledore. "We're here to find out exactly what happened after you and your friends entered the abandoned building in Hogsmeade. Miss Craven, I'm afraid, is still in no condition to speak at the moment. It's important that we obtain this information as soon as possible."
Lily stared at Kendra while fighting the first glimmers of panic.
"Don't be afraid," said Edward. "It's best that you have it out."
"Holding it in will only make it worse," added the unfamiliar wizard with shoulder length, greying hair.
"Lily, this is Alastor Moody. He's an Auror. You know what an Auror is, correct?" said Dumbledore.
Lily nodded her head.
"Can you tell us exactly what happened once the four of you entered the building?" Liam said.
"Yes," she whispered while watching a beetle scuttle across the floor toward her bed.
"All right. Please start from the beginning, from the point you entered," said Professor Dumbledore gently.
Lily was quiet for a moment. Finally, with a deep breath, she began. "We lit our wands, and then kept walking. We wanted to find a room without doors or windows leading outside, so the manticors wouldn't get us. We found a room, and we thought we were safe. Oliver noticed the crates, and moved towards one for a closer look...."
She continued the tale in a mechanical like voice. When Lily finished, the adults glanced at one another with strained expressions on their faces.
Moody kindly said, "Thank you, dearie."
"Will you be able to find Ivy?"
"We'll try," he replied, and then moved toward the door.
Professor Dumbledore, Liam, and Edward solemnly followed Moody.
"You have to find her," Lily shouted at their receding backs.
"Honey, they will do everything to get her back."
Kendra tried to calm her.
She struggled to get out of bed, with fresh tears rolling swiftly down her face.
"Please! You must find Ivy before it's too late! Please! Find Ivy!" Wailing mournfully, Lily fell back onto the bed.
***
Carnage at Hogsmeade
By Rita Skeeter, Correspondent
Words fail to describe the grisly scene that greeted me in Hogsmeade on Saturday, the 13th of October.
Hundreds of Hogwarts students gaily went for their second visit of the term to Hogsmeade, not knowing what would befall them. Lured into a false sense of calm and joy, the students and the town residents alike happily shopped, shared camaraderie at the Three Broomsticks, and enjoyed the thrills at Fantasia Realm Amusement Park.
Then there was an ominous sound heard throughout the village.
"It sounded a bit like drums and Mermish blended together. The way Mermish sounds above water, you know? But not so screechy," said beaver teeth Ned Buffington, a Hogsmeade resident.
It was shortly thereafter that a number of manticors swooped down from the sky and began devouring those unfortunate souls exposed on the streets below. A number of people were fatally stung when pierced by the manticors deadly, scorpion-like tails.
While the manticors were ravaging people on the street, giants were levelling Fantasia Realm Amusement Park and brutally maiming or killing the patrons therein. Scores of Hogwarts students were murdered there.
The following is a harrowing account by Elijah Drew Craven, a dashingly handsome thirteen-year-old lad.
"Chris and me were about to get on the Broomstick Asteroid when we saw them, the giants. I went to look for my sister. Everyone started screaming and running. The giants were smashing everything flat. I saw one pick up a fifth year and break him in half. I ran and shouted for my sister. Then I saw her and her friends trapped on the Flying Cauldrons. Chris and I tried to get them down, but the giants arrived. The whole thing came tumbling down with Thora and her friends still on it. I saw her and her friends tumble out of their cauldron, so I pointed my wand and screamed, 'Retardo,' to slow them down. But Thora's head hit a beam, so Chris and me ran over to them. My sister's face was covered with blood. We tried to pull them away, to hide them. Then this giant grabbed and threw me. I don't know what happened after that. I have to find my sister."
At that point, medics rushed to the aid of the boy. I noticed that his right arm was broken in several places, and that he had a large lump on his forehead. I was prevented from questioning Craven further.
The final horror of that fateful day occurred in an abandoned building three doors from Dervish and Banges. Four young students ran into the building to escape the manticors only to run into the waiting arms of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. After the students entered the structure, You-Know-Who and his squadron of Death Eaters apparated into the room in which the students huddled in terror. You-Know-Who killed Oliver Arbuckle, son of Bronson and Tilda Arbuckle, as he valiantly tried to protect his female companions. Then the Dark Lord forced the young witches to engage in a macabre game of who would accompany him to who knows where and to what end. Enchantingly pretty, sixteen-year-old Ivy Michelle Wittleston was abducted by He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named when she unluckily selected a green painted straw. Miss Wittleston's whereabouts remains unknown.
Scott Sultry, a representative on the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures, was devoured when he succumbed to the melodic and powerfully hypnotic voice of a manticor. Several other Ministry officials were injured when they attempted to round up manticors that were pretending to be immobile.
Where was Headmaster Dumbledore while his young charges were being terrorised, maimed, or killed in Hogsmeade? I learned that very few professors accompany the students during their visits to Hogsmeade. Perhaps if more professors were present, fewer lives would have been lost. A close source reported that the absentminded headmaster of Hogwarts was in his office enjoying sherbet lemons, a Muggle sweet, and conversing with his pet bird while students were being brutalised. Query: Are your children safe in the shaky hands of Albus Dumbledore?
Meanwhile, lessons at Hogwarts have been cancelled for two weeks, and all future visits to Hogsmeade, this term, have been cancelled. These measures, of course, will not bring back those lost lives or wipe away the horror many students witnessed or experienced.
All told, two hundred and nineteen were killed in Hogsmeade on the 13th of October; one hundred and twenty-three of those were Hogwarts students. Scores were injured. Fantasia Realm Amusement Park no longer exists, thanks to the giants.
***
During the next several weeks, the students grieved over their slain peers and attempted to sort out their jumbled emotions. The news of Ivy's abduction devastated Remus. A number of students pestered Lily and Daisy for Lord Voldemort's description until Professor Dumbledore put a stop to it. The students such as Elijah, Chris, Thora, and others who had been seriously injured recovered completely from their wounds. Madam Pomfrey conducted a brisk business in sleeping draughts to aid those students whose rest was disturbed by nightmares.
***
One Saturday, in late November, Ivy's parents arrived to collect their daughter's belongings. Lily, Fiona, Daisy, and Samantha were on their respective beds engaging in quiet activity when Remus entered the room with Ivy's parents and young brother. The girls quickly sat up when the group walked through the doorway.
Daisy stood, and introduced the group to her roommates. "This is Ivy's mother; her father; and brother, Andrew. Mr. and Mrs. Wittleston, and Andrew, this is Samantha, Fiona, and Lily."
They exchanged pleasantries.
"They're here to pick up Ivy's things," Remus said, quietly.
For a brief moment, there was an uncomfortable silence, which was broken by Daisy.
"Here, this is where she slept." Daisy directed Ivy's family to an undisturbed bed, on which a small, stuffed wolf was perched.
"Remus, why don't you and I grab the trunk and take it downstairs?" Mr. Wittleston said.
Ivy's father and Remus lifted the trunk and exited the room.
Mrs. Wittleston began to pick up the small items left on Ivy's night table and on the window seat by her bed while Andrew, age nine, self-consciously gazed at the girls in the room.
"Er, would you like a bag to put those in?" Lily ventured. "I have one."
"Yes, thank you."
Lily walked over to Mrs. Wittleston with a plain coloured bag. She opened it wide so that Mrs. Wittleston could place the items into it. At that moment, Remus and Mr. Wittleston re-entered the room.
"Is that everything?" said Mr. Wittleston.
"No," said Fiona with tears in her eyes. She handed two brightly coloured bags to Mrs. Wittleston. "Ivy bought these...in Hogsmeade...the day...the day she was taken."
Mrs. Wittleston reached out to take the parcels, with mouth trembling and tears springing into her eyes. She peeked into the bags and whispered, "Thank you."
"Come on, honey," Mr. Wittleston said as he placed an arm around his wife.
They turned to leave the room, with Remus and the girls following. Downstairs, in the common room, the group bade farewell to the Wittleston clan. Suddenly, Andrew separated from the party and bolted upstairs.
"Andy!" called out Mr. Wittleston confused. "Where is he off to?"
"I'll get him," Daisy yelled while running up the stairs leading to the girls' dormitory.
Halfway up, Daisy encountered Andrew on his way back down. He carried the stuffed wolf that had been left on Ivy's bed.
Before the Wittlestons left the common room, Professor McGonagall entered. "Do you have everything?" she said, softly.
Mr. and Mrs. Wittleston nodded their heads.
"Very well then, I'll escort you down."
As Mr. and Mrs. Wittleston turned to leave the room, Lily rushed up to Mrs. Wittleston and hugged her. "I'm terribly sorry about Ivy. I hope she's found soon," whispered Lily starting to cry.
"Thank you, dear," Mrs. Wittleston returned Lily's embrace and began to weep.
Fiona, Daisy, Samantha, and Remus each hugged Mrs. Wittleston. Then they embraced Mr. Wittleston and Andrew.
"Here," said Andrew hoarsely as held out the stuffed wolf to Remus. "You should keep it."
Remus slowly took the toy from Andrew. Slowly turning the stuffed wolf in his hands, Remus burst into tears. Andrew, crying, threw his arms around Remus' waist and held onto him tightly.
"Come, we must go now." With a sorrowful expression on his face, Mr. Wittleston gently disengaged Remus and Andrew.
"Remus, come and visit us sometime," Mrs. Wittleston tearfully said as she turned to leave the room. "You know you're always welcome in our home."
The Wittlestons and Professor McGonagall exited the Gryffindor tower. Sadly, Lily turned to go back upstairs. She saw Remus standing alone in anguish, with one hand holding the stuffed wolf and the other gripping his hair as though to stop it from flying away. Lily went to Remus and enfolded him in her arms. Fiona then joined them, with Samantha and Daisy following.
***
In a clearing, on a wind swept hill overlooking a dense forest, stood masked figures. A Grim Reaper with the eyes of a demon towered in the centre of the circle. His hand gripped the shoulder of the girl beside him. Her hazel eyes were vacant, and seemed to gaze inward upon an internal hell. She was skeletally thin and ill appearing. The demon spoke, but his words were lost. The sound of the wind was loud in her ears. The trees sighed and swayed. Suddenly, there was clarity.
"Wilhelm, you have done well, my ever faithful servant. Ten new recruits in the past two weeks, correct?"
"Yes, Master."
The girl seemed to awaken from her nightmare.
"Professor? Professor Konrad?" she inquired in a weak, faltering voice.
The she ran, stumbling, to the wizard and grasped his cloak into her hands. "Please, sir! Please, Professor, take me away! I want to go home!" she pleaded with desperation.
The dark wizard, Wilhelm, roughly shoved the girl. She fell to the ground in a heap, and wept pitifully.
The frightening wizard with the red eyes grabbed a handful of the girl's remaining dark, lustreless curls, and yanked her onto her feet.
"You shall be well rewarded for your undying support and loyalty, Professor Konrad."
"Thank you. Thank you, My Lord. I am much grateful." The Death Eater, Professor Konrad, bowed.
The Dark Lord disapparated, taking Ivy with him.
A large piece of parchment fell from the sky, and landed at her feet. A date was written upon it: 6 December.
Lily awakened. Her pillow was drenched with tears.
***
Several hours later, at the prefects' table, Lily dejectedly picked at the items on her breakfast plate.
"Lily, what's wrong? You're so pale," commented James with an expression of concern on his face.
Deeply musing over the dream, Lily did not acknowledge him.
Perplexed, James glanced over at Sirius, who shrugged in response.
"Lily?"
Without warning, Lily leapt from her seat as though it had turned into a porcupine. She grabbed her bag, and exclaimed more to herself, "I must see Professor Dumbledore!"
Swiftly, Lily exited the hall.
James, with a brief hesitation, followed.
"Lily!" James panted as he caught up with her.
"I must see Professor Dumbledore!" Lily said.
"Has anything unusual happened?"
"I must see Professor Dumbledore!" she reiterated.
"All right. We're almost there."
About a minute later, they reached Professor Dumbledore's office just as he was leaving it.
"Professor!" said Lily as she drew level with him.
"Yes?" Professor Dumbledore gazed at Lily and James with concern.
"A long time ago, you told me to inform you if I ever had an unusual dream. I did, last night."
"Indeed?"
Lily nodded her head.
"Then I shall hear it. Blood Pops."
The seemingly inanimate gargoyle jumped aside to allow them through a door leading to an upward spiralling staircase. A short moment later, Lily and James entered Professor Dumbledore's spacious and intriguing office. Fawkes flew over to greet them.
"Please sit, Miss Evans, and share your dream. I am sure Mr. Potter is interested in hearing it as well."
"I am," said James gravely, with Fawkes on his shoulder.
Slowly, Lily described the vision. Professor Dumbledore's expression became strained and worried when she described Ivy's condition. He gave her a sharp penetrating glance when she mentioned Professor Konrad. Then Professor Dumbledore's entire countenance became grim.
James blurted out, "I knew he was a Death Eater!"
Professor Dumbledore raised his hand to stay James, and then looked at Lily. "Please continue."
Lily finished the rest of her tale, and added, "Professor, the sixth was only four days ago. We must find her before it's too late!"
Professor Dumbledore rose from his chair, and then began to pace the floor.
"This is important. Was there anything about the place you recognised? Did it seem familiar, a place you have been before?"
Lily slowly shook her head. "Noooo," and then more firmly, "No. I didn't recognise it."
Shoulders slumping, he sighed. "In the past, have you had any other dreams of Lord Voldemort?"
"Noooo...Wait! I did...this past summer."
"Tell me about it."
Lily briefly recounted the nightmare she had during the summer holidays. Professor Dumbledore gave her a swift indefinable look when she described Lord Voldemort uttering the Killing Curse.
"I was so afraid when I saw him...in Hogsmeade. I thought my dream was coming true...that he was going to kill me."
Sombrely, Professor Dumbledore said, "It was not you in the dream he killed."
Frowning, Lily stared at him. Then the meaning of his statement suddenly sank in. Fear and intense sadness washed over her.
James softly said, "Ivy."
Unbidden, tears flowed from Lily's eyes as she stood. She exclaimed, "Professor, you must find Ivy before it's too late."
"Believe me when I say that the Ministry is doing all that it can to locate Miss Wittleston," he replied. "I fear, sometimes, that time is running against us."
Fawkes returned to his perch by the door.
"Professor, what about Konrad? Will he be looked into?" said James.
"I assure you Wilhelm Konrad will be investigated," he responded with a hardened expression on his face. "I also have reason to suspect him of being a Death Eater. Lily's dream only reinforces my suspicion."
"Er, what made you suspicious of him?" pressed James.
Professor Dumbledore gazed unwaveringly at James for a brief moment. "I believe that it would be unwise, James, for me to reveal that at this time."
"Oh."
"It is time for you two to depart. Your first lesson starts in five minutes." He then added, "Please keep this conversation between yourselves."
On their way out the door, Professor Dumbledore gently said, "Not a day goes by that I don't think of Miss Wittleston. I am doing everything in my power to see that she is found in time."
***
Abducted Hogwarts Student Meets Tragic End
By Rita Skeeter, Correspondent
The broken body of Ivy Michelle Wittleston, who had been kidnapped by He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named a few months ago, was found at the base of a rocky cliff on the Island of Mull, on the 15th of December. Like her predecessors, Dewdroppe and Ridgecrest, Miss Wittleston was found with the Mark of Dominus, an image of a serpent coiled around a unicorn, branded on the base of her neck. Miss Wittleston's parents were unable to be located for comment. Ivy was sixteen years old.
On a related note: Wilhelm Konrad, the ravishingly handsome, young, and sinister Hogwarts' professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts has vanished, his whereabouts unknown. Several sources stated that Konrad was a Death Eater, and was being investigated about the circumstances surrounding Miss Wittleston's disappearance. Close sources have informed me that someone within the Ministry tipped off Konrad that he was being scrutinised. Shortly afterwards, the Death Eater fled Hogwarts, taking all of his possessions with him. Obviously, the Ministry is riddled with spies working for You-Know-Who. The question is: How much of a role did Konrad play in Ivy Wittleston's abduction, torture, and death?
***
Lily, Fiona, Samantha, and Daisy sobbed noisily. A few hours earlier, in the Great Hall, Professor Dumbledore announced to the students that Ivy had been found slain. Quietly, he told the stunned and grieving students that the Yule Ball was cancelled, along with Defence Against the Dark Arts, as they no longer had a teacher.
Suddenly, Lily leapt from the bed and ran blindly out the Gryffindor Tower. Her long nightgown and ember coloured hair streamed behind her. She raced, unheeded, through the corridors, and then outside the castle into the frigid air while attempting to escape the immense aching pain lodged in her chest. Eventually, coughing and sobbing, Lily collapsed at the edge of the lake.
Awkwardly rising, she stood and screamed at the indifferent stars, "Why? Why? WHY?"
Lily ungainly lowered herself back down to the snow-covered ground; wrapped her arms around her knees; and wailed plaintively while rocking back and forth. So intense was her grief that she was unaware of the bone chilling cold.
Startled, she heard a stealthy sound behind her. Lily turned, still weeping, to see James approaching.
"Come, Lily," he said, his voice hoarse as though he had been crying. "It's too cold out here. You'll become ill."
He removed his cloak and placed it around Lily's shoulders. Gently, James grabbed her by the arm and helped her to an upright position.
"Why, James? Why?"
He took Lily tightly into his arms.
"Why is there evil?"
***
A significant number of students failed to return to Hogwarts after the Christmas holiday. Daisy Craven and her siblings, Elijah and Thora, were among those who did not come back. Daisy had sent a letter to Lily, Fiona, and Samantha stating that her parents did not feel safe anywhere in Europe, and therefore had decided to move to New Zealand, where they had distant relatives. The sixth year Gryffindor girls' room felt empty without Ivy and Daisy.
Remus became despondent when he learned of Ivy's death during the preceding month, and returned to school nearly unresponsive in his grief.
Frank Longbottom, studying to be an Auror, temporarily took the assignment of Defence Against the Dark Arts professor until a permanent instructor could be found. Frank's presence slightly cheered up the still grieving students. Professor Chloride assumed the Head of Slytherin.
***
On a bright, chilly Saturday afternoon in early February, the entire Hogwarts student body queued up outside the castle, in four columns representing each House. Each person held a red carnation. Headmaster Dumbledore was at the front of the entire procession. Following him, were the Heads of Houses at the front of each queue. The Head Boy, Head Girl, and Prefects were behind the Heads of Houses. The rest of the students followed, with the professors bringing up the rear. Solemnly, the school body marched toward Hogsmeade, where a memorial was being dedicated to those had been slain on a fateful day in October.
They reached Hogsmeade and entered the location where a tall structure in the shape of a dark purple obelisk stood. The pillar occupied the place where the centre of Fantasia Realm Amusement Park had been. Across its surface, in gold lettering, the names of those who had been slain alternately flashed and scrolled at regular intervals. Lily spotted Ivy's and Oliver's names scrolling across the tower's smooth surface.
The mayor of Hogsmeade stepped up onto a dais and addressed the large congregation composed of the family of the slain; the town's residents; top ranking officials from the Ministry of Magic; and Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Tears spilled from Lily's eyes as she listened to Mayor Carlow. At the end of the Mayor's dedication, the Minister of Magic gave a brief speech, followed by Headmaster Dumbledore. At the conclusion of his oratory, Professor Dumbledore waved his wand in a grand arc. Numerous white doves sprang forth from his wand and took flight into the late winter, blue sky. The Hogwarts students then filed silently past the obelisk to place their carnations at its base.
***
"It's useless! I'm going to fail this exam," exclaimed Fiona in frustration.
The exam in question was in Foreign Tongues, to be taken on the twenty-eighth of March, which was in two days.
"Didn't you place your memories of the lesson in your pensieve?" retorted Samantha.
"Yes, but it's all confused with the other thoughts that were going through my head while Professor Lengua was lecturing us. I just can't reach the memories of the lesson! There is no way I'm going to pass German. I don't even know how to say how are you!"
"Wie geht es Ihnen?" replied Lily and Samantha at the same time.
"Fi, did you try sorting your memories from your thoughts?" said Lily.
"Yes! It didn't work," Fiona moaned.
"I think I can help," Lily said while getting up from her bed to sit on Fiona's.
At the start of the year, each student in Foreign Tongues was furnished with a small pensieve to store their memories of each lesson. Professor Lengua had given the students a short lesson on how to capture their memories, place them in the pensieve, and extract them. However, extracting a particular memory was quite difficult. Learning how to do this successfully each time determined how well a student would perform in class. At the end of the year, the students were to return the pensieves, emptied of their memories.
"I discovered this charm I call 'The Discriminator' to separate internal thoughts from external experience."
"You're joking!" Samantha said, incredulously.
"I'm not," replied Lily modestly. "I had to come up with something; otherwise, I would have failed the last two exams miserably."
"I didn't know you were having difficulty with Foreign Tongues," commented Fiona.
"It wasn't that I was having difficulty with the languages...It was because of...everything that had happened, Ivy and Oliver and everything else. I was so depressed that I couldn't properly concentrate."
"That's understandable," replied Samantha. "I was upset, too. For awhile, every time I looked at Ivy's and Daisy's empty beds I burst into tears."
"Me, too," Fiona added. "It broke my heart every time I saw Remus. He was so heartsick over Ivy...and still is, but not as bad off. He really loved her."
For a moment, the three girls were quiet.
Samantha broke the silence. "All right then, show us this Discriminator Charm you came up with, Lily."
"Okay, I'll show you using Fi."
"What?"
"It's the only way you're going to learn. Besides, we aren't allowed to sift through each other's memories, remember? It's the reason we are to lock up our pensieves when we aren't using them. Now, stir your memories."
Fiona placed her wand in the bowl, and stirred the odd white, shimmering contents.
"All right, that's good enough. Remove your wand, place it toward your temple, and say, 'Discrimino.'"
Fiona followed Lily's instructions.
"Now, extract the memory you want."
Fiona tapped the side of the pensieve with her wand and said, "Accio recordatio." Then she placed her finger into the swirling contents of the bowl.
Lily and Samantha watched while Fiona relived a past Foreign Tongues lesson. Her eyes had a glassy, far away appearance. Suddenly, a smile overspread Fiona's face and she returned to the present.
"It worked, Lily! I got it! I have German!"
"Ooooh, show me!" demanded Samantha.
***
"I deliberately chose to delay the lesson we will begin today. This is a lesson that all of you must learn...the sooner, the better. It will be on the final exam coming up next month."
The students in Defence Against the Dark Arts listened to Professor Longbottom with rapt attention.
"I chose to wait to allow each of you a chance to move past your grief over the senseless murder of your fellow students."
Professor Longbottom began to walk between the rows of desks. The students' heads turned to follow his progress.
"Some of you may be personally familiar with the curses that are integral to this particular lesson; a few of you may have witnessed them being uttered or had the misfortune of one being placed on you. Of course, if one of the curses had been placed on you, you would not be here, except maybe in ghostly form."
Professor Longbottom returned to the front of the room.
"I am referring to the Unforgivable Curses."
A ripple of whispers spread out across the room in the wake of this pronouncement.
"There are three Unforgivable Curses: Cruciatus, Imperius, and Killing."
A chill ran through Lily as Professor Longbottom listed the curses.
"The Cruciatus Curse inflicts excruciating pain on the victim; the Imperius Curse places the victim under complete control of the one who has cast the curse; and the Killing Curse, er, kills the victim. You can defend yourself against the Imperius and Cruciatus Curses, but there is no known defence against the Killing Curse.
"For the next two weeks, we will study the Unforgivable Curses in depth. Your first assignment will be to write five rolls of parchment on the history of these curses: who invented them; what was their original purpose; and how they became unforgivable. After you have learned their background, I will demonstrate these curses on creatures we all loathe. Then, I will have you research ways in which you can counteract the Cruciatus and Imperius Curses, in case they are ever placed on you.
"Are there any questions?"
The students shook their heads.
"All righty then. Please open your textbooks to page six hundred and twenty-three."
***
"It must have been hard for those two this year, with Frank being a professor. I mean, wouldn't it be weird to have your boyfriend as your professor?" remarked Samantha.
Lily, James, Fiona, Sirius, Samantha, Remus, and Peter were sprawled out on a grassy bank by the lake with a pitcher of iced pumpkin juice between them. They had just completed their last exam of the year, and were watching Professor Longbottom and Diana Pheasant stroll the grounds.
"This was her last year, so they must be happy," Fiona replied.
"I heard that they plan to marry when Diana's twenty," piped up Peter. "Frank expects to be a full-fledged Auror by then."
"My dad said that he shows much promise," James added.
"Somehow I find it difficult to picture Frank as an Auror," said Sirius. "He's so friendly and easygoing."
"He can be strong and forceful when he wants, and he's quick with a wand," Lily chimed in. "I remember that time when I attended the Yule Ball for the first time, and that prat Macnair insulted me." Lily recounted what happened at the Yule Ball during her third year.
"Doesn't Macnair work for the Ministry?" said Remus.
"No! You must be joking!" Lily replied in surprise.
"Aye, he does, but I can't remember which department," said Samantha.
"But...but, he's rotten! He supports the Dark Lord; I'm sure of it!" Lily said in consternation.
"How d'you know?" said Peter.
"I just do!"
"Well, the Ministry wouldn't hire a known Death Eater," Peter commented.
Snape, Rosier, Avery, Wilkes, and Nott walked by the group just as James placed his arm around Lily. Scowls and hostile looks were exchanged.
"I would watch who I associated with, Lily," said Snape acidly. Then his eyes briefly flitted over to Remus. "You never know if they're going to bite."
Lily and James glared at Snape.
"Funny we were discussing Death Eaters when that lot went by," Sirius said while glowering at Snape's receding back. "I'm willing to wager each of you ten Galleons that all five of them are Death Eaters."
Remus snorted. "No one is going to take you up on that wager, Padfoot."
"I'm considering becoming an Auror," James said, quietly.
"A noble cause, Prongs. Perhaps I shall join you in your pursuit," remarked Sirius.
"The Ministry desperately needs help putting an end to Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters," said James. "According to my dad, Lord Voldemort's support seems to be growing every day. Of course, it doesn't help that so many are afraid...and prefer to keep silent and not join in the fight."
"Perhaps I will join you, too, Jamie...if you decide to become an Auror. I'll do anything to help stamp out evil."
James smiled at Lily.
"Count me in, also," said Fiona.
***
A few days later, the exam results were posted. Lily performed better than she expected. A day after that, the students returned home for the much needed summer holidays.