Ψ~*~ Ψ
Two months later
1 Ψ~*~ Ψ
Lily stared as the train rattled fiercely, shaking at every turn it made. The seat cushioned her bumps, the thick, smooth velvet itchy against her bare legs. She sighed and looked out the window for the billionth time since she'd boarded hours earlier at Hogwarts. Though she welcomed the Christmas break, she couldn't help feeling bored as she sat in the otherwise empty compartment. Chloe had gone by Floo Powder with her older brother Frank, who was in his second year, and although she found them terribly annoying, she was ashamed to say she missed James, Sirius, Remus and Peter's comical antics, as they all decided to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas.
She could hear the lunch lady rattling her cart along the train's corridor. This time, she was prepared as she pulled some Galleons and Sickles out of her pocket. She stood up to greet the witch, opening the compartment door, only to stare straight at Snape.
"W-What are you doing here?" she stammered, dumbstruck at his sudden appearance.
"What do you think?" he replied, sneering at her, his lips pulled back in an ugly manner.
"B-But, I wouldn't think you'd have anywhere to go. I mean, your mum, well, she, you know…" Lily couldn't bring herself to say the words, fearing that she'd sound apathetic and hardhearted.
"What? Died? Yeah, well, of course she did, but I do have a father as well you know," Snape narrowed his eyes, glaring suspiciously at Lily's sudden hesitation to speak.
"But-James told me that your father is in America somewhere, that he went off with a Muggle…or maybe he was wrong," Lily hastily tried to stop Snape's eyes darkening in complete anger by contradicting her own words.
"Don't you ever, ever listen to anything that Potter and his stupid friends say about me," he threatened, seemingly on the verge of throwing himself out the window with anger. All Lily could do was nod mutely, discreetly leaning back in the hope that he might go away. Instead, much to her dismay, he sat down on the chair she'd been occupying moments ago. Lily was surprised though, when he spoke softly, calmly.
"Tell me what my mum's last words were," he said, closing his eyes as he remembered her.
"Well, she said this poem or something, I'm not sure what it was. Her very, very last words, though, was the last line of the poem- 'I did not die'. Why do you want to know?" she replied.
"What do you mean, why do I want to know? Wouldn't you want to know what your mum's last words were when she died?" he snapped, standing up to face her his hands fists of anger.
"Well, of course I would, but I thought Dumbledore would've already told you. I wouldn't be so intent on talking about it so much if I already knew, it would hurt too much," she replied, her confidence gradually increasing as she sensed his composure weakening.
"I just want to know who killed her," he said, sitting down and staring out the window.
"You mean, they never told you?"
"They don't know who did it. Well that's what they said anyway."
"I was told she was attacked by Voldemort and left to die in the room," Lily's word had an amazing affect on Snape, who sprang up, his eyes disbelieving.
"What?"
"Well, that's what I was told when I woke up in the infirmary, by Dumbledore-" she began. She trailed off though, as she watched him banging on the window, trying to open it. "What are you doing?" she asked as he finally succeeded in opening the window, sticking his leg through the gap.
"Taking a bath. What does it look like? I'm going back to Hogwarts," he said, roughly pushing her hand away as she attempted to pull him back inside.
"Back to Hogwarts? W-what for?" she gasped, shocked. Snape never had time to answer, as he released his grip on the sill and jumped down, rolling down the grassy hill that greeted him.
"You tell anyone and you're dea…" Lily managed to hear before the train hurtled around a sharp corner and he disappeared from sight.
Ψ~*~ Ψ
"They'd kill us if they found out," Peter muttered, glancing warily out the window.
"Who said they had to know?" Remus replied, grinning wickedly as he, Sirius, Peter and James made their way down the Gryffindor stairs. "No one else knows how to get there like we do. Besides, it's the holidays, no one is going to be there."
"Still…I don't think we should."
"What, are you going to chicken out on us now, Peter?" Sirius grinned, walking over towards Peter. "Like Remus said, it'll be sweet. Speaking of sweets, who's got some?" he asked, glancing around at the others, who both shook their heads.
"Be quiet," James suddenly muttered harshly. "We can't let anyone hear us," he added as he slipped the invisibility cloak over them. They made their way down the stone steps, towards a large stone statue. As a group, they quietly slipped behind it, safely hidden by the cloak.
Ψ~*~ Ψ
Lily stood on the Platform, having just broken through the barriers of nine and ten. She glanced around expectantly, looking for her parents and, better still, Petunia. Maybe there was the slightest chance that Petunia had missed her during the months she'd been away (hardly likely, though, she thought angrily). She shivered, the cool air rushing up her legs as the swirl of trains rushed past. Pulling her coat around her tightly, she again looked around the station, abandoned, save for a few elderly shoppers and the odd cluster of teenage girls in tight skirts and skimpy tops. Staring at the clock, she read it, her breath rushing through her teeth as she sighed. Four o'clock. Her parents knew she was coming at three. Where were they?
Ψ~*~ Ψ
"Quit shoving," Sirius whispered, poking a bony elbow into Peter's equally bony ribs as they made their way down the dirty passage way.
"Quiet," James said, glancing back towards Sirius and Peter. "We can't let anyone see us."
Together, they walked down the steep steps, turning sharp corners until they came to a sharp stop at a dirty, dusty hole. Quietly slipping the invisibility cloak over themselves again, they crept out, their ears twitching for any sudden sound. They crossed the large room, a basement full of boxes, some open with bright gold wrappers peeking through the cracks. They made their way up the stone steps, up towards a cracked door. Turning the knob gently, they pushed the door forward until they could slip through, into the hustle and bustle of Honeydukes.
"Sweet," Sirius whispered, making his way over to a jar full of blood flavoured lollypops. "How about we trick Lily and Chloe into munching a few of these?" he asked hopefully, glancing at James and Remus. They both laughed and nodded, fishing deep into their pockets for some money.
An hour later, they walked out of Honeydukes, their pockets full of lollypops, cockroach chocolates and sugar rats ("We'll put them in the girls bed," Remus laughed).
They made their way down the street, eagerly looking in shop windows. They stared at the window of Quidditch Supplies, admiring the new broom (The amazing, high-flying Tailbuckler [500 Galleons each]) and the solid gold water watch in Pam's Prank Shop.
Laughing, they kept walking, licking huge cherry and chocolate ice creams. They came to a stop at the Three Broomsticks, each one gazing longingly at the Butterbeer on display. They quickly scoffed down the rest of their ice creams and walked in, the bell at the top of the door jangling as they made their way in.
"I'm tellin' ya, it won't work," a rough voice called out from the bar. They all froze as they recognised it, stepping back quickly out of view. At the bar, his large hands engulfing the glass he was holding, full to the brim with a ginger-coloured drink, Hagrid sat, his thick tangle of black hair shielding his face from view. As though sensing the four pairs of eyes on him, he turned around towards the door. Acting on instinct, they ducked under a table, quickly shoving the invisibility cloak over themselves. Hagrid stared at the door for what seemed like eternity, his beetle-like eyes, squinting towards them. They gently exhaled as he turned back to his beer, taking a deep swig from the frothy jar. They heard the doorbell ring again and a swish of feet rush by them, quickly followed by long, silver hair.
"Hello, Hagrid," Professor Dumbledore said.
2 Ψ~*~ Ψ
The wind rushed around the platforms, the half moon shining down onto Lily as she sat outside the station, her bags a semi-shelter around her as she waited for her parents. The cool air bit her face, her cheeks icy cold. Shivering, she wrapped her arms around herself, hugging herself tightly to trap the warmth. She sighed and glanced around, looking around for a clock. She spotted one across the road, an ancient clock shop. The various clocks in the window all read seven thirty-five. She stood up angrily, her hair tossed suddenly by the wind. She stormed into the station, dragging her trunk along. She walked up to the station guard, who looked at her with utter distaste.
"Um- excuse me. Could you please tell me where a phone is? I need to call my parents," she asked, staring up at him.
"You one of 'em boarders up in the country or somefink? Did ya parents forget to pick you up?" he asked rudely, his lips in a half-smile.
"Well, yes, I suppose you could say that," Lily snapped back.
"Come with me," the man snarled. He led her over to a small room at the back of the station, where a young man sat.
"'Ere, Stanley, look after this young one. She needs to use the phone," he pushed her roughly into the room.
Lily smiled shyly at the young boy, who handed her the phone. She quickly dialled her number, waiting for someone to pick up. Finally, after ten rings she heard Petunia's voice.
"H-Hello?" Petunia whispered, her voice thick with tears.
"Petunia? What's wrong?" Lily exclaimed.
"Lily? Is that you? Y-you have to come home right now. Quickly!" Petunia replied frantically, her nasally voice high.
"Well, that's what I've been waiting to do all afternoon. Where's mum and dad? Didn't they know I was coming?" Lily asked.
"I-I don't know where they are. They went to the movies hours ago and haven't come back yet. Then Mrs. Perch from next door came around when I told her they hadn't come back she said something about a news bulletin she heard on the radio and then I saw the police talking to her a few minutes ago and I don't know what to do," Petunia sobbed into the phone.
"But, why did they go to the movies when they had to pick me up?" Lily asked, confused.
"Well, I-I got the letter while they were shopping and I thought I'd, you know, play a trick on you and I kind of dropped it into the fire and, well-"
"You what? W-Why on earth would you do something as stupid as that? Wait- no need to remind me that I'm a sister with the biggest idiot of the century! I can't believe you did that, Petunia, you are the biggest fool. What am I going to do, now?"
Ψ~*~ Ψ
Professor Dumbledore sat on the bench next to Hagrid, ordering his drink. James, Sirius, Remus and Peter crouched under the table, their backs already beginning to throb lightly with pain.
"What are we going to do?" Sirius whispered into James ear, nudging him slightly with a bony elbow. "How are we going to get out?"
"Okay, stand up very quietly," James whispered, beginning to unfold his legs, taking care not to move the cloak in anyway. "Now when I say go, we bolt to the door under the cloak, got it?" They all nodded in unison as James counted to three under his breath. "Go!" he whispered loudly. They jumped and raced out the door. The doorbell jangled loudly and they held their breath as they stood at the window, watching as Dumbledore and Hagrid, along with the rest of the inn, stared at the door. James thought he saw a small, knowing smile play on Dumbledore's lips but he quickly shook it off.
"Quick, let's get out of here," Sirius muttered as Peter's stomach began to growl with hunger. They sidestepped their way away from the window, being careful not to move the cloak at all. By the time they made it safely out of Dumbledore's view, they were all slightly winded from the exertion.
They ran all the way down the street until they reached Honeydukes.
"What? Why is it closed?" Remus asked dumbfounded as they stared at the closed sign on the door. "How are we going to get back?"
"We can't," Peter replied. "We're going to get stuck in one of those caves on the mountain and no one will know where we are and we are all going to die."
"Don't be stupid, you idiot. You'll never see me sleeping in a cave in a million years," Sirius said. He looked around the deserted street and up at the sky that was rapidly turning a deep blue.
"All I know is that we better hurry before it gets too dark and they notice us missing," James said, shivering as the cold began to seep into his bare arms.
"I know a way," Remus said quietly.
"You do? How?" Peter asked, turning his podgy body to glance up at Remus.
"I- I overheard some kids talking about earlier on. How they found out about it, I don't know. The only problem is that it leads us to the Whomping Willow. I think that you have to push some kind of hole in the tree to get to it, or something. I couldn't hear them that well." Remus flushed a deep red and glanced guiltily up at James, who got the feeling that Remus wasn't telling the entire truth. He shook the funny feeling off though, as he glanced up at the sky again. The quarter moon shone brightly onto the deserted street.
"Well, I guess it's the only way," James shrugged. "Where exactly is this tunnel?"
"In a room in the…"
"The…?"
"The Shrieking Shack."
Ψ~*~ Ψ
It was dark as Lily sat at the table in the kitchen, the light overhead dimly shining. She glanced glumly across at Petunia, whose horse-like face was shining with tears that ran down her cheeks. Lily looked down again, trying to fight back the tears that threatened to spill over her eyes.
She still couldn't digest it. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't believe what the police had just told her. How could her parents be…dead? How could they just die, without Lily having a chance to say goodbye. Every time she closed her eyes, she had horrible images of mutilated car wrecks with her parents on stretchers, covered in blank white sheets. She shuddered and began to cry, unable to hold the tears in any longer. Petunia looked up at her, shocked to see her crying.
"This is all your fault, you know," Petunia spat, staring hard at Lily, who looked up, her eyes wide in shock.
"Wha-"
"If you had never become the stupid witch that you are, then they would never have gone out. I don't know why they did, probably to celebrate another day of not seeing you."
Lily glared at her, open-mouthed, furious that she had the audacity to talk like this. Before she could think of anything to say, she grabbed her bag and ran out the door, running down the street as fast as she could.
She kept running, not taking notice of the buildings she rushed past. She had no idea where she was going. She just kept running and running until she ran into a man who grabbed her by the arms. She pushed around madly.
"Let go of me-" she stopped as soon as she recognised the voice of the man as he spoke.
"It's okay Lily," Dumbledore said calmly, trying to stop her from running away again.
"Professor? How on earth did you get here?" she asked, finally calming down.
"I just heard of your parents death. I Apparated to your house from Hogsmeade, and spoke to Petunia. She thought I was another police officer. She told me that you'd left, and I figured that you'd be heading this way."
"What made you think that? I don't even know where I'm going."
"You're heading for the Leaky Cauldron, Lily," he said. "Now come with me. I'll take you back to your place. And don't worry about Petunia, I think I've got an idea," he smiled.
Lily stared after him as he led the way back home. After tonight, did he think she'd ever worry about Petunia again?
Ψ~*~ Ψ
Sirius breathed deeply, clenching his fingers in an effort not to strangle Peter, who was making muffled noises as they made there way towards the Shack.
"Shut up, Peter. We are not going to die out here," James said, as annoyed as Sirius was. Remus, however, said nothing.
"I don't know. Maybe Peter's right. Maybe we should just turn ourselves in. Even if we do find this trapdoor, well probably get lost in the forest, or caught by Hagrid, or eaten by a werewolf," he lowered his voice, enjoying the look of fear flash across Peter's face. With a last bout courage, he stepped inside the building.
It was dark in the Shack, the pale moonlight floating in through a tiny crack in the curtained window.
"So where exactly is this trapdoor?" Sirius asked, glancing around.
"How do I know? I didn't exactly go up to them and say, excuse me but I couldn't help overhearing you talking about the trapdoor in the Shrieking Shack. Could you please tell me exactly where this door is?" Remus snapped.
"Well, sorry, I was only asking. Gosh, it's so cold in here," Sirius replied, glancing around. "-and dark. Are you scared, Peter?" he laughed. Peter, who was shivering, his beady eyes glancing around.
"Y-yes," he whispered. James laughed.
"Come on, let's go up these stairs," Sirius said, making his way up the rickety stairs. "Be quiet."
The four of them stood at the landing as the stairs came to an end. They glanced around.
"Okay, the four of us will split and look at all the rooms for a trapdoor, okay?" Remus said, as they glanced around at the doors all around them.
"Okay, I'll go to this one," Sirius said, turning to a door on the left. They split up. James walked into a room on the right. Opening the door, he stared at a matted bed and mat. It was eerily dark and there was no window to let any light in. He glanced around before raising his wand.
"Lumos," he muttered. The tip of his wand began to glow dimly. As the light spread across the room, he could see that the bed had been recently slept in.
"Hey guys," he called out to the others. "I think some one lives here. You can tell that they sleep in this bed." Sirius looked over James shoulder.
"Did you hear that Peter? Who knows, they might still be here," he joked, widening his eyes in a successful attempt to scare Peter, who shivered and moved in closer to Remus.
"What's that?" James said suddenly, staring hard across the room to the opposite wall.
"I dunno. Looks like a door or something," Sirius said, stepping in to get a closer look.
"It must be the trapdoor," Peter said. "Now we can get out of here," he continued, the relief undisguised in his voice. He stepped into the room, racing over towards the door, ignoring the creaking floorboards as he stepped on them.
"Come on," he whispered, for once sounding sure of himself as he tried to get out of the room as fast as he could. The others followed quickly. As they made their way across the room, Sirius tripped and fell over something lying on the floor. He cursed, and glanced down at his feet. James lowered his wand so it shone on the object, which turned out to be a book. Pulling it towards himself, Sirius read out the cover aloud.
"All about werewolves."
Ψ~*~ Ψ
"Now, Lily, I've already had a quick talk with Cornelius Fudge about this-"
"Who's Cornelius Fudge?" Lily interrupted.
"The Minister of Magic," Dumbledore answered distractedly. "As I was saying, I've talked to him about it, and though he considers it borderline law-offending, he has agreed to it- but only on the condition that it's temporary."
'What have you talked about with him?" Lily asked, curiosity beginning to sink in.
"Having Petunia stay at Hogwarts for a couple of months."
"WHAT? Professor Dumbledore, I don't mean to be rude, but to let my sister stay at Hogwarts? It's- it's absurd! It's completely…stupid!" Lily cried out, her face going red with anger.
"I thought you cared about your sister a great deal, Lily, as all family should," Dumbledore responded puzzled.
"I-I did, but you wouldn't believe what she just said. Sh- She blamed me for my parent's death. She said it was all my fault! She said they wouldn't have gone out and gotten killed in a car crash if I hadn't become a witch…" Lily began to calm down, her anger spent as a tear slid down her cheek. "Maybe it is my fault." She finished off, glancing down at her shoes.
"Lily- I have something to tell you. It is going to be a great shock to you, and I've already told you about this man. HHis name is Voldemort, and people do not like mentioning his name. He is the most evil wizard in our world, and he is on a rampage, ready to kill anything or anyone in his path. T-The reason that I knew about your parent's death is because…well, you see, they weren't killed in a car crash at all. Voldemort killed them," Dumbledore finished off, trying to keep his voice calm as Lily stared back at him, her tear-stained face confused.
"He's the man that killed Snape's mother," Lily blinked slowly, everything beginning to set in. "But, why is he killing our parent's? My parent's aren't- weren't even magic."
"He has his reasons. Though he is wicked, he is brilliant, and some say that he knows things that have not yet occurred. So, now Lily, do you see, that if he is willing to kill your parent's, and not you, that he may want to come after your sister? We have to protect her, no matter what you may think of her."
Lily's mouth opened and closed slightly like a fish, before she nodded slowly, wiping the salty tracks on her cheeks away with her sleeve.
"But, Professor Dumbledore, if this man did kill my parent's, then it really would've been my fault. Maybe- maybe I am the evil one. Perhaps I did something that angered him."
"Lily, you don't even know him," Dumbledore replied softly. "I think that perhaps we should all stop worrying about our evil abilities, and spend our time on Voldemort's ones."
Ψ~*~ Ψ
"That has to be our closet escapade yet," James breathed out, dumping the sweets from his pockets onto his four-poster bed.
"I'm surprised you know the meaning of the word 'escapade'," Remus replied, adding his share of sweets to the pile that was steadily growing on James's bed.
James smiled at Remus, his eyes narrowed. "Haha, so funny, I forgot to laugh," James retorted loudly.
"Let's just hope that Dumbledore didn't see us," Sirius said, glancing around the room. "Hey. Where's Peter?"
"I don't know. I though he was behind us," James said, glancing around the room. "Peter?" he called out. There was no response.
"Maybe he's downstairs," Remus said. "I'll go down and have a look." Sirius and James nodded, and Remus walked towards the door.
"Peter?" Remus called, out glancing around the circular room, walking towards the flickering fire to keep warm. "Pete?" he called, a little bit louder. There was still no reply.
Turning around, he raced back up to the dormitory.
"He's not there," he said, red-faced and breathless.
"Do you think he might've gotten lost somewhere behind us in the forest?" James asked, glancing at Sirius.
"Hang on," Remus exclaimed suddenly. "I don't remember seeing him after we came into the castle…do you?"
James and Sirius glanced at each other.
"He probably turned down a wrong corridor…knowing him," Sirius exclaimed.
"Should we go look for him? Or do you think he'll find his own way back?" Remus asked, glancing out the door.
"We better go look for him…but maybe one of us should stay here in case he comes back. He'll go into severe panic mode if he comes back and we aren't here," James replied.
"I'll stay here," Remus said, sitting on his bed. Sirius and James nodded, and bolted out the door.
Ψ~*~ Ψ
"WHAT?" Petunia shrieked. "You want me to stay at a school that is full of…freaks?" she turned to Lily. "I bet you deliberately planned this. What are you planning to do? Bewitch me? No! I absolutely refuse," she crossed her arms and sat huffily in her chair.
"What else are you going to do?" Lily snapped. "Stay here and wait to be mur- and wait for something to happen to you?" She glanced at Dumbledore, hoping her mistake hadn't been too noticeable. Dumbledore nodded his head slightly, beckoning for Lily to continue.
"Please, Petunia," she continued. This is sickening, she thought. I'm actually begging Petunia to come to Hogwart's with me. "Be rational-"
"RATIONAL? What's there to be rational about? I'm not going to a school meant for freaks!" Petunia shrieked.
"Well, if it was built for freaks than I'm sure you'd fit right in," Lily snapped, finally giving up. "You choose- you come with me and stay safe for a few months, or live all by yourself, all alone in this house," she snapped, walking towards the door.
"Fine," Petunia gave in suddenly. "I'll go- but only for a few months and only on the condition that you don't turn me into a frog!"
"I would if I could but I don't even know how," Lily turned and walked out the door, running upstairs to her room. She flung herself onto the bed.
What was she going to do? Stuck with Petunia at Hogwarts. She'd be worse than James and Sirius…
Suddenly, the first smile breaking onto her face for the day, she jumped up. James and Sirius…versus Petunia. It would be perfect.
Ψ~*~ Ψ
"Peter?" James and Sirius called out in unison, waving their wands, the light glowing from the end, around.
"Where the hell could he have gone?" Sirius muttered, as they ran down the corridor. "I just hope Filch doesn't catch us- it'd be all Peter's fault and he wouldn't even have gotten caught."
"Quiet. You complaining at the top of your lungs is likely to get Filch's attention," James muttered, waving a hand to silence Sirius. "Hurry! It's getting cold."
Together they turned a corner and bolted down yet another long corridor.
"Maybe he's in the Entrance Hall," Sirius panted.
"Good idea," James followed Sirius as they raced towards the door to the castle. Glancing around, they stared into the empty shadows that framed the walls.
"This is ridiculous. He's probably back up at the dormitory," James sighed. "Meaning we raced around for absolutely nothing."
Sirius mumbled something and they began to make their way back up to the commonroom.
"What's that?" James asked suddenly as they passed a classroom.
"What's what?" Sirius replied.
"Can't you hear that noise? It sounds like…crying or something," he continued.
"Could be Peter," Sirius muttered as they entered the room. Glancing around, they raised their wands higher to see more clearly. There, quivering in the corner, sat Peter, crouched down into a small ball.
"Peter! Where did you go?" James asked as he and Sirius walked over towards him. "Where have you been?"
Peter just stared back at them, his lips shaking.
"The…Forest…" he croaked out.
"Is that when we lost you? What happened?" Sirius persisted.
"The man," Peter's voice shook violently.
"What man? There wasn't any man in the forest. Was it Hagrid?"
Peter shook his head, slowly starting to speak.
"It was You…Know…Who."
Ψ~*~ Ψ
Two months later
1 Ψ~*~ Ψ
Lily stared as the train rattled fiercely, shaking at every turn it made. The seat cushioned her bumps, the thick, smooth velvet itchy against her bare legs. She sighed and looked out the window for the billionth time since she'd boarded hours earlier at Hogwarts. Though she welcomed the Christmas break, she couldn't help feeling bored as she sat in the otherwise empty compartment. Chloe had gone by Floo Powder with her older brother Frank, who was in his second year, and although she found them terribly annoying, she was ashamed to say she missed James, Sirius, Remus and Peter's comical antics, as they all decided to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas.
She could hear the lunch lady rattling her cart along the train's corridor. This time, she was prepared as she pulled some Galleons and Sickles out of her pocket. She stood up to greet the witch, opening the compartment door, only to stare straight at Snape.
"W-What are you doing here?" she stammered, dumbstruck at his sudden appearance.
"What do you think?" he replied, sneering at her, his lips pulled back in an ugly manner.
"B-But, I wouldn't think you'd have anywhere to go. I mean, your mum, well, she, you know…" Lily couldn't bring herself to say the words, fearing that she'd sound apathetic and hardhearted.
"What? Died? Yeah, well, of course she did, but I do have a father as well you know," Snape narrowed his eyes, glaring suspiciously at Lily's sudden hesitation to speak.
"But-James told me that your father is in America somewhere, that he went off with a Muggle…or maybe he was wrong," Lily hastily tried to stop Snape's eyes darkening in complete anger by contradicting her own words.
"Don't you ever, ever listen to anything that Potter and his stupid friends say about me," he threatened, seemingly on the verge of throwing himself out the window with anger. All Lily could do was nod mutely, discreetly leaning back in the hope that he might go away. Instead, much to her dismay, he sat down on the chair she'd been occupying moments ago. Lily was surprised though, when he spoke softly, calmly.
"Tell me what my mum's last words were," he said, closing his eyes as he remembered her.
"Well, she said this poem or something, I'm not sure what it was. Her very, very last words, though, was the last line of the poem- 'I did not die'. Why do you want to know?" she replied.
"What do you mean, why do I want to know? Wouldn't you want to know what your mum's last words were when she died?" he snapped, standing up to face her his hands fists of anger.
"Well, of course I would, but I thought Dumbledore would've already told you. I wouldn't be so intent on talking about it so much if I already knew, it would hurt too much," she replied, her confidence gradually increasing as she sensed his composure weakening.
"I just want to know who killed her," he said, sitting down and staring out the window.
"You mean, they never told you?"
"They don't know who did it. Well that's what they said anyway."
"I was told she was attacked by Voldemort and left to die in the room," Lily's word had an amazing affect on Snape, who sprang up, his eyes disbelieving.
"What?"
"Well, that's what I was told when I woke up in the infirmary, by Dumbledore-" she began. She trailed off though, as she watched him banging on the window, trying to open it. "What are you doing?" she asked as he finally succeeded in opening the window, sticking his leg through the gap.
"Taking a bath. What does it look like? I'm going back to Hogwarts," he said, roughly pushing her hand away as she attempted to pull him back inside.
"Back to Hogwarts? W-what for?" she gasped, shocked. Snape never had time to answer, as he released his grip on the sill and jumped down, rolling down the grassy hill that greeted him.
"You tell anyone and you're dea…" Lily managed to hear before the train hurtled around a sharp corner and he disappeared from sight.
Ψ~*~ Ψ
"They'd kill us if they found out," Peter muttered, glancing warily out the window.
"Who said they had to know?" Remus replied, grinning wickedly as he, Sirius, Peter and James made their way down the Gryffindor stairs. "No one else knows how to get there like we do. Besides, it's the holidays, no one is going to be there."
"Still…I don't think we should."
"What, are you going to chicken out on us now, Peter?" Sirius grinned, walking over towards Peter. "Like Remus said, it'll be sweet. Speaking of sweets, who's got some?" he asked, glancing around at the others, who both shook their heads.
"Be quiet," James suddenly muttered harshly. "We can't let anyone hear us," he added as he slipped the invisibility cloak over them. They made their way down the stone steps, towards a large stone statue. As a group, they quietly slipped behind it, safely hidden by the cloak.
Ψ~*~ Ψ
Lily stood on the Platform, having just broken through the barriers of nine and ten. She glanced around expectantly, looking for her parents and, better still, Petunia. Maybe there was the slightest chance that Petunia had missed her during the months she'd been away (hardly likely, though, she thought angrily). She shivered, the cool air rushing up her legs as the swirl of trains rushed past. Pulling her coat around her tightly, she again looked around the station, abandoned, save for a few elderly shoppers and the odd cluster of teenage girls in tight skirts and skimpy tops. Staring at the clock, she read it, her breath rushing through her teeth as she sighed. Four o'clock. Her parents knew she was coming at three. Where were they?
Ψ~*~ Ψ
"Quit shoving," Sirius whispered, poking a bony elbow into Peter's equally bony ribs as they made their way down the dirty passage way.
"Quiet," James said, glancing back towards Sirius and Peter. "We can't let anyone see us."
Together, they walked down the steep steps, turning sharp corners until they came to a sharp stop at a dirty, dusty hole. Quietly slipping the invisibility cloak over themselves again, they crept out, their ears twitching for any sudden sound. They crossed the large room, a basement full of boxes, some open with bright gold wrappers peeking through the cracks. They made their way up the stone steps, up towards a cracked door. Turning the knob gently, they pushed the door forward until they could slip through, into the hustle and bustle of Honeydukes.
"Sweet," Sirius whispered, making his way over to a jar full of blood flavoured lollypops. "How about we trick Lily and Chloe into munching a few of these?" he asked hopefully, glancing at James and Remus. They both laughed and nodded, fishing deep into their pockets for some money.
An hour later, they walked out of Honeydukes, their pockets full of lollypops, cockroach chocolates and sugar rats ("We'll put them in the girls bed," Remus laughed).
They made their way down the street, eagerly looking in shop windows. They stared at the window of Quidditch Supplies, admiring the new broom (The amazing, high-flying Tailbuckler [500 Galleons each]) and the solid gold water watch in Pam's Prank Shop.
Laughing, they kept walking, licking huge cherry and chocolate ice creams. They came to a stop at the Three Broomsticks, each one gazing longingly at the Butterbeer on display. They quickly scoffed down the rest of their ice creams and walked in, the bell at the top of the door jangling as they made their way in.
"I'm tellin' ya, it won't work," a rough voice called out from the bar. They all froze as they recognised it, stepping back quickly out of view. At the bar, his large hands engulfing the glass he was holding, full to the brim with a ginger-coloured drink, Hagrid sat, his thick tangle of black hair shielding his face from view. As though sensing the four pairs of eyes on him, he turned around towards the door. Acting on instinct, they ducked under a table, quickly shoving the invisibility cloak over themselves. Hagrid stared at the door for what seemed like eternity, his beetle-like eyes, squinting towards them. They gently exhaled as he turned back to his beer, taking a deep swig from the frothy jar. They heard the doorbell ring again and a swish of feet rush by them, quickly followed by long, silver hair.
"Hello, Hagrid," Professor Dumbledore said.
2 Ψ~*~ Ψ
The wind rushed around the platforms, the half moon shining down onto Lily as she sat outside the station, her bags a semi-shelter around her as she waited for her parents. The cool air bit her face, her cheeks icy cold. Shivering, she wrapped her arms around herself, hugging herself tightly to trap the warmth. She sighed and glanced around, looking around for a clock. She spotted one across the road, an ancient clock shop. The various clocks in the window all read seven thirty-five. She stood up angrily, her hair tossed suddenly by the wind. She stormed into the station, dragging her trunk along. She walked up to the station guard, who looked at her with utter distaste.
"Um- excuse me. Could you please tell me where a phone is? I need to call my parents," she asked, staring up at him.
"You one of 'em boarders up in the country or somefink? Did ya parents forget to pick you up?" he asked rudely, his lips in a half-smile.
"Well, yes, I suppose you could say that," Lily snapped back.
"Come with me," the man snarled. He led her over to a small room at the back of the station, where a young man sat.
"'Ere, Stanley, look after this young one. She needs to use the phone," he pushed her roughly into the room.
Lily smiled shyly at the young boy, who handed her the phone. She quickly dialled her number, waiting for someone to pick up. Finally, after ten rings she heard Petunia's voice.
"H-Hello?" Petunia whispered, her voice thick with tears.
"Petunia? What's wrong?" Lily exclaimed.
"Lily? Is that you? Y-you have to come home right now. Quickly!" Petunia replied frantically, her nasally voice high.
"Well, that's what I've been waiting to do all afternoon. Where's mum and dad? Didn't they know I was coming?" Lily asked.
"I-I don't know where they are. They went to the movies hours ago and haven't come back yet. Then Mrs. Perch from next door came around when I told her they hadn't come back she said something about a news bulletin she heard on the radio and then I saw the police talking to her a few minutes ago and I don't know what to do," Petunia sobbed into the phone.
"But, why did they go to the movies when they had to pick me up?" Lily asked, confused.
"Well, I-I got the letter while they were shopping and I thought I'd, you know, play a trick on you and I kind of dropped it into the fire and, well-"
"You what? W-Why on earth would you do something as stupid as that? Wait- no need to remind me that I'm a sister with the biggest idiot of the century! I can't believe you did that, Petunia, you are the biggest fool. What am I going to do, now?"
Ψ~*~ Ψ
Professor Dumbledore sat on the bench next to Hagrid, ordering his drink. James, Sirius, Remus and Peter crouched under the table, their backs already beginning to throb lightly with pain.
"What are we going to do?" Sirius whispered into James ear, nudging him slightly with a bony elbow. "How are we going to get out?"
"Okay, stand up very quietly," James whispered, beginning to unfold his legs, taking care not to move the cloak in anyway. "Now when I say go, we bolt to the door under the cloak, got it?" They all nodded in unison as James counted to three under his breath. "Go!" he whispered loudly. They jumped and raced out the door. The doorbell jangled loudly and they held their breath as they stood at the window, watching as Dumbledore and Hagrid, along with the rest of the inn, stared at the door. James thought he saw a small, knowing smile play on Dumbledore's lips but he quickly shook it off.
"Quick, let's get out of here," Sirius muttered as Peter's stomach began to growl with hunger. They sidestepped their way away from the window, being careful not to move the cloak at all. By the time they made it safely out of Dumbledore's view, they were all slightly winded from the exertion.
They ran all the way down the street until they reached Honeydukes.
"What? Why is it closed?" Remus asked dumbfounded as they stared at the closed sign on the door. "How are we going to get back?"
"We can't," Peter replied. "We're going to get stuck in one of those caves on the mountain and no one will know where we are and we are all going to die."
"Don't be stupid, you idiot. You'll never see me sleeping in a cave in a million years," Sirius said. He looked around the deserted street and up at the sky that was rapidly turning a deep blue.
"All I know is that we better hurry before it gets too dark and they notice us missing," James said, shivering as the cold began to seep into his bare arms.
"I know a way," Remus said quietly.
"You do? How?" Peter asked, turning his podgy body to glance up at Remus.
"I- I overheard some kids talking about earlier on. How they found out about it, I don't know. The only problem is that it leads us to the Whomping Willow. I think that you have to push some kind of hole in the tree to get to it, or something. I couldn't hear them that well." Remus flushed a deep red and glanced guiltily up at James, who got the feeling that Remus wasn't telling the entire truth. He shook the funny feeling off though, as he glanced up at the sky again. The quarter moon shone brightly onto the deserted street.
"Well, I guess it's the only way," James shrugged. "Where exactly is this tunnel?"
"In a room in the…"
"The…?"
"The Shrieking Shack."
Ψ~*~ Ψ
It was dark as Lily sat at the table in the kitchen, the light overhead dimly shining. She glanced glumly across at Petunia, whose horse-like face was shining with tears that ran down her cheeks. Lily looked down again, trying to fight back the tears that threatened to spill over her eyes.
She still couldn't digest it. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't believe what the police had just told her. How could her parents be…dead? How could they just die, without Lily having a chance to say goodbye. Every time she closed her eyes, she had horrible images of mutilated car wrecks with her parents on stretchers, covered in blank white sheets. She shuddered and began to cry, unable to hold the tears in any longer. Petunia looked up at her, shocked to see her crying.
"This is all your fault, you know," Petunia spat, staring hard at Lily, who looked up, her eyes wide in shock.
"Wha-"
"If you had never become the stupid witch that you are, then they would never have gone out. I don't know why they did, probably to celebrate another day of not seeing you."
Lily glared at her, open-mouthed, furious that she had the audacity to talk like this. Before she could think of anything to say, she grabbed her bag and ran out the door, running down the street as fast as she could.
She kept running, not taking notice of the buildings she rushed past. She had no idea where she was going. She just kept running and running until she ran into a man who grabbed her by the arms. She pushed around madly.
"Let go of me-" she stopped as soon as she recognised the voice of the man as he spoke.
"It's okay Lily," Dumbledore said calmly, trying to stop her from running away again.
"Professor? How on earth did you get here?" she asked, finally calming down.
"I just heard of your parents death. I Apparated to your house from Hogsmeade, and spoke to Petunia. She thought I was another police officer. She told me that you'd left, and I figured that you'd be heading this way."
"What made you think that? I don't even know where I'm going."
"You're heading for the Leaky Cauldron, Lily," he said. "Now come with me. I'll take you back to your place. And don't worry about Petunia, I think I've got an idea," he smiled.
Lily stared after him as he led the way back home. After tonight, did he think she'd ever worry about Petunia again?
Ψ~*~ Ψ
Sirius breathed deeply, clenching his fingers in an effort not to strangle Peter, who was making muffled noises as they made there way towards the Shack.
"Shut up, Peter. We are not going to die out here," James said, as annoyed as Sirius was. Remus, however, said nothing.
"I don't know. Maybe Peter's right. Maybe we should just turn ourselves in. Even if we do find this trapdoor, well probably get lost in the forest, or caught by Hagrid, or eaten by a werewolf," he lowered his voice, enjoying the look of fear flash across Peter's face. With a last bout courage, he stepped inside the building.
It was dark in the Shack, the pale moonlight floating in through a tiny crack in the curtained window.
"So where exactly is this trapdoor?" Sirius asked, glancing around.
"How do I know? I didn't exactly go up to them and say, excuse me but I couldn't help overhearing you talking about the trapdoor in the Shrieking Shack. Could you please tell me exactly where this door is?" Remus snapped.
"Well, sorry, I was only asking. Gosh, it's so cold in here," Sirius replied, glancing around. "-and dark. Are you scared, Peter?" he laughed. Peter, who was shivering, his beady eyes glancing around.
"Y-yes," he whispered. James laughed.
"Come on, let's go up these stairs," Sirius said, making his way up the rickety stairs. "Be quiet."
The four of them stood at the landing as the stairs came to an end. They glanced around.
"Okay, the four of us will split and look at all the rooms for a trapdoor, okay?" Remus said, as they glanced around at the doors all around them.
"Okay, I'll go to this one," Sirius said, turning to a door on the left. They split up. James walked into a room on the right. Opening the door, he stared at a matted bed and mat. It was eerily dark and there was no window to let any light in. He glanced around before raising his wand.
"Lumos," he muttered. The tip of his wand began to glow dimly. As the light spread across the room, he could see that the bed had been recently slept in.
"Hey guys," he called out to the others. "I think some one lives here. You can tell that they sleep in this bed." Sirius looked over James shoulder.
"Did you hear that Peter? Who knows, they might still be here," he joked, widening his eyes in a successful attempt to scare Peter, who shivered and moved in closer to Remus.
"What's that?" James said suddenly, staring hard across the room to the opposite wall.
"I dunno. Looks like a door or something," Sirius said, stepping in to get a closer look.
"It must be the trapdoor," Peter said. "Now we can get out of here," he continued, the relief undisguised in his voice. He stepped into the room, racing over towards the door, ignoring the creaking floorboards as he stepped on them.
"Come on," he whispered, for once sounding sure of himself as he tried to get out of the room as fast as he could. The others followed quickly. As they made their way across the room, Sirius tripped and fell over something lying on the floor. He cursed, and glanced down at his feet. James lowered his wand so it shone on the object, which turned out to be a book. Pulling it towards himself, Sirius read out the cover aloud.
"All about werewolves."
Ψ~*~ Ψ
"Now, Lily, I've already had a quick talk with Cornelius Fudge about this-"
"Who's Cornelius Fudge?" Lily interrupted.
"The Minister of Magic," Dumbledore answered distractedly. "As I was saying, I've talked to him about it, and though he considers it borderline law-offending, he has agreed to it- but only on the condition that it's temporary."
'What have you talked about with him?" Lily asked, curiosity beginning to sink in.
"Having Petunia stay at Hogwarts for a couple of months."
"WHAT? Professor Dumbledore, I don't mean to be rude, but to let my sister stay at Hogwarts? It's- it's absurd! It's completely…stupid!" Lily cried out, her face going red with anger.
"I thought you cared about your sister a great deal, Lily, as all family should," Dumbledore responded puzzled.
"I-I did, but you wouldn't believe what she just said. Sh- She blamed me for my parent's death. She said it was all my fault! She said they wouldn't have gone out and gotten killed in a car crash if I hadn't become a witch…" Lily began to calm down, her anger spent as a tear slid down her cheek. "Maybe it is my fault." She finished off, glancing down at her shoes.
"Lily- I have something to tell you. It is going to be a great shock to you, and I've already told you about this man. HHis name is Voldemort, and people do not like mentioning his name. He is the most evil wizard in our world, and he is on a rampage, ready to kill anything or anyone in his path. T-The reason that I knew about your parent's death is because…well, you see, they weren't killed in a car crash at all. Voldemort killed them," Dumbledore finished off, trying to keep his voice calm as Lily stared back at him, her tear-stained face confused.
"He's the man that killed Snape's mother," Lily blinked slowly, everything beginning to set in. "But, why is he killing our parent's? My parent's aren't- weren't even magic."
"He has his reasons. Though he is wicked, he is brilliant, and some say that he knows things that have not yet occurred. So, now Lily, do you see, that if he is willing to kill your parent's, and not you, that he may want to come after your sister? We have to protect her, no matter what you may think of her."
Lily's mouth opened and closed slightly like a fish, before she nodded slowly, wiping the salty tracks on her cheeks away with her sleeve.
"But, Professor Dumbledore, if this man did kill my parent's, then it really would've been my fault. Maybe- maybe I am the evil one. Perhaps I did something that angered him."
"Lily, you don't even know him," Dumbledore replied softly. "I think that perhaps we should all stop worrying about our evil abilities, and spend our time on Voldemort's ones."
Ψ~*~ Ψ
"That has to be our closet escapade yet," James breathed out, dumping the sweets from his pockets onto his four-poster bed.
"I'm surprised you know the meaning of the word 'escapade'," Remus replied, adding his share of sweets to the pile that was steadily growing on James's bed.
James smiled at Remus, his eyes narrowed. "Haha, so funny, I forgot to laugh," James retorted loudly.
"Let's just hope that Dumbledore didn't see us," Sirius said, glancing around the room. "Hey. Where's Peter?"
"I don't know. I though he was behind us," James said, glancing around the room. "Peter?" he called out. There was no response.
"Maybe he's downstairs," Remus said. "I'll go down and have a look." Sirius and James nodded, and Remus walked towards the door.
"Peter?" Remus called, out glancing around the circular room, walking towards the flickering fire to keep warm. "Pete?" he called, a little bit louder. There was still no reply.
Turning around, he raced back up to the dormitory.
"He's not there," he said, red-faced and breathless.
"Do you think he might've gotten lost somewhere behind us in the forest?" James asked, glancing at Sirius.
"Hang on," Remus exclaimed suddenly. "I don't remember seeing him after we came into the castle…do you?"
James and Sirius glanced at each other.
"He probably turned down a wrong corridor…knowing him," Sirius exclaimed.
"Should we go look for him? Or do you think he'll find his own way back?" Remus asked, glancing out the door.
"We better go look for him…but maybe one of us should stay here in case he comes back. He'll go into severe panic mode if he comes back and we aren't here," James replied.
"I'll stay here," Remus said, sitting on his bed. Sirius and James nodded, and bolted out the door.
Ψ~*~ Ψ
"WHAT?" Petunia shrieked. "You want me to stay at a school that is full of…freaks?" she turned to Lily. "I bet you deliberately planned this. What are you planning to do? Bewitch me? No! I absolutely refuse," she crossed her arms and sat huffily in her chair.
"What else are you going to do?" Lily snapped. "Stay here and wait to be mur- and wait for something to happen to you?" She glanced at Dumbledore, hoping her mistake hadn't been too noticeable. Dumbledore nodded his head slightly, beckoning for Lily to continue.
"Please, Petunia," she continued. This is sickening, she thought. I'm actually begging Petunia to come to Hogwart's with me. "Be rational-"
"RATIONAL? What's there to be rational about? I'm not going to a school meant for freaks!" Petunia shrieked.
"Well, if it was built for freaks than I'm sure you'd fit right in," Lily snapped, finally giving up. "You choose- you come with me and stay safe for a few months, or live all by yourself, all alone in this house," she snapped, walking towards the door.
"Fine," Petunia gave in suddenly. "I'll go- but only for a few months and only on the condition that you don't turn me into a frog!"
"I would if I could but I don't even know how," Lily turned and walked out the door, running upstairs to her room. She flung herself onto the bed.
What was she going to do? Stuck with Petunia at Hogwarts. She'd be worse than James and Sirius…
Suddenly, the first smile breaking onto her face for the day, she jumped up. James and Sirius…versus Petunia. It would be perfect.
Ψ~*~ Ψ
"Peter?" James and Sirius called out in unison, waving their wands, the light glowing from the end, around.
"Where the hell could he have gone?" Sirius muttered, as they ran down the corridor. "I just hope Filch doesn't catch us- it'd be all Peter's fault and he wouldn't even have gotten caught."
"Quiet. You complaining at the top of your lungs is likely to get Filch's attention," James muttered, waving a hand to silence Sirius. "Hurry! It's getting cold."
Together they turned a corner and bolted down yet another long corridor.
"Maybe he's in the Entrance Hall," Sirius panted.
"Good idea," James followed Sirius as they raced towards the door to the castle. Glancing around, they stared into the empty shadows that framed the walls.
"This is ridiculous. He's probably back up at the dormitory," James sighed. "Meaning we raced around for absolutely nothing."
Sirius mumbled something and they began to make their way back up to the commonroom.
"What's that?" James asked suddenly as they passed a classroom.
"What's what?" Sirius replied.
"Can't you hear that noise? It sounds like…crying or something," he continued.
"Could be Peter," Sirius muttered as they entered the room. Glancing around, they raised their wands higher to see more clearly. There, quivering in the corner, sat Peter, crouched down into a small ball.
"Peter! Where did you go?" James asked as he and Sirius walked over towards him. "Where have you been?"
Peter just stared back at them, his lips shaking.
"The…Forest…" he croaked out.
"Is that when we lost you? What happened?" Sirius persisted.
"The man," Peter's voice shook violently.
"What man? There wasn't any man in the forest. Was it Hagrid?"
Peter shook his head, slowly starting to speak.
"It was You…Know…Who."
Ψ~*~ Ψ