*enters with Snape in a black suit, looking rather pleased of himself* he just discovered Armani. I knew taking him with me shopping was a huge mistake. The sales girl will never get over it now. *chuckles*

Anyhow! Let's see what happens now, shall we?

Chapter 11. *hits play*

---------------------------------------

~~~~ Lily Potter ~~~~

My mind is decidedly swimming with all the new information that I have, so much that it kind of feels as if I was told everything and nothing in the same time. I hadn't even heard of Charistregas before, and actually being one is not helping me understand the concept. I look around at all the adults sitting around me.

"So basically I am a big mean witch, and someone wants my power?"

Uncle Remus hides a smile, and Professor Snape seems irritated at my wording. Mum completely disregards the fact that I tried to make a joke as she nods quickly and worriedly, and daddy smiles at me. His eyes lock with mine, and I think that although he is scared, he somehow trusts me. I am not sure on what, though.

"That is the idea, basically, yes. A Charistrega is someone that has a wild imagination and can focus on the concept of something without needing a representation—which is what spell words are, actually."

I sit cross-legged over the covers, and play with the tuft of hair at the end of my braid.

"So, what do we do now?"

"You train, Miss Potter. What do you –think- you do?" Professor Snape drawls at me as he shifts his position in his chair. Uncle Remus glances at him, then smiles at me.

"You will exercise your wandless ability, Lily. You will start with me, and when I think you are ready, Professor Snape will take you up."

"Why not dad? We are talking about DADA aren't we? He's good at DADA, he defeated Voldemort!" I say, looking at father pleadingly. Professor Snape snorts and mutters audibly:

"Let us never forget –that- part…"

Immediately he receives the glares of everyone in the room, and he sneers. I have the distinct impression that in a way, Professor Snape enjoys causing people to glare at him.

Daddy smiles at me a little wanly.

"Honey, you need specific help which I can't give you. You need someone that will push you and test you and prepare you, and I can't be certain that I won't give in when you look at me with your plaintive look."

I look at daddy with all the sorrow and plead that I can muster, as plaintively as I ever have managed.

"You mean like this? pleeeeeease, daddy?"

Dad winces and looks away with an embarrassed smile. He really IS a sucker when I look at him like that. Mum isn't, however.

"Lily, your father told you something. It's final." she says firmly.

Professor Snape smirks at her with appreciation as daddy seems to breathe better. I know I have lost a battle when I have lost it. Besides, training with Uncle Remus does not sound bad at all.

And extra training in DADA, being a cool wandless witch is a delicious prospect regarding certain Slytherin students…

I think Professor Snape knows I'd think of that, with the look he's giving me now.

Then, when I think that the meeting is over and I am ready to hop off the bed and go to announce the news to Nigel and Alex, Professor Snape asks me something that makes me freeze to the spot.

"Why don't you tell us of the flaming tail, Miss Potter?"

Oh, merlin. They can't have heard that embarrassing hallucination. And now I am expected to humiliate myself further by describing it.

"What flaming tail?"

~~~~ Severus Snape ~~~~

The child is beet red with embarrassment. At first I do not understand why. But her mother seems to read her better and she says encouragingly:

"Nobody is going to laugh at anything you say, dearest. Just tell us everything you saw."

My words escape my mouth.

"Honestly, Miss Potter, whatever embarrassment you may fear, it has already transpired. Nothing you say can aggravate it further."

Everyone glares at me again and Minerva is definitely going to call me in her office. I can't wait. In any case I probably have jump started the girl into talking, in an accelerated fashion, looking in her hands the whole time.

"It is a really big fox, with a bushy tail and black trimmings in her ears. She glows in the dark and she drinks from a bowl with a bright blue liquid. It glows too. She swishes her tail and fires start around it, like sparks flying or something. Her eyes are deep red and she hates me."

"How do you know she hates you?" Lupin asks her gently. Lily shrugs and bites her lip.

"It has told me so. It has a hissing, sputtering voice."

"Have you ever seen it up close?" I ask, and pray to everything that there is that she has not.

"No, professor. I know it is a hallucination." she says shamefully. At first I am too relieved to focus on anything else than her negative answer. But then Minerva says to the girl that she is definitely not hallucinating. Lupin is about to speak but I cut him off, partly to spite him, partly because I want her to hear it from me, not him.

"What you have seen is generally called a Chinese Fox, Miss Lily. It is definitely not a figment of your imagination."

"There are Foxes in China? And what is one doing here?"

"A Chinese Fox is an animal that lives over the ages. Two, perhaps three centuries. It is highly magical, open to the flows of magic more than any other. Foxes can carry the souls of other, deceased beings. If the soul is strong, then the Fox submits to it and it remains so for as long as the soul wants to inhabit it." Lupin says, and Minerva gasps, forgetting about her plans to call me to her office no doubt. I reinforce it.

"And if the Fox drinks a bright blue drink that sounds suspiciously like the Drought of Rejuvenation, the Fox can also have the cognitive powers the soul had when it was in its rightful body. Speech, Mind Speech… Spell casting." I can see the realisation hit the headmistress, just as I –feel- the realisation flooding Potter.

Dear God, that horrible spirit is in the Chinese Fox.

Rightly thought, Potter.

~~~~ Lily Potter ~~~~

"Lils, c'mon. Why are you so preoccupied?" Alex is speaking to me and I look up from the study table in the study room. Nigel is looking at me worriedly as well. I shrug.

"I'm just fine."

"You are so fine that you have not noticed that there is a chocolate frog right under your nose, and has been for the past 15 minutes." Nigel says soberly.

I blink down at the table in surprise and indeed, there is the box of chocolate frog. I bite my lips.

"If you don't trust us to tell us, you should say so," Alex says rather aggressively.

"Gosh, I wish you didn't take everything so goddamn personally, Alex!" I snap back at him, so loudly the rest of the studying students turn and stare at us.

Alex blinks at me and Nigel nods.

"Let's walk for a while, shall we?" he says in his calm, serious way. I get up and storm out ahead of both boys, and they hurry to follow me.

"What happened back with Snape? why were you gone for so long?" Alex asks me again when we are finally outside, trenching through the snow towards the quidditch pitch.

"What are you afraid of? That he will curse me in secret or something?" I snap at them again. I don't know what to tell them. That I am a rare and dangerous witch or that a rare and dangerous critter with a rare and dangerous spirit inside is after me?

It is all so confusing and distressing.

"I know you two can keep a secret. It's not that."

"Then what is it, Lily?"

I look at them both.

"You will stop being my friends if I tell you."

Alex smirks.

"No fears there. I am already facing being disowned by dad. I got nothing to lose."

It makes me smile to hear that from him, and Nigel smiles.

"Try me." he says in that serene way that seems to cement his word and underline the truth in it. Still, I am not sure if I would befriend myself with all the implications about me, and the danger involved. Perhaps Alex's father is right after all.

However, I don't see a way out of this without telling them, and I suck at lying. Badly. Even Dad can tell when I am lying.

"Well… here is what is going on…" I start, and in my heart I hope that I will still have them when I am done.

Merlin knows I will need them.

--------------------------------

And that's that! Is everything coming onto focus now? Because we have officially completed Part 1. Now we go to Part 2, where the action becomes… more obvious.

As for my reviewers:

Tabitha: I am glad you liked the way I revealed information! I promise to reward with action and drama soon. As for who might die… we'll see. I am a sucker tho, I have proven that before.

Enahma: *hands you cookie* thank you for saying that! Very Lily. I tried!!

Kemenran: You are right in all. And yes, it is the Evans line that has the wandless magic gene, apparently. hehe.

nightingale: hey! thought you have given up! Now I know I was foolish to believe so. *snickers* Here, Snape revealed his knowledge. Were you right? Is the Fox affair clear now? I had to tie it with the last story, and to tell the truth it was hard work finding that critter! 'Chari' means 'gift'. basically what the title means is gifted witch. J And here is your update! Hope it's up to standard.