LILY POTTER AND THE CHANGE OF TIME
Warning – This is the sequel to Harry Potter, Time Traveler. If you have not read, Harry Potter, Time Traveler, I would highly recommend it as this story will get very confusing. You may not recognize many of the characters and may have no idea what is going on if you do not read it.
Summary – Harry Potter is supposed to be dead. But thanks to the Book of Time and a little time traveling back in his fifth year, he is now alive. Now Lily must overcome the obstacles of being a typical teenage witch and finding out where time got changed because you never want to mess with fate. Sometimes it does not always come out for the best…but yet…sometimes it does.
Disclaimer – I do not own Harry Potter, the characters, or the Harry Potter world. They all belong to the fabulous J.K. Rowling. However, while I do not own their names, the characters and the personality traits of Lily Potter, Eddie Weasley, Daris Malfoy, Christof Nott, as well as Asher Lazard and Robyn Andrews all belong to me.
Chapter 13 – The Power Against Rivals:
Many months had passed and Eddie's new attitude had not changed in the slightest. He was more temperamental, crueler, and meaner than ever. Even though Eddie had apologized to his three friends (though it did not seem at all sincere), Lily, Asher, and Robyn were no longer on speaking terms with him. However, despite his behavior, Britta was still dating Eddie, but it seemed as though she was not as comfortable about it. It seemed as though she was afraid that if she broke up with Eddie, he would lose his temper and put an Unforgivable Curse on her. In the end, Britta decided to let Eddie put an end to it, so she would not get hurt.
The only ones who seemed to be enjoying and reveling in this new change in Eddie were the Slytherins.
After his conversation with Lily, Harry knew that it would be best to tell Hermione about what was going on with Eddie and what he was doing and saying. When she heard this uncomfortable information, it broke her heart and she immediately became very concerned about him, becoming both emotional and frustrated over the situation.
"I don't understand what could have caused such a sudden change in him," Hermione said uncertainly, rubbing her temples with her fingers and closing her eyes as though she were in pain. Harry looked at Ron and Sirius helplessly.
"It's so bizarre; even Lily doesn't understand what's going on with him! And she's his best friend!" said Ron, clearly frustrated as he flopped down on to Hermione's office couch. "Hasn't she tried talking to him?"
"Of course she has," said Harry, almost defensively. "Eddie just hasn't been polite or keen enough on sharing."
"Do you think she could try talking to him again?"
Harry shook his head. "I've been watching those two carefully. They're not exactly on speaking terms at the moment." Harry suddenly felt exhausted and turned to stare out of the window. "Besides, it is not Lily's responsibility to find out what is wrong with Ed. It's our responsibility as his guardians."
"Oh really, Harry?" snapped Ron, glaring at his best friend. "I had no idea it was my responsibility to take care of him. Tell me, is there any other fatherly wisdom you'd like to share? Do you want to continue telling me how to raise my son?"
"Ron, Harry is just trying to help," said Hermione, rising to her feet and staring her husband down, as though threatening him to continue.
"But Hermione, something is wrong with my son and I don't know what it is!" shouted Ron angrily, his voice shaking with raw emotion.
"Ron please," choked Hermione through her ragged breaths. It almost seemed as thougb she was begging as she buried her face in her hands and began to cry. Ron immediately looked as though he regretted yelling and went over to embrace his wife, stroking her hair and whispering comforting words into her ear.
"There has to be some way to get through to him," whispered Ron, as though to himself. But, Harry and Sirius overheard him.
"What about that girl he's dating?" asked Sirius thoughtfully. "What's her name again, Brianna Dirrle?"
"Britta Dirdel," Harry corrected him automatically.
"Yeah, that's it! What about her? Would she be able to get through to him?" Sirius asked again. Ron looked at Harry and Hermione anxiously. The two bit their lip nervously, unsure of how to answer.
"I suppose we could ask her to talk to him," said Ron slowly. "She might not receive any answers, but couldn't hurt to ask.
"I don't think that's a good idea," said Harry somberly. Ron looked at him confusedly. "I don't think it's any more Britta's responsibility than it is Lily's." Ron shot his best friend another dirty look.
"Honestly, I don't think it's a good idea either," said Hermione, grabbing her husband's voice so that he was looking at her. "I think she's afraid of Eddie."
"If she's frightened of him, then why is she dating him?"
"I think she's afraid to break-up with him," admitted Hermione. "I think she's afraid of how he'll react with his 'new attitude' if she were to end it with him. To be quite honest, he frightens me too a little. I can't believe that…that I'm afraid…of my own son!" Ron's eyebrows furrowed as he laid his cheek down atop of Hermione's head and tightened his hold on her.
"We'll figure this out," he whispered reassuringly into her ear. "I promise you Hermione, I'll take care of him."
"I know you will," said Hermione as she pressed into her husband's arms.
Harry ripped his gaze from his two best friends and looked out of the window, staring at the mountain ranges that surrounded the Hogwarts castle, clearly deep in thought. He knew that there had to be a reason why Eddie was acting so strange and for some scary and uncomfortable reason, Harry had a feeling that Voldemort might be behind Eddie's strange behavior.
Hermione got to her feet and cleared her throat. The students immediately went silent and looked up at the young Headmistress.
"I have an announcement to make. Like every year, we will have our annual Halloween Ball," said Hermione, speaking in a projective voice throughout the Great Hall. There was a very loud groan that came from the Gryffindor Table that Harry and Hermione recognized as Lily's groan. Harry grinned in amusement, but kept his gaze on Hermione, as though listening intently. For some strange reason, unlike most teenage girls, Lily could not stand the idea of dances and balls. They just annoyed her a great deal and no one really knew why or understood why.
"As always, dress robes are required and dinner will be provided. Thank you for your attention." Hermione returned to her seat and everyone else went back to their meals. Some people were now talking about whom they were going to ask and what they were going to wear. Lily frowned, knowing the only person she wanted, or did want, to go with to the ball was Eddie. But, his behavior had not improved and he was still acting like such a Slytherin as of late. Lily ate a couple of French fries when she felt a tap on her shoulder and turned to Asher, who was sitting beside her and smiling.
"Hey Lily Billy," he said with a huge grin. Lily smiled back at him.
"Hey Asher," she said quietly as Robyn took a seat on her other side. "What's got you smiling like an idiot?"
"Food, of course," Asher cried out as he began loading loads of food on to his plate. Lily rolled her eyes and chuckled.
"Of course; tell me something new," she said sarcastically as she turned away, returning to her own plate of food as she heard Asher laugh beside her.
"So, are you two planning on going to the Halloween Ball?" Asher asked Lily and Robyn through a mouthful of food.
"Of course; I'm hoping Chuck Jamonos asks me!" Robyn squealed in a very ditzy manner, which annoyed Lily to no end. She decided not to comment and responded by unloading her fork filled with sausage and peppers into her mouth.
"Ah, you're always going for the older guys, aren't you Robby Bobby?" asked Asher smiling. Robyn giggled.
"You know that I wouldn't have it any other way," giggled Robyn, surprisingly unabashed. Lily shook her head with an amused smile on her face before turning to her dinner again.
Out of nowhere, she heard footsteps stomping in their direction and saw Eddie and Britta, walking hand-in-hand heading towards the Gryffindor Table; to where the three of them were sitting. Lily narrowed her eyes before stuffing a piece of pepper into her mouth and snarling under her breath.
"Potter," snarled Eddie, approaching them. Lily looked up and their eyes met and she was startled. Lily could not remember a time where she saw Eddie's warm, chestnut eyes, which were usually dancing with laughter and joy, look so cold and cruel. They did not even look like their usual chestnut color; they looked like a cloudy sky on a rainy day, a grayish color; and, not a warm, gentle gray like Asher's gray eyes, but a severe cold gray. To her dismay, his eyes looked a lot like Malfoy's dreary eyes.
"Weasley," Lily responded coolly. "What do you want?"
"You're sitting in my seat!" Eddie snapped back at her. Lily gave a cold, sarcastic laugh.
"Really? I don't see your name written on it," Lily retorted, crossing her arms over the table, leaning her elbows on it, and raising a cool eyebrow. She could hear Asher and Robyn beside her in fits of laughter. Eddie's face went red with embarrassment as glared at her, then called her something that he would never dare say in front of his mother, unless he wanted a beating or slap in the face. Britta looked very uncomfortable throughout the whole thing and shot the three of them a look of apology.
"You watch your mouth, you big red-headed git," she heard Asher snarl from next to her. Lily gave him a sharp look to keep quiet while she dealt with Eddie, but Eddie had already begun his attack.
"You don't you shut-up and mind your own business, Lazard," shouted Eddie, "this is between me and Potter!"
"Do you remember what you used to say? 'If you mess with Lily, you mess with me?'" asked Asher furiously as he rose to his feet. "Well, the same goes for me too!"
"Ed please, let's just go find another seat," whispered Britta desperately. Eddie did not seem to hear his girlfriend.
"You're defending Potter, Lazard?" he asked coolly, raising a suspicious eyebrow. Lily gave a frustrated groan and leaned her forehead against her palm.
"Yeah, that was something that you used to do," sneered Asher, as though threatening him. Lily tensed up in her seat both with frustration and shock. She felt frustration because she felt so defenseless in having Asher fight her battle. But, Lily was shocked because she was astonished on what Asher had just said. Sure, Lily and Eddie had always stuck up for each other, but was that the emotion that shook in Asher's voice. Eddie must have heard it too because he frowned and apparently got a similar impression.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Asher, don't get involved," whispered Robyn pleadingly, tugging on his arm for him to sit down. "Lily can take care of herself."
"You stay out of this too, Mudblood!" Eddie snapped viciously. Robyn looked like someone slapped her in the face as she stared at her plate and tears welled up in her eyes. Lily and Asher both jumped to their feet, their wands at the ready.
"Say that again," said Lily threateningly; the hand that was holding her wand was shaking with fury. Eddie smirked and opened his mouth to say something when he was interrupted by a cold, drawling voice.
"For once, I think I agree with Weasley," the voice belonged to none other than Daris Malfoy. Raven Dawsetta was by his side and was grinning like a maniac as she held his hand tightly in her own. "It's about bloody time that he saw that Andrews was nothing but a Mudblood and that you, Potter, and Lazard were nothing but Mudblood-lovers."
"Sod off Malfoy!"
"Why don't you sod off, Lazard?" Eddie retorted coolly. Lily's jaw dropped and her breath hitched in her throat. She could not believe what she was hearing. Was Eddie actually defending Malfoy?
"Excuse me?"
"Daris makes an excellent point," said Eddie, "and I agree with him."
"What?"
"Excuse but since when are you on a first name basis with that ugly, little ferret?" bellowed Lily furiously, her wand pointed at Malfoy as sparks flew out of it.
"Since now! Daris is a good man," said Eddie, reaching around to clap Malfoy on the back. It was at this time that Lily no longer felt angry, hurt, or jealous; it had gone much further than that, much more deeper and painful than any of those emotions. Now, Lily felt betrayed.
"Thank you, Edward," said Malfoy smiling, though he shot Lily, Asher, and Robyn an antagonizing look. "Why don't you come over to the Slytherin table and join me, Raven, and the rest of us. We would love to hear what you think about this darling little trio here."
"Yes, I think I will join you," said Eddie, turning to his girlfriend, smiling maliciously. "C'mon Britta, let's go to the Slytherin table."
Before she could even respond, Eddie grabbed a hold of Britta's arm and roughly dragged her to the Slytherin Table, following Malfoy and his cronies. Britta turned towards Lily, Asher, and Robyn and they could not help but notice that she looked like she was on the verge of tears, but seemed too scared to turn Eddie down.
Lily felt so betrayed that she felt numb; she could not feel anything anymore. All she could do was stare at Eddie from across the Great Hall and watch him as he sat down and had a pleasant conversation with the Slytherins; and not just any Slytherins, Lily's two worst and biggest rivals; Daris Malfoy and Raven Dawsetta.
Unable to handle the scene any longer, Lily jumped from her seat and ran as fast as she could out of the Great Hall and to the Gryffindor Tower.
It was hours after dinner while Lily sat alone in the Common Room and just looked blankly into the fire. It could have anywhere from minutes to hours. Anyone who caught sight of her, looked at the somber look on her face, and decided to leave the angry and temperamental Lily Potter alone. She stared into the fire and had her knees rested on her elbows as she leaned forward, apparently very deep in thought. Her face was expressionless, though if you looked close enough, you could see that her eyebrows were furrowed and small frown was grazing upon her lips.
"What on earth would possess Eddie to do such a thing?" Lily asked herself out loud, not noticing someone enter the Common Room through the Portrait Hole behind her. "Honestly, why would he want to hang out with the Slytherins now?"
"Do you have something against Slytherins, Potter?" a voice called out from behind her; the same person who entered the Common Room just moments before. It was a voice she knew so well; that she had grown to love as a child but now it was a voice that was so cold that it could have frozen hell. It was Eddie's voice.
"Yes, I do," growled Lily, remaining in her spot and not turning to look at him as he continued to stare into the diminishing fire. "Slytherins are low-life creeps. And so are you so maybe you should go and join them."
"Are you calling me a low-life creep?"
"Nothing gets past you. Maybe you should reconsider your ambition to become an Auror," said Lily, coldly and sarcastically. Lily wanted to turn around and face him but she found that she could not bear to look at him. She knew that if she turned around it, it would hurt her; destroy. After all, he had practically stabbed her in the back by befriending Malfoy and Raven.
"Don't you dare talk to me like that, Potter!" snapped Eddie angrily. Lily clenched her teeth and still refused to look at him, but she spoke anyway;
"I'll talk to you anyway I please, Weasley," sneered Lily, saying his name as though it were revolting. "We aren't friends anymore. I don't have to treat you with any kind of respect anymore. And after your behavior for the last couple of days, it's not like you deserve any respect anyway."
Once the words were out of Lily's mouth, Eddie stormed forward and grabbed her arm roughly and painfully, pulling her to her feet. Lily was startled by his actions so she was unable to fight him off. Plus, his grip was so strong that Lily winced in pain.
"You'll treat me with respect, Potter. Do you understand me?" he snarled. Lily finally looked directly into Eddie's cold eyes, desperately trying to ignore the increasing pain in her arm, from his grip, by trying to clenching her muscles.
"I'll never treat anyone who calls one of my closest friends a Mudblood with respect," Lily growled with a dangerous look on her face; she was barely blinking despite her eyes were tearing from pain. "Now let go of me, you git!"
"Not until you start treating me with respect!" yelled Eddie, tightening his grip, which caused Lily to gasp as pain shot up her arm.
"LET GO OF ME, YOU FILTHY LITTLE DEATH EATER WANNA-BE!"
Eddie grinned maliciously, as though taunting her, and raised his hand, as though ready to strike her. Lily's eyes widened in horror and her first instinct was to scream. But, her reflexes took over instead as she reached up and grabbed her glasses, tearing them off her face. Without thinking of the consequences of what she was about to do, Lily dropped her glasses, sending them crashing to the floor before closing her eyes for a mere second. Eddie's hand was not a fist and it was coming down fast and hard, right towards her face. When her eyes opened, a green blazing fire was in them and she shouted: "Valor!"
Then it seemed like everything was moving in slow motion.
Eddie's fist came closer and closer to striking Lily's face. But, when she shouted incantation, a bright green light came shooting out from her emerald green eyes and flew towards Eddie, hitting him in the chest. The emerald green light knocked Eddie off of his feet and on to the floor; he was completely unconscious and now could no longer hurt Lily. The green light immediately dimmed and Lily looked down at her former best friend wide-eyed.
Lily could not believe what she had done; she had used the Gryffindor power of Eyeluta against Eddie. This was the boy whom she had known all her life and it was the same boy who had always been there for her and supported her, until recently that is. Lily just held her breath and stared, disbelieving of what she had done and just now beginning to appreciate the consequences of her actions.
Everyone in the Gryffindor Tower had heard the shouting and the noise. They must hve been anxious to see another grueling fight between Lily and Eddie so they had come down to the Common Room to inspect what had happened. When everyone saw the scene before them; the scene with Lily standing above an unconscious Eddie's body, looking both scared and dumbfounded at the same time. There were anxious mutters that could be heard throughout the tower about what could have happened and what did happen. Asher, Robyn, and Britta both pushed through the crowd and their way forward to the front of the crowd. Asher and Robyn were looking at Lily as though they were frightened of her and Britta gasped, placing the palm of her hand over her opened mouth.
"Lily?" Britta gasped. "What-"
At that moment, the Portrait Hole opened and everyone looked up to see four professors stumble into the Common Room; Harry, Hermione, Remus, and Snape. They were followed by one of the fifth year Gryffindor prefects, who looked both shy and uncertain. At the sight of them, many of the first and second years scrambled to back to their dormitories rooms, thinking they would be in trouble if caught out of bed.
"Miss Butterstock claims that there was a disturbance in Gryffindor Tower," explained Hermione, gesturing towards the prefect that had followed the four professors into the room. "Would someone care to explain…?" Her voice trailed off when she caught sight of her son lying on the floor, unconscious. Her face and body immediately stiffened and her breath hitched in her throat as she wordlessly pushed everyone aside and kneeled down beside Eddie, picking up his head and cradling it in her hands. Remus also strode forward and began checking Eddie's pulse, breathing, and other tests to make sure no serious damage had been done.
"What happened here?" demanded Snape, stepping forward and looking at all of the students who remained accusingly. They all remained silent but their gazes disloyally turned towards Lily, who had remained as still as a statue as she stared down at Eddie's helpless form.
"Lily?" Harry's voice broke through her thoughts. "What happened?"
"I…I…" Lily could not seem to find the words, as though they had been lodged into her throat. All she could get out was, "Eye…Eyeluta…" Hermione's head snapped up and her eyes were furious.
"Lily?" asked Hermione in a choked, angry voice. "Did you perform Eyeluta against Eddie?"
"I…he…I-" Lily stuttered, pulling on her fingers nervously before she breathlessly said: "Y-yes…"
"Lily Julia Potter!" shrieked Hermione, her hands gripping her bushy hair furiously and her face going red. In all of her life, Lily had never seen her godmother lose her temper like this. "How could you? I told you to never to use that power in this castle as long as I am Headmistress unless it was used for defense! Now you use it agaisnt my son?"
"But he-"
"I don't want to hear it!" shouted Hermione. "I've warned you time and time again to learn how to control your temper but now you've taken it too far. I can't even look at you right now, Lily! Harry, please take her to my office right away! I'll be up there as soon as I contact Ron and make sure that Ed is alright."
"Alright," Harry said tonelessly. The moment that Lily admitted to using Eyeluta, Harry had not taken his off of his daughter. Lily could not tell whether he was angry or not because his face was completely impassive. "C'mon Lily Julia." That answered her question; Harry was angry. Lily winced when he called her by her full name. He never called her Lily Julia; it was always 'Tiger,' 'Tiger Lily,' or just plain 'Lily' when he was trying to be serious. He had only called her by her full name when she was in major trouble.
"I'm coming," Lily muttered as she looked at her feet and followed him past the Fat Lady and down the corridor. Normally, Lily would have fought this out until Harry and Hermione saw that she had done nothing except defend herself from getting hurt. But, she was too upset with what she had done; she had taken advantage of Eddie and used a powerful source of magic against him. It was a magical source that only the Heir of Gryffindor can perform. Eddie was defenseless. Also, Lily felt disappointed because Harry was angry with her. No matter how much she did not want to admit it, Harry's approval meant the world to her.
Lily continued to follow Harry to Hermione's office and neither of them said a word to each other. She just kept her head down and continued to look at her feet as she walked. Once she looked up at Harry, who was walking in front of her, she could see that he was tense and probably quite astonished with what she had done. Even Harry barely used the power of Eyeluta, unless it was against Voldemort and now Lily had just used it on his godfather, her former best friend, and son of the Headmistress of the school. It was then that realized the magnitude of how much trouble she was in.
"Tootise Pop," Lily heard Harry mutter. She was surprised to find that they were already standing in front of the gargoyle that posed as the entrance to Hermione's office. Once they got inside, Harry immediately rounded on Lily and folded his arms across his chest.
"Lily, I can't believe you did this!" Harry said sternly and angrily. Lily looked down at her feet and sighed, all strength for argument had long been drained out of her veins. "You had no right to perform something so powerful and even more dangerous on Eddie; no matter how he is acting."
"You don't know, Harry," whispered Lily. "You don't know what happened! I had every right to do what I did." Lily finally looked up at Harry for the first time since they left Gryffindor Tower. To his immense surprise, Lily's eyes were narrowed.
"What do you mean, Lily?"
"You don't even know what happened," repeated Lily and she suddenly resembled a small, frightened child. Harry watched her and did not say anything, silently allowing her to continue and telling her that he would not interrupt. "You just jumped into conclusions thinking that I performed it on him because he's been acting like a Slytherin. But, you're wrong."
Harry stared at Lily in amazement and opened his mouth, then closed it again. He promised that he would not interrupt so he just raised an eyebrow; not knowing or understanding what Lily was referring to. Lily groaned and ran a frustrated hand through her long, blonde hair before searching for the words that would defend her actions.
"Harry, don't you think that there was a good reason for my attack on Eddie?" asked Lily exasperatedly, staring intently at him. "I didn't do it just because I was mad at him for how he has been behaving. I did it because I had a good reason. I did it to protect myself." Harry stared at her with a deep respect and admiration in his eyes.
"I'm listening…" Lily sighed and went on to continue her story.
"Eddie walked into the Common Room and we started arguing yet again when I told him I didn't respect him. He got furious at me and threatened me…he told me what I would treat him with respect or else. I refused, so he grabbed me and he…" Lily hesitated. She looked up at Harry and saw him nodding encouragingly. She was suddenly grateful that he was not interrupting her because it was difficult to talk about what had just occurred.
"He…he tried to punch me in the face, but I performed Eyeluta and stopped him before he could," muttered Lily quickly, looking down at her feet again. There was a silence so loud that filled the office. Lily could not bear to look her father in the eye, afraid to see the anger or the disappointment.
"I didn't want to hurt him! Really, I didn't!" Lily cried desperately, determined to break the painful silence that echoed the room. "But he's a lot bigger and stronger than me and I didn't have time to reach for my wand. It was the only thing I could think of at the time and-"
"He tried to hit you?" roared Harry, jumping to her feet, making a violent gesture. Lily jumped back in her seat with shock and stared at Harry wide-eyed.
"Harry, please calm down! I stopped him!"
"I don't care if that boy is my godson," growled Harry as he continued to pace the room. His face was bright red with anger and his fists were clenched into tiny balls of flesh. "No one lays a hand on you!"
"Yeah, but I stopped him, didn't I?" asked Lily irritably.
"Yes, Tiger, but the next time you might not be so lucky. Next time it might not be Eddie who is trying to hurt you; it could be someone like Voldemort!" Harry was now speaking in his lecturing tone, causing Lily to inwardly groan.
"Oh, quit the attitude, Harry. Who are you to lecture me?" snapped Lily.
"Who am I? I'm your father!" said Harry hotly. Lily let the words sink in for a moment and could not help but chuckle bitterly at the irony of the situation. She rolled her eyes in annoyance.
"That hardly seems fair," she muttered, feeling annoyed.
"I swear, Lily, you're going to be the death of me," said Harry softly, taking off his glasses and rubbing the bridge of his nose and under his eyes. "You constantly just run headfirst into danger without thinking and it's going to get you killed. You give more gray hairs in my hair than I deserve." Harry took a seat as Lily stood to her feet and stomped her foot angrily; resembling a spoiled child in Zonko's.
"Can I ask why I am the only one getting the lecture when Eddie was the one who tried to hit me? All I did was try to defend myself!" Lily asked through gritted teeth. "And besides, isn't it a bit hypocritical of you to lecture me about running headfirst into trouble?" Harry looked at her somberly.
"I just want you to be careful, Lily. All I'm saying is that you should start thinking before you take action," said Harry.
"Harry, I'm sorry," said Lily impatiently, "but, I have to do what I feel is right. And I will continue to do, no matter whether you approve or disapprove."
"So you feel that hitting Eddie with a powerful force that could kill him was the right thing to do, eh?" asked Harry, raising an eyebrow and folding her arms across his chest, as though daring her to retort. Lily narrowed her eyes and took her seat again. "If you answer is 'Yes,' Tiger then you don't have a good sense of judgment, do you?" Lily's face went red.
"First off, Eyeluta can't kill!" snapped Lily.
"Oh yes it can, Tiger," said Harry, interrupting her and placing a hand on his daughter's shoulder. "If it's powerful enough, it most certainly can kill."
"But, mine is not that powerful," muttered Lily, wearing a confused face. "I don't think it is…Is it?"
"You're only sixteen years old, Tiger, you're able to perform Eyeluta at your own will and can determine how powerful you want it to be," Harry explained urgently. "When I was sixteen, I didn't even know I had the power of Eyeluta, much less perform it at well or decide how powerful I wanted it. You're still only a child and you can do the things no other wizard or witch can do."
"What are you trying to say?" asked Lily loudly and hotly, now rising to her feet again. "Are you saying that I shouldn't perform Eyeluta anymore?"
"Not quite," said Harry slowly. "I think we should make a new rule."
"New rule?"
"Yes. And the new rule is that you can't perform Eyeluta unless you're in life threatening peril," said Harry affirmatively, looking at Lily square in the eyes.
"But Harry-"
"There are no 'buts' about it," said Harry, shaking his head, holding up his hand to silence his daughter. "You've gone too far this time Lily and you're taking advantage of your power. I cannot allow that."
"BUT EDDIE WAS ABOUT TO STRIKE ME!" roared Lily furiously. "He was about to hurt me! I needed to do something!" Harry stared at Lily, long and hard, as though analyzing her.
"Harry, I'm going to say this as respectfully as I can," said Lily, her voice shaking but Harry knew that she was doing her best to sound assertive. "I've never used Eyeluta unless I needed to and you know that. You know that if I feel I'm being threatened in any way, shape, or form, I will use it and you can't stop me."
"Tiger…" Harry's voice trailed off and he sounded both frustrated an understanding. Lily said nothing, but listened intently. "I understand your point and I do want you to defend yourself. But…"
Harry turned away and faced the wall, his eyes clenched tight and his hands sweaty. Lily noticed his tension and slowly walked up to him before putting her hand over his. Lily knew that he was trying to tell her something extremely important, but seemed unable to bring himself to say it. For what reason, Lily did not know. All she could do was continue to pat her father's hand before looking intently as his face.
"What is it, Harry?" she asked softly. Harry turned and looked at her, his eyes filled with concern and worry.
"Lily, please understand it when I say that I don't want you performing Eyeluta at Hogwarts," started Harry, almost sounding desperate. "I…I think…no I feel that there may be a spy here…"
"What?" Lily cried, jumping away from Harry as though he threw a bucket of cold water on her. "You…you think there's a…a spy? A spy who is working for Voldemort? Here, at Hogwarts?" Lily immediately fell back into her seat, feeling a huge headache coming on.
"Yes," said Harry without hesitation.
"But-"
"Lily please listen to me," said Harry urgently as he knelt down so that he was eye level with her; looking directly into her emerald depths that were so identical to his own. "That is why I don't want you using Eyeluta around at Hogwarts. I don't want Voldemort knowing how powerful your Eyeluta is becoming. It will only make him more determined to kill you and it'll just make me worry more than I already am. Do you understand what I'm trying to say, Tiger?"
"I understand, Harry, I do," said Lily sincerely, looking into her father's face. "But I can't keep any promises. If I feel threatened in anyway, I will use it; spy or no spy." Harry ran a frustrated hand through his hair and groaned loudly. He was clearly frustrated with Lily's stubbornness, but deep down, he knew that she had inherited it from him.
"Lily, I didn't want to say this because I didn't want to worry you," said Harry through gritted, frustrated teeth. "If you care about Eddie at all, you'll stop performing Eyeluta on a whim."
"What?" Lily stared at her father with no emotion on her face; it was completely impassive. All she could do was blink nervously several times, letting what Harry was trying to tell her sink into her brain and when it did, Lily felt her stomach beginning to rise into her throat and she coughed profusely.
"You…you think Voldemort is behind Eddie's behavior? You think he's making Eddie act like this?" asked Lily through choked gasps, as though trying to catch her breath.
"Yes," said Harry, nodding his affirmation. "That's why I believe that there is a spy at Hogwarts. Eddie's behavior was sudden and dramatic. I think Voldemort is the big part of the reason why he is acting like the way that he is."
Lily felt her whole body begin to shake and she turned her gaze away from Harry, anger and hate for Voldemort filling up the inside of her soul.
'How dare anyone, especially Voldemort, mess with Eddie to get at her?' Lily thought furiously to herself. Lily understood that the darkest wizard of all time wanted her dead but now he was involving her best friend and this was going to send her over the edge.
Lily continued to stare at the wall, blind with anger; she did not even know how to handle the situation. She wanted to punch the wall, curse everyone and everything that stepped in her way; she wanted to shout and scream at the top of her lungs until her voice was hoarse and so that Voldemort knew how enraged she was with him. For the first time in her life, Lily felt like she was capable of murder and now she understood what Harry had said about her power of Eyeluta being powerful enough to kill. Lily wanted to use it to kill; she wanted to kill Voldemort and she wanted him to suffer.
Harry noticed that Lily's face was in a deep threatening frown and her fists were clenched, but the thing that worried him the most was her eyes. It actually frightened Harry to see his daughter like this. Those emerald green eyes that were usually sparkling with mischief were now a deep jade color and looked threatening and full of anger…and worst of all, hate.
"Tiger, don't overreact," said Harry warningly. "You know I could be wrong about this whole thing."
"I had my own suspicions about Eddie, but I never thought Voldemort would bring him into our fight," snarled Lily. It seemed as though she were talking to herself rather than Harry. "I swear, if Eddie gets hurt in any way I'll bloody kill Voldemort. No, I'll make him suffer, then I'll kill him."
"Lily Julia Potter!" shouted Harry, clearly horrified. Lily jumped from her trance and looked up at her father. "You can't say things like that! You're talking like a Death Eater! Lily, please don't hate. Hate is what led Voldemort to the way he is. Hate is what got Sirius twelve years in Azkaban. Hate only leads to things that you or I don't want."
"I'm sorry," muttered Lily, shaking out of her reverie. "I just can't stand the fact that Eddie might be under Voldemort's influence."
"Don't get ahead of yourself, Tiger," said Harry gently. "I said I could be wrong."
"Yes, but you could be right too!" said Lily desperately. "Harry, we have to find out what happened to Eddie. He's my best friend! He means the world to me. How would you feel if it was Ron or Hermione?" Harry sighed and looked down at his feet, running a hand through his hair, suddenly feeling tired.
"I understand, Lily," said Harry with a frustrated sigh. "But, please don't do anything stupid. You're…you're everything to me." He was frustrated for two reasons; one because he was frustrated with Lily being so stubborn and the second, he knew the real reason why Lily was being so overprotective of Eddie. Lily's feelings had begun to grow much deeper and more intense for Eddie than just friendship. Harry looked at his daughter and saw that she was staring out of the window, deep in thought, reflecting on Eddie's behavior and Voldemort's possible involvement.
"Tiger?" called out Harry, as Lily turned and looked at her father. "You'll always be my little girl, right?"
"Yeah," said Lily, smiling, her eyes suddenly brightening with happiness. "Yeah, of course, Harry. Why would you even ask that?" Harry chuckled before another silence settled into the office.
"Harry?" asked Lily cautiously, breaking the silence. Harry noticed that she seemed tense and rather nervous as she started fidgeting with her fingers as she looked at her shuffling feet.
"What is it, Tiger?" Harry asked gently, so gently that Lily forced herself to look into his emerald green eyes. She opened her mouth, than closed it hesitating. Harry noticed and slowly put a strand of loose hair her behind her ear. "You can tell me, Tiger Lily, you can tell me anything."
"Do…do you really think that there's…a spy at Hogwarts? A spy that's working for Voldemort?" she asked quickly, almost as though she was afraid the words would make it real. Harry did buy her brave face; he knew that she was afraid. No matter how much Lily would pretend to be fearless, the fact of the matter remained that she was still only a teenage girl and that her biggest fear was Voldemort's attempts to destroy her and those she loved.
"Yes," Harry answered truthfully, gently patting her hair. "I'm not going to lie to you or sugarcoat it for you, Tiger. You need to understand that's why you need to be cautious. I want you to promise me that you'll be careful and not do anything stupid. Please promise me you'll stay out of Eddie's and the rest of the Slytherins's ways?"
"Alright; but only if you promise to be just as careful," said Lily, just as sternly as Harry. "I don't want anything to happen to you either." Harry's heart lifted and grinned at Lily with amusement and gratitude while holding out his hand to shake.
"That's a deal!" said Harry, grinning. As Lily shook his hand, he pulled her into his arms and embraced her tightly. Lily rested her head on his shoulder and hugged him back. She closed her eyes thinking how much of a fool she was for telling her father that she wanted things the way they used be.
Harry had managed to talk Hermione out of severely punishing Lily for performing Eyeluta on Eddie. To be quite honest, Hermione was rather infuriated and disturbed over the fact that her son had just tried to hit a woman; one being his former best friend her goddaughter. As a result of this information, Lily got away with a week's worth of detentions and fifty points from Gryffindor.
It was a few days after the big event and big fight between Lily and Eddie. Things had begun to settle down immensely and late one night, Lily put on her wizard radio and laid quietly on her bed, feeling very absolutely exhausted after a gruesome Quidditch practice. The first match was only a few weeks away and she was determined to have her team ready.
While listening to an old song from the Weird Sisters, Lily decided to rest her eyes for a few moments and gently closed them. It was one of those times where she claimed that she was just going 'rest her eyes for a minute,' but then it turned into a deep and peaceful slumber. She snuggled down into the pillows and cushions and began to dream.
It was pitch black, so black that if even when she put her hand in front of her face, she was unable to see it. Lily searched around frantically, panicking; she could barely breathe and she had her wand clenched tightly in her fist. Looking around, she saw no one; not Harry, not Eddie, not Sirius, not anyone. Lily shivered in fear and was about to just give up when she heard an ear-piercing scream that made her blood run cold. It sounded so familiar, but Lily could not seem to place it.
Following her instincts, Lily sprinted as fast as she could towards the scream. Her instincts told her that she had to help and protect the witch or wizard who was screaming. As she ran up a huge hill, she looked over and saw a circle of men wearing masks surrounding something. Apparently, it was making them laugh and fear ran through her veins, making her feel cold and alone. That was when she heard Voldemort's cold voice shout "Crucio," and the blood-curling scream filled the night air. The Death Eaters were laughing again.
Lily felt anger boil up inside her and without thinking she ran as fast as she could towards the circle of laughing Death Eaters. That was when she saw Eddie Weasley on the floor, twitching and screaming.
But, to her utter confusion and horror, Eddie was also laughing.
Lily raised a confused eyebrow, but did not stop running. She knew that she had to save Eddie. Without thinking, Lily ran past two Death Eaters, breaking the circle, and crouched down beside Eddie, who was still laughing and twitching in pain. Lily looked furiously at Voldemort, but suprisingly, it was not Voldemort looking down at her. The figure had Voldemort's figure and voice, but the face…the face was not the snake-like monster that haunted her dreams for many years. It was beautiful with flawless, olive skin and big brown eyes that were framed with silk, black hair. It was the face of Raven Dawsetta and she was looking back at her, laughing insanely. Voldemort's wand was in her hand and she had it pointed straight at Eddie.
"AVADA KEDEVRA!" Raven shouted, but it came out in Voldemort's cold, high voice. Lily screamed and covered her eyes with her hands, blocking out the light when a tall shadowy figure stepped in front of her, shielding her from the deathly green light.
Lily woke up in a terrible, cold sweat while letting out a horrified scream throughout the seventh year girls' dormitory. Clutching her chest, she sat up abruptly in bed and began gasping for breath. Looking around frantically, Lily noticed it was now daylight out when she glanced out the window. Both Robby and Britta, who were applying their make-up and getting dressed, both jumped a foot in the air and looked at Lily in concern.
"Lily?"
"What's wrong? Are you okay?"
"I'm f-fine," Lily muttered, physically shaking and wiping the cold sweat from her forehead. "I…it was j-just a nightmare…I suppose…"
"That sounded like some nightmare," said Britta gently, looking at Lily wide-eyed. "Are you sure you're alright?" Lily nodded.
"Yeah, yeah I'll be fine," said Lily as she took a deep breath, kicking the sweat-soaked sheets and blanket off of her. She got out of bed and ran to the bathroom to wash her face of the sweat that had come during the nightmare.
As she washed her face, Lily thought about her dream and she felt suddenly worried and at the same time, she felt angry; infuriated. She could not understand why Raven was in Voldemort's body and had his voice. Lily could not help but wonder if the dream was some kind of sign; a sign that she should probably pay attention to. Was it possible that she had this dream because Voldemort was working through Raven?
Lily growled and quickly got dressed, pulling her hair into a loose ponytail. She ran as fast as she could down the stairs to the Common Room and out of the Portrait Hole, completely ignoring Asher's calls for her and charged into the Great Hall. Lily practically kicked the doors open and stormed in, startling many first years, whom had scattered off at the sight of her and her obvious rage. Lily narrowed her eyes and looked around the Great Hall someone in particular. Lily found her sitting at the Slytherin Table with Eddie and Nott. Once again, without considering the consequences of her actions and breaking her promise to Harry, Lily marched over and stood right in front of Raven Dawsetta.
It took Raven a while to notice Lily's presence; either that or she was purposely ignoring her in order to antagonize Lily. But, when Raven finally looked up at Lily's face, she glared dangerously at her. Then, her glare turned into a smug smile due to the fact that Eddie was sitting rather close to her, which she knew was infuriating Lily.
"What are you doing here, Potter?" she asked coolly. Lily took a deep breath, trying to keep herself together and not lose her composure or her temper.
"May I have a private word with you, Dawsetta?" asked Lily through clenched teeth, wishing she could talk to anyone but this girl. Raven was about to respond when an arm wrapped itself around her.
"Talk with her on your own time, Potter!" snapped Eddie, as Nott wrapped his arm tightly around Raven. "She's spending time with us right now."
"It's alright Eds…Chris," she said in a giggly voice that made Lily want to gag as she turned her gaze from Eddie to Nott. "You two just sit here and wait for Daris and Britta. I need to share a few choice words with Potter anyway." Raven got to her feet and faced Lily. Lily could not help but notice how tall Raven was compared to her but she ignored it and exited the Great Hall with Raven on her heels. Once out the doors and out of earshot of everyone, Lily turned around abruptly, anger in her now jade green eyes.
"I know what's going on Dawsetta," growled Lily, almost nose-to-nose with Rave, who just raised an eyebrow.
"What are you on about Potter?"
"I know why you're here."
"I'm here for the same reason that you're here, Potter; to receive a magical education at Hogwarts," Raven said dryly, rolling her eyes as though this entire conversation was a waste of her time.
"Don't get smart with me!" snapped Lily, pressing a threatening finger into Raven's collarbone. "I know what's going on. You tell your so-called 'master' that if he wants me, then he can come and get me, but he better damn well leave Eddie out of this."
"Potter, this conversation might go somewhere if you started making sense," said Raven dryly and condescendingly. Lily narrowed her eyes.
"You know what I'm talking about!" Lily shouted impatiently. Raven stared blankly at her for a moment before frowning.
"You're an idiot Potter, do you know that?"
"Just stay away from Eddie, alright?" Lily snarled again; the two girls' noses were now almost touching. "Leave him alone. He has got nothing to do with this." Raven stared at Lily again before her annoyed face broke into a malicious grin.
"So is that what this is about?" asked Raven coolly, crossing her arms and smiling evilly. Lily suddenly felt naked and exposed, but she kept her guard up. "You're jealous that Eds loves me and not you, aren't you?" Lily frowned.
"First of all, Eddie doesn't love you or me; he seems to be very into Britta Dirdel!" Lily snapped angrily, feeling herself go red; with jealous or anger, she was not sure. "And second, no I am not jealous. Eddie is acting like a slimy, low-life Slytherin, much like yourself, and you couldn't pay me to be jealous of a Slytherin not being 'in love' with me!"
"You watch your mouth Potter when you talk to Raven like that!" a voice drawled from behind Lily and she felt someone jab a wand painfully into her back. She groaned, cursing herself for not paying attention.
"This isn't any of your business Malfoy!" Lily said coolly. She felt the wand go deeper into her back.
"What was it that Weasley used to say when I came around to harass you?" Malfoy asked in mock-thoughtfulness. "Oh yeah, I remember; 'If you mess with her, you miss with me.' Well, the same applies to Raven and I."
"Why don't you come up with your own lines, Malfoy?" Lily asked, slowly reaching into her robes to pull out her own but:
"Petrificus Totalus!" Raven shouted, pointing her wand at Lily. She must have noticed Lily trying to sneakily pull out her wand. Lily, who was taken by surprise, felt her arms snap to her side and she straightened like a stiff plank of wood and fell to the floor.
"Well, Potter," sneered Malfoy, his wand pointed down at her face, "maybe next time you'll learn not to mess with my Raven."
Lily would never admit it, but she was scared. There she was, stiff as a board, unable to move, and she had a wand at her face. If it was any other student, Lily would not have cared, but this boy was Daris Malfoy and Lily knew what Daris Malfoy was capable of. After all, he did put a deadly curse, the Sueno Curse, on her last year. Even some Death Eaters did not know how to perform that intense of a curse. Lily held her breath, waiting for her attack.
"WHAT IN THE BLOODY WORLD IS GOING ON HERE?" a voice shouted and Lily felt sudden relief; it was Asher's voice. Lily could not see him but she knew that he had come bursting into the Entrance Hall and was looking at the scene angrily. She watched him step over Lily and faced Malfoy and Raven with his wand out.
"Get the hell out of here," he snapped at them, his wand pointed at the pair was shaking furiously and Lily knew it was because he was angry. Malfoy pushed Raven aside and walked towards Asher. Asher was extremely short; not much taller than Lily and Malfoy was the opposite; tall. He was almost as tall as Eddie. But, despite their height difference and Malfoy's obvious advantage if a fight were to break out, Asher showed no fear in his gray eyes, which were flashing like a raging thunderstorm.
"You watch your back, you little midget," sneered Malfoy, twirling his wand threateningly in his fingers.
"That sounds like another one of your empty threats, Malfoy," said Asher, his eyes fixated on the two Slytherins.
"Just watch your back," he repeated, "or you could be next on my Master's list." Lily felt her heart wrench as her thoughts immediately went to Eddie.
"Oh, please," said Asher, rolling his eyes. "Just go away before I puke! Your face is hideous enough; I don't need to hear your lame threats too!" If Lily could laugh, she knew she would be right now. Both Malfoy and Raven frowned. Malfoy scowled one more time before grabbing Raven's hand and running from the Entrance Hall and down one of the corridors; in the direction of the dungeons. Asher turned towards Lily and reversed the spell.
"Are you okay Lily?" Asher asked as he helped Lily to her feet.
"Yeah, I'm fine," she muttered, feeling embarrassed. She felt a blush creeping on to her face so she started brushing non-existent dirt off of her robes in order to distract Asher from it. "Thanks for helping me though."
"Any time, Lily; it as no problem," he said grinning, casually shrugging. Lily returned the grin, and turned towards the Great Hall in order to attend breakfast when Asher grabbed her arm and pulled her back.
"Oh, you're not getting off that easy, Lily Billy. What was all that about?" asked Asher seriously, gesturing towards the direction in which Malfoy and Raven had disappeared down. Lily sighed and hurriedly told him everything that had been happening; how Harry suspected that there might be a spy at Hogwarts and that the spy and Voldemort could be the reasons why Eddie was acting so strange.
"So you suspect that Dawsetta is the spy?" asked Asher slowly, trying to comprehend what Lily was telling him. Lily nodded and shrugged. "Yeah, I could see that. I wouldn't put it past her. But, is there an actual way to prove it?
"There has to be!" Lily stated, looking urgent.
Then, an epiphany happened. It was as if a light bulb had been lit inside Lily's head and brightened immensely. Then, slowly, very slowly, a grin started to form on her face.
"Asher, I…I think I know just what to do," said Lily in a deathly whisper.
"What? Lily, what's going on?"
"I can't tell you right now," said Lily, as though she was in a trance and her eyes had brightened immediately. "I'll have to talk to Harry about it later."
"Alright," said Asher slowly, looking slightly worried about Lily's sanity. "In the meantime, Lily, can I ask you something?"
"Oh, sure, Asher," said Lily, breaking out of her trance and turning to her friend with a sweet smile on her face. "What's up?"
"Y-you know the Halloween Ball coming up?" asked Asher. Lily noticed he was fidgeting with his fingers and his breathing had become heavier than normal. She raised an eyebrow to herself, but lost it before looking back at Asher.
"Yeah…" said Lily slowly, "what about it?"
"I know you hate dances and balls and everything of that nature, but I was sort of wondering, if maybe…" He immediate hesitated. Lily looked at Asher with concern.
"Maybe…what?" asked Lily, urging him to continue.
"I was just wondering if…maybe…would you like to go to the Halloween Ball with me?" asked Asher, looking at Lily with a hopeful look in his eyes. Lily stared at him, completely lost for words.
A note from the Jitterbelle. Whew this was a long chapter to write and an even longer one to revise! I hope you're all enjoying it though and we now have some theories about what's going on with Eddie. We shall see…we shall see…
Please do not forget to review! Mucho appreciated!
Coming in Chapter 14 - The Halloween Ball…quite an eventful and another long chapter…
