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 14 – An Eventful Halloween Ball:
Lily sat a table in the Gryffindor Common Room as scribbled down the information that she needed for her Potions essay, which had to be four feet long and was due the next day, in a hurry. Lily was not sure if it was because she despised the subject of Potions or if it was because she was a natural procrastinator; either way, it was unfortunate for Lily that had not yet started the assignment.
"Hey, Lily?" Robyn's voice called out from the seventh year girls' dormitories. "Are you down here?"
"Yeah Robby," Lily called out tonelessly, not taking her eyes off the parchment that contained only half of her essay, her eyebrow furrowed in concentration. "Not to be rude, but I'm kind of busy right now. What's the matter?"
At the corner of her eye Lily saw Robyn skip down the stairs and plop into the seat across from her at the table. Lily inwardly groaned when she saw that Robyn had a huge giggly grin on her face. She decided to try and ignore it, but she could not help but feel the grin boring into her and she threw her quill down in frustration.
"What?" Lily snapped, clearly wanting to get her essay done. "Quite frankly, your grin is really creepy." Robyn just giggled, which infuriated Lily even further.
"Well word in the corridors is that a new couple blossomed at Hogwarts," said Robyn in a singsong voice. Lily raised an eyebrow.
"You know how much I love gossip," Lily commented sarcastically. Robyn ignored her and continued to grin girlishly.
"Mandy just told me the good news," said Robyn, still grinning like a huge idiot.
"Oh yeah?" muttered Lily, now scribbling hard on to the parchment; it looked like that it might rip. "What did Mandy tell you that is so important that you felt the need to interrupt me from finishing my Potions essay that is due tomorrow for Snape?"
"She told me that you and Asher were going to the Halloween Ball together," said Robyn, her voice reaching an all-time high to the point where it resembled a squeal. Lily felt her cheeks go suddenly hot.
"Oh, that," said Lily slowly, wishing that someone would put out the roaring fire in the fireplace. It was suddenly boiling in the Common Room. "Yeah, yeah, Asher asked me this morning and I said 'yes.' Lily tried to get her voice to sound as casual as possible but she knew that she failed because Robyn's grin and eyes only widened.
"So, do you fancy him?"
"Yes, Robyn," mumbled Lily sarcastically. "Right after he asked me, I declared my undying love for him. The wedding is next Christmas. You can be a bridesmaid." Robyn rolled her eyes, clearly frustrated with Lily's attitude and leaned back in her chair, sounding much less excited than she had before.
"So, what are you going to wear? After all, this is the first Halloween Ball where you'll be going with a date," asked Robyn curiously.
"Oh…I…I'm not sure," said Lily awkwardly. The question threw her off of her guard. "Honestly, I really don't know."
"You don't know? You don't know?" Robyn squealed, nearly toppling out of her chair. "Lily Julia Potter! I swear, you are a disgrace to all teenage witches!"
"And I'm damn proud of it," Lily said in mock pride, slamming her fist on the table. Robyn rolled her eyes again.
"The ball is on Friday," groaned Robyn, as though she felt a headache coming on. "Do you have any special dress robes to wear?"
"No," Lily muttered, looking down at her parchment. She felt the Common Room growing hot again.
"Well, why don't you wear those green shimmering robes that you wore last year to the Halloween Ball?" asked Robyn, trying to sound sympathetic after noticing Lily's obvious embarrassment of not having appropriate and nice dress robes to wear.
"I…erm…yeah they were nice, but they don't fit anymore," Lily muttered quickly, her facing going bright red. Robyn raised a curious eyebrow.
"That's odd. How could they not fit? You're still rather short; you didn't grow…" said Robyn, desperately trying not to sound offensive. If it was possible, Lily blushed even harder to the point where she might burst into flames.
"Maybe not height wise," Lily mumbled quietly. Robyn cocked her head, looking confused.
"But, you didn't gain any weight; in fact you lost a lot of weight over the summer," said Robyn, choosing her words carefully. .
"That's not what I mean," said Lily, feeling completely mortified. "I grew in the…erm…in…" Lily quickly gestured towards her chest and Robyn's eyes widened in understanding.
"OH!"
"Yeah…"
"Oh, don't worry about that Lils. That is nothing to be embarrassed about. In fact, I think you have a very cute little bust."
"ROBYN!" Lily cried out mortified. Robyn burst into a fit of giggles as Lily buried her face in her arms. Even the back of her neck was bright red.
"I'm sorry, Lily. C'mon!" she said smiling, grabbing Lily's arm and dragging away from her Potions homework and to the seventh year girls' dormitories. "To make it up to you, I'm going to lend you a set of my dress robes." To her immense surprise, Lily did no object but simply followed Robyn into the dormitory and obeyed her friend when she was commanded to sit down on the bed. She watched as Robyn started tearing through her trunk. Lily grinned in amusement over Robyn's excitement. It was several minutes before Robyn pulled out three different colored dress robes smiling; a lime green one, a red one, and a navy blue one.
"Try them on!" Robyn demanded, handing the blonde girl the three sets of robes. Lily groaned, but did not argue with her friend as she took them and went into the bathroom. She tried on the lime green one first, seeing that green was her favorite color. It was just a plain, satin robe. Despite the fact that it was her favorite color, she was not a fan of it but she tried it on anyway. Lily walked out of the bathroom, feeling foolish. Robyn looked at her and studied the dress before shaking her head and frowning.
"For such plain dress robes, they're much too flashy for you," she said simply. "Try another one on." Lily raised an eyebrow and shrugged before going back into the bathroom to change into the navy blue one. It was soft to the touch and had silver beading scattered around the robe making it resemble a clear, starry, bright, midnight sky; shimmering in the dim lighting. When she put it on, Lily did not even bother to look in the mirror before stepping out and modeling the robe. When Robby saw her, she just stared at her intently for a moment as Lily anxiously waited for a response.
"Do me a favor and try on the red one," she said bossily. "I want to see that one on you before I make any decisions."
"Alright…" Lily said slowly, as though she was worried for Robyn's sanity, before going to change. She put on the red one, which she rather liked because she looked like she truly represented Gryffindor with her blonde hair and the red robes. However, to her disgruntlement, Robyn did not agree.
"I do like the red one but I'm in favor of the blue one; it looked stunning on you," said Robyn with a smile. "If you wear those blue ones, you can keep them."
"Really?" asked Lily, surprised, fingering the soft material and beading on the blue one as it laid on her bed. "Thanks…"
"It's no problem," said Robyn smiling. "They look better on you anyway. I do want those red and green ones back though." Lily laughed and quickly changed back into her Hogwarts uniform and returning the other two sets of dress robes to Robyn.
"I'll tell you," started Robyn as she gently folded her dress robes and put them back in her trunk. Lily was doing the same with her new set of dress robes and looked at her friend curiously. "Harry is not going to be happy when he sees you at the Halloween Ball. You're going to blow them out of the water."
Lily could not help it; she grinned shyly.
Lily was reading a Muggle book called The Wizard of Oz and she was rather enjoying; she did not want to put it down. It was a Muggle fantasy book that she personally felt described the wizarding world somewhat accurately. For instance, there were the good witches and the bad witches, there were the innocent Muggles that always got hurt and in trouble, like the main character, Dorothy. Then, there were also the witches and wizards that were searching for something that they felt that they lacked; like intelligence, a heart, or courage; just like the Scarecrow, the Tinman, and the Cowardly Lion. The aspect that Lily found the most accurate was that all of the characters in the book needed to face the terrible times that were there and that were to come.
"Lily!" a voice called, interrupting her and causing her to groan loudly. Impatiently, Lily snapped her book shut and looked up into Robyn's big brown eyes. "It's time to get ready for the Halloween Ball!"
"You've got to be bloody kidding me," said Lily, as she turned and opened her book again. "The ball doesn't start until eight o'clock; it's only four. I have another three hours until I start getting ready."
"Oh no, you don't," said Robyn as she grabbed Lily's book and tossed it across the Common Room, causing a random fourth year girl to swear at her. "I'm going to need all of the time that I can get. I've got plans for you, Potter and it's going to take some time." Lily looked up at Robyn again and saw that she was grinning maliciously.
"Robyn Ashleigh Andrews," said Lily slowly and fearfully, "what exactly are you planning on doing to me-?"
Robyn did not answer her question; she merely giggled. Before Lily could protest any further, Robyn had grabbed her arm and dragged her excitedly up to the seventh year girls' dormitories.
"All done!" Robby announced as she finished putting on lip gloss on Lily. "I've got to say, I am an expert at make-up and hair design. I could leave the wizarding world and go into Mugglg design." Lily raised an eyebrow.
"What exactly did you do to me?"
"You'll see, but not until you're completely done," said Robby as she turned to look at herself in the mirror and started applying her own make-up. "Now, go get your robe on and then you can look in the mirror."
"Yes, Queen of Sheba," Lily muttered as she grabbed the navy blue robe from her bed and strutted over to the bathroom. She carefully slipped the robe over her head, careful not to mess up her hair that Robyn worked so hard on; plus Robyn had threatened Lily's life if she did mess it up.
When Lily walked back out and saw Robyn, she gasped. Her friend looked gorgeous wearing fair, golden dress robes that accented her fair, brown skin and those warm chocolate brown eyes seemed to pop; surrounded by gold eye shadow that gave her a glamorous look that suited her perfectly. Robyn noticed Lily's presence and smiled fondly at her friend as she finished applying her make-up.
"You look lovely, Lils," said Robyn.
"Thanks," said Lily, "you look amazing, yourself!"
"Thanks. But, go on, look at my amazing work!" said Robyn excitedly, as she gestured towards the mirror. Lily laughed and obeyed her. She could not help but smile as her best female friend hugged her from behind. Robyn had pulled her long, blonde hair into a messy up-do with her face framed with gold tresses. She had applied enough make-up where Lily did not feel like a raccoon, but she noticed the difference in her almond shaped eyes and how much more defined and bigger they seemed. Finally, Robyn had lent Lily a pair of silver, crystal, chandelier earrings that matched the beading on the dress and that framed her face nicely.
"Thanks Robby," said Lily, turning around and hugging her friend. "You did a brilliant job! Thank you so much."
"Now maybe you'll let me give you lessons," said Robyn teasingly. "Now, let's go knock our dates' socks off!"
"Socks off?" asked Lily, throwing her head back and laughing.
"It's a Muggle saying," said Robyn with a shrug.
"Hey guys," came a sweet quiet voice from the doorway of the dormitory. Lily and Robyn turned around and there was Britta, wearing pretty lilac robes with little flowers grazing the hem of her robe. Her hair was pulled into a simple, elegant bun and she had floral earrings and matching bangles clinking at her wrists. The whole ensemble looked very pretty on her and it reflected her personality beautifully.
"Wow, you two look great!" Britta said smiling.
"Us? What about you?" asked Robyn, smiling. "Eddie is going to go bonkers when he sees you." No one noticed a frown flicker on Lily's face very briefly at Robyn's comment. It was so brief, that it could have been imagined.
"Who are we kidding? We all look great!" said Robyn, wrapping an arm around Lily and Britta's shoulders. Lily caught Britta's eye and grinned.
"Modest, isn't she?" Robyn rolled her eyes and grabbed the two girls' arms.
"C'mon, let's go!"
The three girls walked down the stairs to the Common Room, arm-in-arm and Lily immediately spotted Asher waiting patiently in front of the fireplace. He saw her coming down the stairs and beamed.
"Lily Billy?" Asher called out, nearly choking on his saliva. "Wow! You look amazing!"
"Thanks Asher," said Lily smiling bashfully as she walked right up to him. "You look good too."
"What? This old thang?" asked Asher in a playful, girly type voice, pulling at his gray robes that brought his warm, stormy eyes nicely. Lily chuckled as Asher grinned himself and held out his arm for Lily to take. Britta walked up to Eddie, who was wearing brick red dress robes and was standing on the opposite side of the Common Room and they were whispering to each other in sweet, hushed tones. Robyn rolled her eyes and announced that she was going down to the Great Hall to meet Chuck.
The two couples walked towards the Portrait Hole and met with each other at the exact same time and three out of the four of them glared at one another. Asher, not wanting to cause any fights on his first date with Lily, took a step back, gesturing for Eddie and Britta to go first.
"Lazard," said Eddie coldly, nodding his head at Asher. He turned his head to Lily and stared at her in a way that made her feel dirty. Despite this, Lily stared determinedly back at him. "Potter…"
"Weasley," she retorted and just as coldly.
"You know Potter, you don't look half bad tonight," said Eddie, eyeing her up and down; making her feel uncomfortable. She gripped Asher's arm tightly while he went red and clenched his jaw, narrowing his eyes at Eddie.
"I'll take that as a compliment," said Lily dryly. Britta obviously noticed the tension because she looked completely distressed, but she did not say anything. Lily looked at the pretty girl standing across from her and felt horrible; her heart went out to her knowing that Britta was Eddie's date and how much she liked him and here Eddie was, complimenting Lily. It annoyed and infuriated Lily to no end.
"Will you save me a dance, Potter?" Eddie asked, giving a grin that gave everyone chills down their spine.
"Not a chance in hell, Weasley," snarled Lily before clutching on to Asher's arm and began to drag him through the Portrait Hole, but Eddie grabbed her arm roughly. Lily raised her eyebrows at him
"You will save me a dance, Potter," Eddie said in a death whisper, inches from Lily's face. "Do you understand me?" Lily's eyes flashed dangerously; a green fire was blazing within them and just as she was about to tell him to do something that would make Hermione faint, something, or someone, roughly shoved Eddie off of her.
"Get the hell away from her!" Asher snapped, standing between Lily and Eddie. "She said she wasn't going to dance with you, so she's not going to dance with you! You best get that through that thick head of yours."
"I'll get more than a dance from her, Lazard, you can be sure of that," Eddie sneered with another evil grin on his face. Asher frowned angrily, but grabbed Lily's hand and dragged her out of the Common Room and away from Eddie.
As they walked down the corridors, Asher had a serious look on his face and was frowning slightly.
"Are you alright Asher?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," he muttered unconvincingly, still looking somber. "Just do me a favor, Lily?"
"Alright…"
"Please just keep away from Eddie tonight, okay?" Asher asked pleadingly, his eyes boring into hers. "He's up to no good and I don't want you to get hurt." With those words, Asher blushed furiously to the roots of his hair. Lily felt her own face get a little burning sensation and knew that she was blushing also.
"Alright, Asher," said Lily smiling. "You got it." Asher smiled back at her and held out his arm to her again. Lily took it gratefully and the two walked into the Great Hall for this year's Halloween Ball, and boy, they were in for some surprises.
Harry watched as Lily and Asher walked arm and arm into the Great Hall and frowned slightly. He could not seem to understand it because Harry loved Asher, almost like a son. He was one of Lily's closest friends; probably her closest friend at the moment since Eddie seemed to be out of the picture. But, Lily was still his daughter, his only child, his baby girl and Asher was still a sixteen year old boy with raging hormones.
Harry felt tense and saddened when seeing Lily and Asher walk in together like a couple and decided to take a nice, long, peaceful walk to loosen himself up and get his thoughts together. It would be better than watching Lily like a hawk, and annoying her in the end. Harry was not so overprotective that he would forbid Lily to see or date boys; he just preferred not to watch it.
Harry could still remember when Lily would run to him in the middle of the night, claiming that there were monsters in the closet and Harry would be forced to let her spend the night in his room, which he did not mind at all; even if she did kick and punch in her sleep. Harry loved Lily and now, to his dismay and at the same time, his pride, she was growing into a beautiful young woman. Much to his disappointment, Harry knew that he could not stop his little girl from growing up. But he could watch, and give her love, hope, and guidance when she needed it. That was what he was there for, and Harry accepted the fact that sooner or later, another man would enter Lily's life. So, he might as well enjoy the little childhood that Lily had left while he still could.
Harry was so lost in thoughts he had did even realized where he was walking to, until he found himself right in front of his own office doors. He sighed and opened the door before closing and locking it behind him. He ran his fingers through his unruly black hair and sat down at the desk.
"Hey there, Harry!" a voice shouted from inside of his office. Harry jumped and pulled out his wand before pointing it at where he had heard the voice; it was coming from near the fireplace. Harry looked around anxiously and gave a loud breath of relief when he saw Sirius's head floating in the fireplace.
"Sirius, you scared the bloody jeepers out of me," he said, taking in deep breaths and clutching his chest. Sirius gave a chuckle and grinned.
"Who did you think it was; old Voldie?" asked Sirius jokingly. Harry rolled his eyes and put his wand back inside the pocket of his robes.
"These days, I wouldn't doubt it," Harry muttered darkly as he left his desk and walked over to the fireplace, crouching down in front of it. He was now close enough to see Sirius frowning.
"Oh live a little, Harry," he said, trying to lighten the mood. Harry gave a lop-sided grin and stared intently at his godfather's face.
"So, how'd you know I'd be here?" asked Harry, as he pulled a chair closer to the fire and sitting down so that he would be more comfortable, leaning his elbows on his knees and bending down to face the elder man. Sirius grinned again.
"Why wouldn't you be in your own office?"
"It's Halloween night; I should be monitoring the Halloween Ball, right," Harry said reasonably, making it more of a statement than a question.
"That's true, but I knew that Lily had a date this year. And as a result of that date, I knew that you would be hiding away in your office," said Sirius, somehow looking innocent, but somber at the same time.
"Damn, am I that predictable?" Harry asked with a lop-sided smirk, nervously scratching the back of his head.
"No, you're not predictable," said Sirius affectionately. "You just remind me a lot of your father and when James was feeling down or stressed about something, he would go off on his own and neglect his responsibilities. It doesn't surprise me that you would do the same." Sirius was grinning up at his godson with the utmost pride and Harry felt uncomfortable under his intense gaze. "So, do you want to talk about what's bothering you or am I going to have to guess? Though I can probably do so very easily…" Harry chuckled half-heartedly and looked down at his hands, which were clenched tightly together.
"It just went by too fast, Sirius," muttered Harry, running a hand through his unruly hair. "I still remember when she took her first steps, her first words, or the first time she rode a broomstick. And now…"
"And now she is all grown up, huh?" asked Sirius, sighing dramatically. "It must be pleasing though to know that you've done a fine job, Harry."
"Thank you," said Harry in gratitude, finally managing a smile. "I just wish I could invent some kind of spell so that she would stay as that little spunky ten year old girl running around the house telling everyone what to do."
"What are you on about Harry?" asked Sirius, dryly, his head in the fireplace raising an eyebrow. "Lily is sixteen years old and she is still spunky and she still runs around the house telling everyone what to do." Harry let out a laugh and shook his head.
"Yeah, she still does that, doesn't she?" Harry asked, staring off into the distance with a soft, affectionate smile on his face. Sirius knew that he was thinking about how proud of he was of Lily; his daughter. There was a long pause as Harry stared off in his daze, contemplating his thoughts, while Sirius watched him curiously. Out of nowhere, Harry's gaze went from calm and affectionate to cold and annoyed. Sirius immediately became concerned.
"Harry? What's wrong?"
"She owled me again, Padfoot," mumbled Harry, looking defeated as he buried his face in his hands, looking completely distressed. It seemed that Sirius knew exactly who his godson was talking about because his eyes immediately narrowed and his eyebrows furrowed.
"What the hell did she want?" Sirius sounded far much more aggressive than he meant to sound.
"What do you think she wanted?" asked Harry, now rubbing his temples impatiently.
"She was asking about Lily, I assume?"
"Naturally," sighed Harry.
"What did you say? How did you respond?" asked Sirius anxiously.
"The same thing I always say when she contacts me about Lily, 'Stay away from my daughter or I'll hunt you down and make you wish that you had never met me.'" Sirius had never heard Harry sound so bitter before.
Sirius let out a low whistle; "Harsh."
"Too harsh, you think?"
"I don't know," said Sirius somberly. "I really don't know. After all, it is her daughter too Harry." Sirius immediately saw the look on Harry's face and began stumbling over his words. "It's not that I don't agree with you, because I do, Harry, I do. That woman has no right to Lily after what she did to her as a baby. I'm not saying that she should have the opportunity to meet Lily, but maybe you could allow her to just have a glimpse of her…"
"NO!" Harry said loudly, standing on to his feet so abruptly that he knocked his chair over. "That so-called woman abandoned Lily as a baby and then sixteen years later she claims that she wants to meet her? NO! I'm not letting that (he called her something that made Sirius chuckle) near my daughter! She'll just hurt Lily in the end and I'm not letting Lily get hurt again because of that woman!"
"I agree Harry I really do," said Sirius, trying to calm his godson down. Deep down he knew that the next few words would not do such a thing. "But, don't you think Lily has a right to know who her mother is?" Harry shook his head.
"Yes, she has that right," said Harry slowly, as though considering the matter. "But I see no reason to tell Lily unless she asks about it."
"And if Lily were to ask?"
"I'd tell her the truth," said Harry, without a shred of hesitation. Sirius was a taken back by his truthfulness and abrupt answer. "To be honest, Sirius, I think part of the reason why Lily has never asked about her mother is because she really doesn't want to know."
"I never thought of it that way…"
"It's how Lily is," said Harry with a casual shrug.
"So what exactly does this woman want from you?" asked Sirius, sounding annoyed and trying to keep his temper in check. "She wants to see and meet Lily, is that right?"
"It's not only that; the woman had the audacity to say that she wants joint custody of Lily," muttered Harry through gritted teeth. Sirius actually gasped.
"Are you serious?"
Harry ignored him. "Can you believe it? Sixteen bloody years of pretending that Lily doesn't even exist and all of the sudden she wants joint custody! She must be bloody crazy if she thinks I'm going to give it to her. She'll be damned lucky if I even so much as tell her what I named my daughter!"
"She doesn't even know Lily's name?" asked Sirius incredulously, his eyes growing wide. Harry was not sure if his godfather's wide eyes were a result of disbelief, astonishment, or disgust.
"Of course she doesn't," said Harry hotly. "I never told her. I didn't…and still don't want Lily having anything to do with that woman!"
"I understand where you're coming from, Harry," said Sirius, looking timid, "but I think you're being a little unreasonable." Harry cocked an eyebrow at his godfather, but Sirius continued anyway. "I agree with you when you say that you don't think that she should be a part of Lily's life either. But don't you think it's Lily's choice whether she wants to meet her mother or not?"
Deep down, Harry knew that Sirius was right but did not want to say so; instead he just bit his lip and sighed before turning his head away from the fire. Even though Harry would not meet Sirius's gaze, the elder man knew that there was a disgruntled look on his godson's face.
"I just don't think that Lily is ready, Sirius," muttered Harry, feeling a stronger headache coming on. "Nor do I think that that woman is ready either. I think Lily will be ready after she graduates; that way she'll be older and more emotionally mature."
"Personally, I think she's ready to do that now," stated Sirius. "Lily is quite mature for her age."
"Mature? Sirius, she used Eyeluta against Ed Weasley," said Harry warily.
"That was out of defense, Harry, and you know it," snapped Sirius defensively. "You know that it has nothing to do with Lily's maturity level."
"Regardless, I'd rather she would have used her fists," Harry sighed, running yet another hand through his already unruly jet-black hair. "Sirius, please don't contradict me. I just don't think she is ready to know. She's been through so much. Just look at what happened this year! I practically came back from the dead and last year fifteen year old me comes along out of nowhere. I think that meeting her mother will just add to the stress she already has on her back and I don't want to add to the load. Besides, there is another stressor on the horizon for Lily anyway."
"What are you talking about, Harry?" asked Sirius confused. Harry gave him a hurt and depressed look, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. Sirius realized what his godson was trying to say to him and groaned audibly and disapprovingly. "I can only assume that you're referencing Lily's request about your change in time."
"Yes…"
"Does this mean that you've been time-traveling as well?" Sirius asked stiffly. Harry ignored his godfather's tone and answered the question anyway.
"Yeah, I think I remember when everything clicked," said Harry, rubbing the back of his neck. "It was back in my fifth year. Ron and Hermione were arguing in Gryffindor Common Room and Hermione said something about liking the name Edward. Then, two names popped into my head; Edward Ronald Weasley and Lily Julia Potter." Sirius's eyebrows furrowed, as though he were having an internal struggle with himself.
"But, that's all you can remember about you gaining back those memories? You can't remember how you…well…remembered anything else?" asked Sirius hopefully.
"Yeah, I'm not sure how I knew what Voldemort was up to and how I knew to make sure to stay away from Ginny and to place them both under the Fidelius Charm. I just…I just don't know…I can't explain it, Padfoot. It was like it all just came to me," whispered Harry desperately. "That's why I have to time-travel; I have to make sure that I don't remember to do any of that."
"Did you ever stop to think that the reason you can't remember how you knew what to do what is because this…you being alive…was meant to be?" snapped Sirius angrily.
"Sirius…"
"And what does Ron have to say to the fact that you're letting his sister die…again?" Sirius was near shouting now. "How do you feel about becoming Ginny's murderer? Especially considering your feelings for her?"
"Sirius, please!" Harry cried out desperately as tears began to well up in his emerald green eyes. Harry turned away from the fireplace and kicked the stand of his desk in anger and frustration. Sirius stopped his interrogation and immediately looked at his best friend's son with the utmost concern. "I'm so confused Sirius! What am I going to do? I have to figure this out! I can't…I can't live like this…knowing that I abandoned my daughter and murdered the only woman I've ever fallen in love with!"
"Then, why do you want to change time so much?" Sirius asked, now looking distressed again. "You know that you changed it for the better so why do you keep on insisting with the time-travel and changing time back to the way it was? Honestly, Harry, don't you like being alive?"
"Now that's a stupid question, Padfoot," said Harry dryly, clenching his fists. "Of course I like being alive! How could you even ask me that? You really think I'd rather murder Ginny, become a good for nothing Death Eater, and then end up dying and not be able to watch my daughter grow up?"
"Then why do you want to change time so badly?"
"I don't want to change anything," snapped Harry impatiently. "But, it's what Lily wants and she's my daughter."
"Yes I'm aware of that!" Sirius retorted, just as impatiently as Harry. "But what does it have to be about what Lily wants? What about everyone else? What about the rest of us who don't want you to change time? What about those who want you alive and care about you and love you; like Ron, Hermione, Remus, and me? I want my godson alive, Harry; with me!
"Why Harry? Why are you doing this? I don't understand your stupid nobility bullocks. Ginny is right about you; you always let your nobility get in the way of what you want. That's why you've gradually lost her over the years." Sirius was now shouting and his voice was echoing throughout Harry's office.
"Sirius…please…" whispered Harry, distressed. But, he ignored his godson's plea, knowing the topic of Ginny was breaking his heart.
"You know Lily wants you living just as much as I do! You know it and, yet, you're choosing to ignore it!" bellowed Sirius, desperately trying to get Harry to see reason. "There's something behind all this Harry! There is a reason she made this request of you and as her father, it is your responsibility to get to the bottom of it."
"Sirius," whispered Harry, interrupting his godfather's rant firmly. He was now taking charge of the conversation. "Maybe changing time isn't always for the best. Maybe I was supposed to die for a reason."
"And maybe you were brought back for a reason!" Sirius snapped again. "This is the wizarding world, Harry Potter; things like this do not happen for nothing."
"Exactly!" Harry said in a croaked, shaking voice. "Don't you see, Sirius? Maybe that's why Lily doesn't want me alive in the first place; because there's a reason why this happened and she doesn't want to know what it is."
"Oh please, don't give me that bullock, Harry," said Sirius rolling his eyes. "Lily wants you alive more than all of us put together do! There's something she's hiding and that's why she wants you to change things back to the way they were. You're a fool if you can't see that."
"I don't know Sirius!" shouted Harry, his face going red with anger. "I'm just as confused and as upset as you are! But all that matters to me is Lily's happiness and if she wants me to change things to the way I used to be, then I will! And that's that!" Harry turned to look at Sirius's face in the fire again and saw that he was studying his face carefully before a small smile tugged at Sirius's lips.
"You know," he said slowly, "watching you fuss over Lily like this reminds me strongly of your mother."
"What?" asked Harry, clearly distracted by the comment. "What do you mean?"
"Harry, your mother was so overprotective of you," said Sirius, chuckling. "I remember she nearly hexed my bits off because I brought you on my flying motorcycle long before you were old enough to go on it. All your parents cared about, Harry, was you and your happiness. You were their whole world; just like Lily is your whole world." Sirius was smiling up at him and Harry stared at his feet, also smiling slightly; thinking of how much his father and mother loved him so much. There was a long comfortable pause as Harry thought about his parents' love for him and how similar and strong it was to his love for his own daughter. Sirius interrupted his thoughts, however:
"Listen, maybe you better get back to the Halloween Ball," said Sirius, sounding almost defeated. "Hermione will be wondering where you are."
"Yeah, you're right," said Harry in a gentle voice. He reached for the chair that he had knocked over earlier and placed it upright in its proper position. He quietly walked towards the door and opened it before turning his head back to his godfather's head still floating in the fireplace. "I'll talk you soon, Padfoot."
"Good-bye Harry!" Harry heard Sirius's voice reply before he heard a loud pop. Harry grinned and closed the office door behind him.
As Harry walked down the corridors back to the Great Hall, where the Halloween Ball was taking place, he kept on pondering on what Sirius had said; what he had said about Lily's mother and about what he should do about changing time. It was true; no one except Lily wanted him to change things and there had to be a reason why. According to Ron, Hermione, Sirius, and Remus, Lily had always regretted how her father had become a Death Eater and died without ever really getting to know him. So, then why did she change her mind all of the sudden? There just had to be a huge and strange reason why Lily did not want Harry around. And after this talk with Sirius, Harry was determined to find out what exactly that reason was.
But, Harry had no time to ponder on what Lily's reason could be because as he entered the Great Hall and caught sight of his daughter, what he saw made his blood boil with absolute rage.
Lily walked into the Great Hall arm-and-arm with Asher and looked around, admiring the decorations, which were no different to the decorations that they had every Halloween.
Lily stood on her tip-toes and stretched out her neck to have a look above everyone's head. Her eyes roamed and landed on the staff table, where she saw Harry looking somewhat disgruntled about something. He must have felt someone looking at him because he looked up and his gaze landed on herself and Asher. Lily saw his emerald green eyes sadden even further before Harry rose to his feet and slowly walked out of the Great Hall and into the gardens.
At Harry's actions, Lily's face twisted into one full of confusion. She did not understand what could possibly upset Harry so much. Deciding that she should not allow it to ruin her good time and date, Lily shrugged it off and followed Asher to the Gryffindor Table to have dinner.
The Halloween Ball came with a feast as well as a dance. During dinner, Lily could not help but notice the strange and uncomfortable looks Eddie was giving her. Normally, Lily would not care if someone was giving her inappropriate looks; normally she would just frown at them, tell them off, or just snap at them with a witty saying, such as 'Take a picture; it'll last longer.' But, something seemed out of place tonight. The looks that Eddie was giving her made her feel very uncomfortable and dirty; she shifted awkwardly in her chair. Asher noticed this and put a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"Are you okay, Lily?" he asked in concern. Lily did not say anything, but merely jerked her head in Eddie's direction and Asher followed her actions before looking into the face of his old friend. He saw Eddie staring at Lily in that inappropriate way and Lily felt his grip on her shoulder tighten slightly.
"That little basta-"
"Watch your language, Mr. Lazard," Lily warned playfully, wagging her finger at him in a mocking way. Asher chuckled lightly as he lifted his arm up slightly. He only hesitated a moment before slowly wrapping it tenderly around Lily's shoulder.
Lily was shocked at first and tensed up a little at the sudden affection that Asher was demonstrating towards her. She felt Asher tense up when she did and decided to relax and lean into his embrace. When she did this, his grip on her tightened slightly and Lily could see from the corner of her eye that Asher was beaming; it made her beam too and she looked around the Great Hall, blushing. She chanced a look over at Eddie and saw that he had a smug look on his face, which gave her the creeps. Once again, brushing it off, Lily returned to her dinner while still leaning against Asher.
After the feast, Lily noticed that Harry still had not returned. She was tempted to go and tell Hermione or Remus, but in the end, she decided not to worry about it, as Harry was a fully grown wizard and could take care of himself. The tables cleared away and were magically placed on the sides of the Great Hall so that the middle was a dance floor. The music started and the floor lit up.
"Would you like to dance?" Asher asked shyly, gesturing towards the dance floor. Lily looked at him and grinned widely.
"Sure," she said smiling. Asher grinned and took her hand, leading her on to the dance floor to the fast tuned music. He immediately twirled her around, pulling her to him so that her back was leaning against his chest and he wrapped his arms around her before twirling Lily around again so that she faced him and grabbed both of her hands. Asher pulled her towards him so that there was no space between the two of them for a second. They beamed at one another and Lily pulled away before Asher twirled her around again. Both of them were smiling and laughing with pure delight.
"Wow Ash, you're a great dancer," said Lily through her laughter. "I can't believe I never noticed before!" Asher smirked and pulled Lily close to him for a moment before leaning his head to whisper into her ear.
"You didn't know notice a lot of things, Lily," he whispered. Lily pulled back and looked at him with raised, curious eyebrows. Asher just continued to smile before taking a step back, grabbed her around the waist, and dipped her low to the ground. They both laughed as she squealed with delight.
But, because Lily and Asher were not paying attention to their surroundings, they did not notice that Eddie Weasley was looking at them and his eyes were cold; colder than anyone had ever seen them before.
Asher twirled Lily around again except this time in a full circle, her laughter like music to his ears. It was at this time that he could finally see why Eddie used to like her so much; he might even go so far as to say how much Eddie used to love her. Even Asher had always thought that Lily was a great catch as a girlfriend; she was cute, smart, witty, she was not clingy, and had the uncanny ability to take care of herself. But, out of respect for Eddie and his feelings, Asher never made a move despite the fact that he could not help falling for her either. Circumstances change though and ever since Eddie had pretty much stabbed them all in the back and betrayed them, it became fair game. Eddie had been their friend and since he left them, Asher and Lily had to lean on one another; had to find comfort in each other and miraculously, they succeeded.
Now, Asher knew that it was time to make a move.
Asher smiled widely and grabbed one of Lily's hands and lifted it above her head and he twirled her around in an affectionate sort of way. Lily looked up at the ceiling and was laughing with joy. Asher's eyes twinkled and he was smiling softly, gazing at her intently. When he was done twirling her, he turned her so that she was facing him. They both held on to each other's hands, their fingers entwined, and continued to dance to the fast paced music while having fun and finding comfort in each other.
Meanwhile, Eddie Weasley was still staring at them with a cold, hard look in his eyes. But, at the same time, there was a disturbing, smug smile on his face.
When the song ended and the music stopped, Lily was laughing so hard and so much that she tumbled into Asher and laughed into his shoulder. Asher pulled her into a hug, also laughing, placing his chin on to her shoulder and wrapping his arms around her. It was only one song into the ball and the two of them were already having a fabulous time. Lily never knew she could actually have fun at a ball and decided that when going with someone you really cared about; someone that you would have fun with, they were not so bad after all.
Before either of them could comment on the time that they were having, another song came on except this time, it was much slower than the first song. Lily pulled her face out of Asher's shoulder and broke away from his embrace. Though she looked slightly embarrassed, there was a huge grin on her face and her emerald green eyes were twinkling with a joyous kind of laughter in them.
"Would you like another dance?"
"Of course!"
Asher had a huge, stupid grin on his face as he wrapped his arms tenderly around Lily's waist and Lily hesitantly and awkwardly placed her arms loosely around his neck.
"Don't be embarrassed, Lily Billy," whispered Asher softly into her ear, sending pleasant chills down her spine. "It's just a dance. All of the cool kids are doing it." Lily laughed and looked ahead so that they were both smiling warmly at each other.
Looking into Asher's warm, stormy gray eyes, Lily could not explain what was happening. She was having a fabulous time with Asher; she truly was. She could never remember having so much fun at a ball. It did not even compare to last year's Halloween Ball, where she had performed with the rest of the band, sang to Harry, and then shared a special dance with Eddie on the stage. To her astonishment, even last year's Christmas Ball, which she had attended with Eddie, was not this much fun. Sure, she, Eddie, Harry, and Sirius had all been kidnapped during the Christmas Ball but that was beside the point. The fact of the matter was that she liked being with Asher and she cared about him greatly. It was not complicated; it was as simple as that.
"Lily?"
Lily broke out of her thoughts and looked into Asher's eyes again, but did not respond. Apparently, Asher did not need a response because he tightened his grip around her waist and pulled her close. Lily, surprisingly to her and to Asher, she did not object. Instead, she followed Asher's actions and tightened her arms around his neck, making them come even closer together, and their smiles, if possible, widened even more.
Asher grinned to himself and decided to be a little different and more special than the other dancing couples surrounding them; because Lily was special to him. So, he took one of Lily's hands from around his neck and lifted it above her head and twirled her around in full circle before wrapping his arms around her again and letting her lean against him. Lily was shocked, but gladly followed Asher's daring move.
Lily looked into Asher's warm, stormy gray eyes again and grinned. When she saw the comforting and affectionate look within them, she also decided to be daring. Lily rested her head against his shoulder, closed her eyes, sighed, and then smiled. Asher gasped, clearly startled at Lily's move. Being affectionate with the opposite gender was something Lily rarely did, unless it was Eddie. But, Asher realized, he was not happy and Lily was resting her head against him, holding him close to her. His heart was pounding so hard against his ribcage that she was sure that she would be able to hear it. If she did, Lily ignored it and simply sighed happily again. He took this as encouragement and Asher tightened his hold on her and rested his head a top of her own, grinning lazily. They enjoyed swaying to the music until Asher broke the comfortable silence:
"Lily?" Lily could not help but notice that his voice sounded strange; choked up and strained. It was weird and Lily slowly took her head off his shoulder and looked intently as his face.
"What's wrong?"
"Oh, nothing is wrong," said Asher hastily. Lily noticed how close their faces were and how Asher's face was somehow getting closer and closer to her own. Asher tilted his head to the side slightly and closed his eyes. Lily's breath hitched in her throat and she inwardly panicked; she did not know what to do in this kind of situation so she followed her instincts and closed her eyes. She could feel that their noses were touching.
Lily held her breath and their lips touched. Asher paused for a moment, waiting for Lily to possibly smack him. When nothing hit him, he pressed his lips fully on her own and the two of htem met in a soft, sweet kiss; in the middle of the dance floor during the Halloween Ball at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
It was Lily's first real kiss. It felt like several moments before they parted, their lips and faces flushed and their eyes twinkling with an odd satisfaction. Lily never pictured her first kiss ever being that sweet and beautiful.
To be quite honest, Lily had always thought her first kiss would be with Eddie, but surprisingly, it was not. It was her other good friend, Asher, with whom she had shared her first kiss with and she knew she would remember it always.
"Lily?" Asher asked again in gently whisper. Lily looked at him yet again, her eyes shining with excitement and joy.
"Yes Asher?" She was surprised to find that Asher was biting his lip extremely hard; she was surprised that he had not drawn blood. His pale skin had also become alarmingly red and realization dawned on her. Lily took a deep breath and braced herself for what she knew was about to be asked of her.
"Lily, would you be my girlfriend?" he asked in that same gentle whisper. Lily smiled sheepishly and blushed slightly as she also bit her lip. She looked down at the ground for a minute before looking up at him again, a big silly grin on her face.
"I'd love to be your girlfriend, Asher," she whispered in his ear. When she pulled back and looked into his face, Lily saw that he was smiling stupidly and he kissed her cheek before she rested her head on his shoulder again, swaying slowly on the spot.
They enjoyed that moment for as long as they possibly could.
But, inevitably and unfortunately, the eventually song ended and Asher reluctantly let go of Lily's waist, but he made up for it by quickly grabbing her hand and holding it in his own, entwining their fingers.
"Would you like to relax for a moment?" asked Asher as he gestured towards the drink stand that was serving cold pumpkin juice and hot Butterbeer and the surrounding chairs and small tables where many couples were talking over drinks. "I don't know about you, Lily Billy, but I'm thirsty." Lily chuckled.
"Yeah, I'm quite thirsty too!" said Lily, fanning herself.
"Why don't you grab us a table and I'll get us some drinks." Asher suggested. Lily nodded silently in agreement as he gave her another kiss on the cheek before walking, or more like skipping, to drink stand. Everyone stared at him as though he had announced that Luna Lovegood had become Mistress of Magic. Lily could not help but notice that he still had a stupid grin still plastered to his face. Lily grinned sheepishly at the effect that she had on him before starting to walk towards the tables. Miraculously, she found an empty one and as she walked towards it, Lily stopped abruptly when something, or someone, roughly grabbed her arm and painfully whipped her around.
"Where do you think you're going Potter?" the voice snarled and Lily recognized it immediately. She narrowed her eyes and looked up into the face of Eddie Weasley.
"What?" she asked warily, already knowing what was going to come out of Eddie's mouth. "What do you want, Weasley?"
"Need I remind you that you owe me a dance, Potter," he snapped, tightening his grip on her arm. Lily held back her painful wince and rolled her eyes again,
'Gee, wasn't that predictable,' she thought bitterly and sarcastically to herself but speaking to Eddie through gritted teeth. "I don't owe you a thing, Weasley," she snarled, desperately trying to rip her arm from Eddie's grip. "Now why don't you go do the wizarding world a favor and go jump into the Great Lake?"
Eddie smiled in a smug way and took out his wand, pointing it directly at Lily's face. Lily's eyes widened in horror and she looked at Eddie again. His smug smile quickly disappeared and was replaced with a look of anger and hatred, so much it that it frightened Lily to the very core of her bones. He looked almost as hateful and angry as Voldemort. The very thought sent shivers down Lily's spine and no one fully understood how much terror that arose in her heart and soul.
"Now you listen to me you dirty little Mudblood lover," Eddie snarled, advancing on his old best friend. Lily, out of fear, and the fact that she had left her wand back in the dormitory, backed away from him slowly. "Just because you and Lazard were practically shagging each other out on the dance floor, that does not mean that you can go around thinking that you're better than everyone else, because you're not! You think that because you're the daughter of the so-called famous Harry Potter; the Boy Who Lived, that you're above everyone else! Well, let me tell you something, Potter, you are not special in any way!"
"Leave me alone, Weasley!" Lily shouted, her voice shaking, still backing away fearfully. For the very first time in her whole entire life, even after all those times facing Voldemort, for the first time, Lily felt totally defenseless.
Eddie ignored her plea and continued sneering and advancing on her; "No one cares about you, Potter, no one! Lazard is only dating you because he feels sorry for you. I was your only friend and now that I'm gone, you don't have any friends and he feels bad for you, so he's pretending to be your friend. You're a disgrace, Potter!"
"That's not true! You shut your mouth, Weasley!"
But, Eddie did not shut his mouth; he continued to verbally harass her. "You're a disgrace, Potter!" he repeated. "Look at you! Your own parents didn't even want you. Your mother took one looked at the filth that you are and disowned you immediately. And your father…your father…well…let's not even go into that!"
"My father never became a Death Eater!" Lily protested desperately. "He loves me; he never betrayed me and he never would! He changed time!"
"Why do you think he changed time?" asked Eddie bitterly, jamming his wand into Lily's shoulder blade, causing her flinch in pain. "You think he changed it for you, Potter? Hell no! You're a fool for thinking that! Harry doesn't care about you; he never did. He changed it for himself, for his Master. He changed it to help him; he changed it for Voldemort."
"NO!" Lily shouted, a little angrier than before. "Don't say that! That's not true!"
"Yes, yes it is true," sneered Eddie as he took a step closer to Lily, making them very close together and Lily very uncomfortable. She could not back up anymore as she was against the wall and she could feel and smell Eddie's heavy breath in her face. "He is only here to turn back to Voldemort. He may have changed time, Potter, but Voldemort always wins in the end. Your daddy dearest will betray you again and he will join Voldemort. Face it, Potter, everyone leaves you; no one cares about you."
"That's not true!"
"Oh yes it is," sneered Eddie, his face very close to her own. Their noses were almost touching and Eddie was now spitting on her every time he spoke. It was beginning to nauseate her on many different levels. "They only pretend to care about you, Potter, because of that damn prophecy! They need you alive to defeat Voldemort and once you've done that, they'll dump you; they'll dump you just like your mother did."
By this time, Lily felt an array of negative emotions; she felt helpless, desperate, and angry, but also hurt beyond words. She did not want to believe Eddie'; words, but something was nagging at the back of her head and her heart. It was true; Eddie had confirmed her greatest fear and it scared and hurt her at the same time. It was like facing a dementor except the Patronus Charm would not save her this time. Desperate to get away from him and his cruel words, Lily stepped forward and shoved Eddie away angrily.
"I SAID TO LEAVE ME ALONE!" Lily bellowed at the top of her lungs, though no one seemed to have heard her due to the loud music. Eddie frowned dangerously and advanced on her again, his wand pointed at her face, as though ready to attack. Thankfully, at that precise moment, a large hand had grabbed Eddie roughly be the robes and pulled him away from Lily. Lily gasped and looked up. She was surprised to see Harry who was holding Eddie by the color of his robes, clenching his fists around the material, and looking down at his godson with a dangerous look in his eyes.
"What in the world do you think you're doing Edward Weasley?" Harry snarled, gripping the boy's robes even tighter. Lily could not have been more relieved at that moment. She hated feeling like a damsel in distress but, deep down, she was thankful for Harry's sudden save.
"I'm not doing anything, Professor," said Eddie innocently, his eyes going wide. Harry narrowed his eyes at the red-haired boy and a green fire flashed in his eyes for a moment, like fire. Harry stared at him before quickly looking at Lily; his gaze immediately softened. A look in his eyes told her that he would be right before he looked at Eddie again, his face hardening again.
"'I'm not doing anything' my arse," mumbled Harry as he grabbed Eddie roughly by the collar and literally dragged him to the staff table and straight up to Hermione. Lily watched and was startled to find that she was trying to catch her breath.
"Lily?" a voice called frantically. Lily looked to her left and saw Asher running from the drink stand and towards her, clutching two butterbeers.
"Lily, are you okay? What happened?" he asked urgently, his eyes full of worry and concern when he saw Lily's panic stricken face and her trembling hands. Unable to find the words to explain, she shifted her gaze from Asher's concerned face towards Harry at the staff table. Lily watched as Harry was saying something to Hermione and her own eyes widened dangerously. Hermione took Eddie from Harry, also by his collar and dragged him out of the Great Hall. Harry watched them go and his eyes slowly turned to Lily. His facial features immediately softened and he dashed over to her and within seconds, Harry was in front of her, bending down so that he was eye level with her.
"What happened, Tiger? Are you alright?" he asked in a gentle, concerned voice. Lily nodded reluctantly and unconvincingly.
"Yeah, I'm fine," she muttered in a shaky voice. Harry stroked her head gently before pulling her into a small, yet comforting embrace. Asher was confused but looked at the scene silently, his gaze looking from Lily to Harry.
"What did Eddie say to you?" Harry asked urgently. Realization dawned on Asher and his stormy gray eyes glazed over and widened dangerously.
"Are you bloody kidding me? Eddie was bothering you again?" he asked, stepping forward to stand closer to Lily. His teeth were clenched and his face was screwed up in anger. Harry looked at Asher startled.
"What do you mean 'again?'" asked Harry furiously, ignoring Asher's foul language. "You mean this has happened before?" Lily shot Asher a furious look as he stuttered over his words and looked at his feet as though ashamed. He shot Lily an apologizing look before turning to Harry and sighing.
"It hasn't been quite this bad, but yes, Eddie has grown fond of harassing Lily lately," explained Asher reluctantly, looking both furious and scared at the same time; he was scared because he did not want to see Harry's reaction to the situation.
Harry immediately turned to Lily and did not say anything, much to Lily and Asher's astonishment. Instead, he embraced his daughter tightly again. To his dismay, Harry could feel her trembling underneath his arms and fury worked through his veins and bones like a dangerous poison. He slowly let go of Lily and got to his feet.
"Tiger, Asher, come with me to my office," requested Harry as he placed a hand on Lily's shoulder, guiding her out of the Great Hall and into the Entrance Hall and down the corridors. Harry looked over at Lily and noticed that she and Asher were walking very close together and were holding hands, their fingers entwined. Harry made a face of disgust, but quickly erased it from his face.
When the three of them entered his office, Harry turned around, locked the door, and placed a Silencing Charm on the room. He gestured towards the chairs in the front of his desk and Lily and Asher immediately sat down, still clutching each other's hands. Harry swiftly crossed the room and sat down on his desk, facing the two of them.
"Now, tell me everything that has been going on with Eddie," said Harry firmly. Lily and Asher looked at each other and nervously before spilling out everything to Harry. It was like letting out a poison that had been sitting in her veins and heart. Lily rambled on and on and told him everything about what Eddie had said to him tonight. All the time, Asher never let go of her hand and started rubbing his thumb gently over her knuckles.
"He said what?" Harry shouted angrily, jumping to his feet. Asher jumped and gave Lily's hand a reassuring squeeze. Harry strode forward and pulled Lily into a tight, warm embrace, lifting her off her feet and hugging her tightly. Lily wrapped her arm around her father's shoulders and buried her face into his shoulder.
"Please, don't listen to him, Tiger Lily," said Harry, almost pleadingly. "It's not true; none of it is. I love you more than anything, and so do Sirius and Remus. Ron and Hermione love you too; like their own daughter! I know Asher here and Robyn care about you too! Please don't listen to him Tiger, please. He's just trying to get a rise out of you." Harry set Lily back down on the ground and looked down at her, as though worried she might explode or something. Lily, despite the sincerity of the situation, could not help but chuckle at his utmost concern.
"Alright," she muttered, looking down at her feet. "Alright, I believe you."
"Good!" he said in relief, playfully ruffling her hair. Lily groaned and pushed his hand away, grimacing.
"Not the hair," she said in a half whine, half shout. "Robby worked hard on it!" Harry and Asher both shared a look and laughed.
"My apologies, Tiger," said Harry, grinning. "Why don't you two go back and enjoy the Halloween Ball?" Asher grinned and called out for his girlfriend. When Lily turned around she saw that he had opened his arms for her and Lily ran into them, throwing her arms around his neck. Asher tightly held on to her, nuzzling his face into her shoulder before whispering in her ear.
"Lily Billy, as long as we're talking about Eddie," said Asher cautiously, watching Lily at the corner of his eye. "I think you should tell Harry about your plan." Harry overheard Asher's whisper and cocked an eyebrow.
"What plan?" he asked curiously. Asher and Lily broke from their hug and looked at Harry with awkward grins on their faces.
"Lily came up with a brilliant plan to figure out what's wrong with Eddie," said Asher proudly, wrapping his arm comfortingly around Lily's shoulder.
"Oh yeah? What is it?"
"Starting off, I think I have a strong suspicion of who Voldemort's spy is," said Lily slowly, looking at Harry cautiously. She was not sure if he would be angry with her or not for looking into this kind of thing; especially after claiming that he wanted her to be safe. However, Harry merely nodded, encouraging her to continue. "I think the spy is Raven Dawsetta from Slytherin." Asher nodded his head vigorously in agreement. Harry stared at them for a moment and leaned back against his desk.
"Is there any particular reason why you have this suspicion?" he asked, looking both grave and curious at the same time.
"I had a dream," explained Lily and she proceeded to tell Harry all about her dream and how her suspicions about Raven being a Death Eater first arose. All the while, Harry was staring at his daughter intently and Asher never let go of her hand; constantly giving it reassuring squeezes as she continued her explanation.
"I think she might have used some kind of spell on him," Lily continued to explain. "I think it may have been a spell where Voldemort was given the power to take over Eddie's mind or something. I remember Britta, Eddie's girlfriend, telling me that Raven hit him with a spell while in the library a long while ago. Britta also said that it was about the same time Eddie started acting so strange and different."
"Does she happen to remember the incantation for the spell?" asked Harry, scratching his chin. Lily shook her head and sighed.
"I've asked her, but unfortunately, she doesn't," Lily muttered disappointedly. "That's why we haven't been able to prove anything. Harry, I honestly think that it was a spell to put Eddie under Voldemort's influence.
"In the end, I think it's going to be Britta's word against Raven's," said Lily with a heavy sigh. "I don't know how much that would work though. If Eddie is under Raven and Voldemort's influence, he would just deny that Raven ever put a curse on him."
"And I'm assuming this plan of yours is a way to prove Dawsetta's guilt without Eddie and Britta's testimony?" asked Harry, smiling knowingly. Lily smirked.
"You're right on that one, Harry," she said, smirking mischievously.
"So, what do we do, Tiger?" Lily turned and looked at Asher, still smirking. She was pleased to see that he was also grinning back at her. Finally, she turned and looked up at her father, the smirk never leaving her face.
"We time-travel."
A note from the Jitterbelle. Wow this chapter was intense and extremely difficult to revise! But, I hope it was worth it for all of you to read. I hope you're enjoying it as much as I enjoyed writing it (and revising it haha!).
In regards to Lily's character, many of you may have noticed that as the story continues, Lily's character is changing. She is becoming quieter, reserved, and even a little more emotional. While Lily is still very spunky and tough, she is still a teenage girl. This is something I like to call 'maturing.' Lily is maturing and starting to enter a very emotional time and will continue to change, but she will always be the same girl who is willing to beat up anyone who threatens her or anyone she cares about. I just thought I should tell you this in case you were wondering why Lily has been acting differently…
Coming in Chapter 15 - Harry and Lily do a little time-traveling and they come across some special memories...a very touching chapter…
