A/N: Mkay, I won't bother you with any explanations as to why this took so long to come out. You may want to skim the last couple chapters, refresh your mind, though. And I won't be giving any personal replies this time, as none of you will have remembered what you wrote. I'd just like to thank everyone for their support and patience (or nagging, depending on which you are more inclined to do ::cough TGWIOWHP cough::)

***

Lily awoke during the false dawn, though she didn't realize this fact. She'd had a dream in the short time she'd been asleep, a dream about how her house had been attacked and her family killed.

The first second of being fully conscious showed Lily to have thrown on a bathrobe and slippers to ward off the chill. The second instant showed the redhead fetching some parchment and a quill and running out the door to the owlry.

Dear Mum, Dad, and Petunia,

I'm so sorry that I stopped talking to you all. I love the three of you very much, and I want to come home during the summer vacation. I want to see you again.

I hope that you aren't too angry with me now. I love you.

Lily


She was too tired to write any more, and decided that it was best to have a short, to-the-point letter. Fastening the letter to her owl's leg, she noted how the faint sunlight had disappeared, replaced by the moon and stars once more. At least they should get the letter before dawn, she thought sleepily as she recognized her stupidity. And I need a watch.

Desperately tired, but not exhausted enough to go back to sleep, Lily pattered back into the dormitory to clothe herself and then go down into the common room.

She seated her small frame on the couch closest to the dying fire, and flipped idly through a magazine that was on the coffee table until she drifted off to sleep.

***

Several hours later, at about eight in the morning, Lily's mother and father were sitting down for breakfast when an owl swooped in and dropped a note on the table. It was the short letter that their youngest daughter had written, and they tremblingly read and re-read it, hoping against all hope that it was true.

As joy overtook them and the clouds gathered overhead outside, ominously black and threatening, five masked and cloaked shapes appeared around the table.

The last words that either remembered hearing were, "crucio," before a killing pain beyond belief overtook them, and then "avada kedavra."

The storm had unleashed itself just as the screams began, thunder masking the tortured sounds of their screams. The rain continued pouring on the ruin of the house long after the black figures had departed.

So it was that Petunia Evans returned from a date with Vernon Dursley to find her house a ruin, slicked over with mud.

"Mum? Dad? Mum! Dad!" she exclaimed, frantically searching the complete mess that had once been a beautiful home. She found them, or their corpses, splayed out in the kitchen.

Amidst the muck, she hunted up a letter. As she read it, flashing lights and sirens approached her house, and men jumped out of the cars and pulled her away onto the street, in front of the house across the way. Petunia was angrily clutching the letter while tears silently coursed down her face, shivering in the cold rain.

If it hadn't been for the clouds masking what clues may have been discovered in the sky, someone may have noticed the green skull with the snake protruding out of its mouth.

Instead, Petunia was shortly hustled inside a neighbor's house, where a warm blanket was draped over her shoulders and a cup of tea provided while the police questioned her carefully. After, she was shown to a guest room so she could mourn in peace the death of her parents, and stock up even more anger against her younger sister, and more resent of the magical world.

***

In a room located in central London, at approximately nine twenty seven in the morning, a man glanced up from a map that had numerous glowing green dots flashing. "The Zimmers, the Calworths, and the Evanses, sir. All were killed and the Zimmers and the Calworths, but the daughter survived for the Evanses."

A rather old, worn man nodded. "I'll notify the headmaster immediately, so he may deal accordingly."

The younger man nodded and went back to staring at the dots, which could just be made out as green skulls. "The Dark Mark," he muttered, shaking his head sadly. "We'll all hate it very soon."

***

At ten thirty (about two hours before the other students were due back) Lily was interrupted from her game of Wizard's chess by Professor McGonagall. "Miss Evans, you are wanted by the headmaster immediately. I will take you to him."

Lily shot a confused glance towards Chaos, who shrugged and motioned for her to leave.

Lily followed Professor McGonagall slowly, wondering what on Earth she could've done to get in trouble. Each step seemed to drag an uncertain doom nearer and nearer, until Lily just wanted to scream and run as fast as possible in the opposite direction.

In fact, when Professor McGonagall had turned to tell Lily what the password was to the gargoyle she'd halted in front of, she discovered the girl facing away with one foot poised as if to take off.

"Miss Evans, what are you doing?" the professor demanded in an exasperated way.

"Um, nothing," she said with a small voice, facing around and putting her foot down.

"Right," the professor said, giving her a slightly suspicious look. "The password is 'fizzing whizbees.' He's expecting you, so you may go right up." With that, the professor strode off, leaving Lily to use her self-discipline to go see the headmaster.

"Fizzing whizbees," she said timidly to the imposing statue, which promptly sprung to the side, revealing a large staircase that spiraled upward.

By the time she'd reached the top, she was sufficiently dizzy. As she paused to recollect herself before knocking on the wooden door, the object swung open to reveal a tearful girl a few years older than she was. The girl barely took notice of Lily as she raced down the spiraling staircase, leaving the door open for Lily to enter.

Taking a deep breath, Lily crossed the threshold, hoping for the best.

***

Please leave a review if you've taken the trouble to read this! Also, don't shoot me for taking so long! It was about three pages long, which is decent for one night. And I have two more days of vacation that I'll be home for, so if I get lots of feedback… ::wink wink nudge nudge::