Here's another chapter for everyone! It touches lightly on a couple matters people might have issues with (incest and homosexuality) so you are forewarned. This one was longer than the last, and it takes you from the middle of second year to somewhere in the fifth year (yay me!) since I am too lazy for some research I'd need to do to be more detailed… no more talking from me! Again, thanks to everyone who reviewed, I appreciate your support, and I'm sorry that I'm not personally replying to all your reviews.

To answer one question ("where have you been?"), let's just say school and many extracurricular activities, as well as a very bumpy start for tests (I got an 80 on my first in bio and my first in history, which is very unusual for me) so I studied more. Also, an over-obsession with something during the summer, I won't say what though.

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She did end up screaming and running as far and fast as she could. Curled up in a remote corner of the castle, Lily sobbed and shivered as she replayed the horrific scene through her head.

"Miss Evans, I have some evil tidings to bear to you," Dumbledore said somberly. "I'm afraid your parents have been killed by the Dark Lord, Voldemort."

She went numb from shock, and only managed to utter, "What?"

"You have two options open to you, though I do not know which one will seem more favorable in your eyes. Your first choice is to go to your sister during the holidays, in her new flat. Though in all fairness, I should forewarn you- she may not be in the best of spirits with you or our kind.

"Your second option is to go to your aunt and uncle in the magical community in Laos, where they are missionaries of a kind. Unfortunately, it would be too complicated and costly in that situation to have you return to Hogwarts while they remain there. You would be joining the small school that the local children attend, which is a branch-off of Hogwarts itself. You would learn just as much, just as well, if not better, than you would if you remained here. You would also have the added advantage of helping the neighboring muggle village."

Lily was still unable to function properly, but that was due to the sharp, stabbing pain she now felt. As the tears finally began to well up in her eyes, Dumbledore dismissed her and told her to think about her choice.

The second the spiraling stairs deposited Lily back into the hallway, she let out a gigantic screech of frustration and dashed off.

"It's my fault. That's what Petunia thinks," she choked out to herself. "I should just go to Laos." She drifted to sleep amidst her pool of misery and awoke several hours later, just as the sun had begun to set. One last horrific thought struck her, sending her into a fresh bout of tears and sleep.

She'd never said good-bye.

****

Chaos had been growing increasingly worried as the length of time Lily had been gone expanded. She went to lunch, helped the other girls back into the dorm room, and still no sign of Lily. After supper had come and gone, nearly half a day had elapsed. Chaos dragged Electra and Rhiannon to the kitchens to ask after Lily.

"Misses Chaos, Electra and Rhiannon! How mays we be serving you?" was the general chorus they were greeted with.

"Actually," Chaos said, "we were wondering if you'd known where Lily is, or was, today."


"Chaos said that McGonagall pulled her out of the common room a few hours before we arrived back for lunch," Rhiannon added, giving the house-elves a more specific time frame to work with.

"We is not seeing Miss Lily, misses. But we will be telling yous if we is seeing her," one elf piped up.

"Thanks," said Electra with a small smile as the girls turned to return to the dorm room.

****

Lily awoke once more, feeling very drained and unhappy. She stumbled to the nearest girls' bathroom to splash some cold water on her face, and as she noted the time on her watch (3 AM) she went and opened the window. Letting the cool air play across her tear-encrusted face, she began to drowse. Her attention was caught by the sudden appearance of a violently green owl bearing a piece of lined paper.

"I didn't know they came in that color," she croaked softly to herself as the odd bird dropped the paper on her hand and flapped away.

She picked up the letter and read it through once then began shaking and dropped it out the window. This had hardened Lily's resolve for the decision she'd made.

As it floated down, a breeze picked it up and carried it off to the lake. The water slowly overtook it, forever hiding the message of "Don't come back" in Petunia's hand.

Determined knocking on the door to his office at precisely four twenty seven in the morning awoke Dumbledore. When he had opened the door, a very disheveled but composed Lily strode inside.

"I've made my decision. I want to go to Laos, and I want to go as soon as I possibly can."

Later that very day she was on the train to home. She'd packed swiftly and silently, finishing long before any of the other girls had left. After the lonely train ride, her aunt and uncle (who had used a bit of their small stock of Floo powder to arrive quickly) greeted her.

After the tearful day of the funeral (during which Lily and Petunia avoided each other), Lily began the long journey with her mother's oldest brother and younger sister, and their child. Vicky was the same age as Lily, but understood more than Lily about the hardships people faced all the time in the world.

The three were missionaries of magic- all three were wizards, and Lily's aunt Verona and uncle Charles had provided the funds to establish the magic school their niece would now be attending.

Vicky was ecstatic that her cousin would be coming to live with her. "We're going to have so much fun! We'll be able to help each other with our assignments and stuff in school, and do all the same jobs in the village!"

Lily smiled vaguely, as she was more in tune to her aunt and uncle's conversation.

"Remember, Charlie, she doesn't know that we're brother and sister, and I'd like to keep it that way. I don't want to have to explain incest at the moment, and she doesn't need to know that that is half the reason we went to Laos in the first place," aunt Verona was saying.

"She'll find out on her own sooner or later."

"Let's try and make it later," was the over-anxious reply.

Lily settled back in her seat and pretended to fall asleep so that she could think. Her aunt and uncle were siblings as well as spouse, which made their daughter a Picchione on both sides. She'd only have one set of grandparents, if they were alive. With most people as intolerant as they are, and her aunt and uncle being in such a prominent family in the limelight so often, they would be driven out of the country eventually.

For the time being, she would respect her aunt's wishes and wait until they approached her on the matter.

A month later, Lily was well adjusted to life in Laos. The village she lived in had very few families, as they were the only magical people that lived nearby. Since they had such little money, they hadn't been able to afford schooling in the ways of magic. The school provided a place for the children and adults to learn what they would at any prestigious place, only in a less refined location.

Lily, Vicky, and a few of the older children would often go to the muggle village and help in schooling the young children there after their lessons, and then would play games like Jump-in-the-box (which Vicky had introduced long ago) or mancala.

Lily had put away her fancy shoes and clothes, and instead wore her simpler outfits and ran around barefoot like all the other children. She kept up with her lessons, continuously excelling as she usually did.

Two years later, her old clothes didn't fit anyway. She'd also taken to poking about in her aunt and uncle's library, and had discovered a book on animagi, which she promptly hid and studied at night by the light of her wand. Magical law enforcement was sufficiently less strict than England had been, which allowed her to perform harmless spells.

That year, Vicky had also discovered something about herself, which she kept secret for a few months before revealing to her best friend and cousin.

"Lily," Vicky tentatively whispered in the dark of the night, after the red-head's wand had been put out.

"Yeah?"

"I want to tell you something," the brunette replied as she slid onto Lily's bed.

"Go ahead."

"I'm like boys."

"That's nothing new," Lily responded dryly. Her cousin never had acted all girly-girl, always being one of the guys. When the younger girls went to play jump-in-the-box, Vicky would go and play tag with the boys.

"No. I'm like boys in the way that I… I… fancy girls."

Lily wasn't certain what to say. "Oh."

"Are you okay with that?"

"Vicky, if that's how you feel, I'm absolutely fine with it," Lily replied, giving her a big hug.

"Thanks Lily," Vicky whispered as she climbed back into her bed.

****

"Vicky!" Lily yelled. It was a year later, and she'd finally worked up the courage to try the animagi thing. "Come here!"

"What do you want, Lily?" Vicky shouted as she skidded into the room out of breath.

"I want you to drink this with me," she said, handing her a glass.

"Okay…"

The two downed the drink, and Lily immediately began to change.

Nothing happened to Vicky, who remained standing, staring in shock at her cousin, who was now a spider monkey.

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