Chapter 12: Destiny
Lily Evans was curled up on the wide windowsill in the bedroom, her nightgown flowing gently from the warm breeze coming through the open window. The air was still and comforting; crickets were chirping softly down below, hidden in the dewy grass. Deep blue hues unfurled across the sky, melting into blackness just above the Forbidden Forest. Pinpricks of light began to pop up here and there across the sky, and the breathtaking full moon smiled down upon her and Hogwarts, illuminating the school grounds.
This peaceful summer night reminded her of the old times, the times before she found out she was a witch, times when she was just a normal muggle. The taste of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream overflowed onto her tastebuds as she recalled the many nights that she would sit out on her porch with her father and watch the glittering stars overhead. Lily rested her head on her knees and remembered vividly the night she saw the shooting star. It was the night before she received her Hogwarts letter, the letter that changed her life forever.
"Daddy, look!" She pointed upwards towards a moving speck in the sky. "What is that? Is that a shooting star?" she asked, her eyes wide and full of wonder.
Her father smiled. "Make a wish, honey. Quickly, before it goes away," he said gently, silently making one of his own. He wished her a wonderful, fulfilling life, that the world would know his kind, intelligent, beautiful daughter for her perfection, and that she would realize one day how much he truly loved her.
Lily sniffled, small tears escaped from the corners of her eyes from the emotion incurred by the memory. She stared at the velvet sky, searching for signs of hope, for the shooting star she saw six years ago so that she could wish on it again. She remembered what she wished for that night. Her eleven year old self had asked the star for a destiny, a purpose. She laughed bitterly at her youthful ignorance. She had thought that receiving her Hogwarts letter was destiny. But what sort of destiny was this? She was so alone. So lost. So afraid of the future. Lily shivered, suddenly she felt cold.
The sound of a door closing softly behind her made her turn around; she wasn't sure she wanted to be disturbed right now. But it was only Alice, who gave her a soft, sincere smile and then walked into the bathroom. Lily gave a small sigh, wiped away any telltale tears from her eyes and resumed gazing out the window into the night.
Hours passed. The girls in her dorm shuffled around and went to sleep. Alice gave one last long glance at Lily before she pulled the curtains around her bed. She'd tell her about Frank in the morning. Lily continued gazing out the window, she did not know what time it was, but she was beginning to feel tired and cramped from sitting on the hard windowsill for so long.
She was about to slide off the sill when a glint of silver caught her eye on the edge of the Forbidden Forest. She leaned in and looked closer, squinting into the now-chilly night. It was a stag, tall and magnificant; its coat gleamed brilliantly in the moonlight and its long sleek legs were powerful as it walked gracefully across the grass. Suddenly, it jumped up; something had startled it. A large black dog pounced out of the bushes and nipped at its hind legs. The stag lowered its head so that its huge antlers faced the shaggy dog. The mutt yipped and ran in circles, prancing and jumping around. Lily furrowed her eyebrows.
It was an odd site. Perhaps she was just too tired. She stifled a yawn and and squinted into the night a little longer, the two animals below her disappeared into the dark Forbidden Forest. The sky was pitch black now and glittering with millions of diamonds for as far as Lily could see. She shut her eyes for a minute and took a deep breath, remembering the past. When she opened them, her head facing the sky, she saw a tiny streak of white shoot across the inky blackness leaving flickering sparks in its path. Her mouth dropped open and a tiny tear trickled slowly out of the corner of her eye.
"Make a wish, honey. Quickly before it goes away," she heard her father say.
Destiny. She wished it before she could even stop herself. Her mind numb with tiredness, she stood up and walked over to her bed, collapsing into it with memories of ice cream and warm summer nights, fireflies and sparkling stars. And a vision of the future. Chapter 13: A Vision of the Future
Lily woke up groaning with a splitting headache that made her want to cast herself off the Astronomy Tower. She rubbed her eyes and then tried to block the sunlight from hitting her face; the brightness of it stung harshly. She rolled out of bed, landing on the floor wrapped up like a taco in her maroon comforter and bed sheets. Moaning, she lifted up her neck to look at her clock. 8:34! Her first class started in 26 minutes! She savaging attempted to untangle herself from her bedsheets, her long smooth legs flailing and her wild red hair whipping around her face. Her head throbbed, she needed to eat but she was missing breakfast. She yelled out a few uncharacteristic expletives at the blanket that still had her trapped within it, and then slumped down and lay still.
She had had the strangest dream last night, but she couldn't remember it. It was stuck in the corner of her mind; she knew it was there. Crinkling up her forehead, she recalled it being...important. Important? Then why couldn't she remember it? Disgusted, she slowly and successfully slithered out from the tangle of sheets on the floor.
She stumbled to the bathroom, her pounding head made her stomach clench up uncomfortably. Barely making it to the toilet, she threw up. Thank God everyone is already in the Great Hall eating breakfast, she thought wryly, wiping her mouth. She'd have to go see Madam Pomphrey. Putting on her clothes and gathering her schoolbooks, she made her way shakily to the Hospital wing.
She had to stop and lean against the wall to rest for a second, though the Hospital wing was just down the hall. She took a deep breath; a piercing bolt of flashing pain shot straight down her forehead, splitting into smaller stinging jolts that cascaded down her body like hot piercing knives. She cried out, putting her hand to her head. Suddenly she remembered the dream.
Bright, electrifying green bolts of light shot past her. One flew so close to her arm that it left a deep red burn mark. Smoke and ash filled her nostrils. She heard screaming, men and women screaming. She was running, yelling. What was she yelling? The air was hot; she heard flames crackling nearby. It was so cloudy, so gray. Her eyes stung; she coughed. Someone called out her name. Flashes of red and blue, more bright green flashes. Was that a child crying? Where was the child? Frantically, she ran. More screams. Dull thuds as bodies hit the ground. And then laughter. Cold, high- pitched, echoing laughter.
She lay on the floor gasping for air. She had thrown up again, her vomit lay in a puddle around her face. Someone was hovering above her, saying her name. Lily? Lily? "Where is the child? she cried anxiously, her arms lashing out. She felt a firm hand grab her shoulder and shake her gently. "Lily?" the voice said. This time she opened her eyes. Remus Lupin's face slowly came into focus.
"Remus, what are you doing here?" She tried to stand up, but she collapsed, her body unable to support her weight. Her vision began to blur and the hallways seemed to tip sideways.
"Lily, are you okay?" He paused. "No, obviously you're not okay. Come on, let's get you to the hospital wing." He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her up. She leaned heavily against him, feeling him tremble slightly under her weight. The hallway continued to sway back and forth, but at least she could stand now. Lily felt her cheeks grow slightly warm when she realized that Remus, a Marauder, was holding onto her body tightly, guiding her down the hall.
"Uh..I think I can stand now.." She started off embarassedly.
"Oh!" Remus quickly dropped his arms and stood awkwardly. Nice one Remus, he thought to himself. He was about to ask her if she was okay on her own but she started to tilt a little to the left and he reached out and caught her by the arm.
"Hah. Thanks."
"Yep." He held onto her arm this time and conjured her scattered books into her bag, which he put on his shoulder. He proceeded to guide Lily Evans down the hall towards the Hospital Wing, which he had of course just come from.
As soon as he opened the door and walked in with Lily in tow, Madam Pomphrey dropped the bandages she was putting away and rained questions on Remus.
"Remus! What are you doing back here? Miss Evans? Are you alright? What happened?"
"It's alright, Madam Pomphrey, I just stumbled down the stairs and knocked my head and saw stars for a bit," she replied smoothly. Remus stared at her disbelievingly; he had seen her collapse in the middle of the hallway. He didn't know she was capable of blatantly lying to a teacher's face.
"Remus helped me here because I was a little dizzy. I think I just need a de-woozy potion perhaps?" she asked promptly, shooting warning looks at Remus. He nodded slightly, understanding.
"Yes. Yes, dear. One second, I'll go fetch some." She scuttled off.
"Lily, you didn't look okay-" Remus began but Lily cut him off quickly.
"I'm fine," she replied stubbornly, her eyebrow raised. He knew better than to anger this girl. That was saved for James. He suppressed a chuckle. Wait until James heard about how I got to hold onto to Lily Evans, he thought.
Madam Pomphrey hurried back and Lily quickly downed her potion and Remus handed put her bookbag in her outstretched arms obligingly.
"Thanks." She hesitated a moment, shuffling around books in her bag, and then said cordially, "Shall we go to breakfast?"
Remus nodded and turned around, Madam Pomphrey called out to be careful of the stairs. Beside him, Lily smirked and continued walking toward the door. Remus eyes widened; he had never seen Lily openly smirk at a teacher or anything of the like.
They walked down the empty hallway quickly and Remus could see the puddle of vomit on the floor ahead of them. He was about to cast a charm to clean up the mess but Lily beat him to it.
"Scourgify," she said in an almost bored tone of voice, her feet not missing a step as they continued to walk down the hall. Remus noticed that there was not a single damp or dirty spot on the stone floor, which was now sparkling as much as polished stone could sparkle. Well, the girl did know her stuff, he thought, as they made their way to the Great Hall for their five minute breakfast.
Lily Evans was curled up on the wide windowsill in the bedroom, her nightgown flowing gently from the warm breeze coming through the open window. The air was still and comforting; crickets were chirping softly down below, hidden in the dewy grass. Deep blue hues unfurled across the sky, melting into blackness just above the Forbidden Forest. Pinpricks of light began to pop up here and there across the sky, and the breathtaking full moon smiled down upon her and Hogwarts, illuminating the school grounds.
This peaceful summer night reminded her of the old times, the times before she found out she was a witch, times when she was just a normal muggle. The taste of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream overflowed onto her tastebuds as she recalled the many nights that she would sit out on her porch with her father and watch the glittering stars overhead. Lily rested her head on her knees and remembered vividly the night she saw the shooting star. It was the night before she received her Hogwarts letter, the letter that changed her life forever.
"Daddy, look!" She pointed upwards towards a moving speck in the sky. "What is that? Is that a shooting star?" she asked, her eyes wide and full of wonder.
Her father smiled. "Make a wish, honey. Quickly, before it goes away," he said gently, silently making one of his own. He wished her a wonderful, fulfilling life, that the world would know his kind, intelligent, beautiful daughter for her perfection, and that she would realize one day how much he truly loved her.
Lily sniffled, small tears escaped from the corners of her eyes from the emotion incurred by the memory. She stared at the velvet sky, searching for signs of hope, for the shooting star she saw six years ago so that she could wish on it again. She remembered what she wished for that night. Her eleven year old self had asked the star for a destiny, a purpose. She laughed bitterly at her youthful ignorance. She had thought that receiving her Hogwarts letter was destiny. But what sort of destiny was this? She was so alone. So lost. So afraid of the future. Lily shivered, suddenly she felt cold.
The sound of a door closing softly behind her made her turn around; she wasn't sure she wanted to be disturbed right now. But it was only Alice, who gave her a soft, sincere smile and then walked into the bathroom. Lily gave a small sigh, wiped away any telltale tears from her eyes and resumed gazing out the window into the night.
Hours passed. The girls in her dorm shuffled around and went to sleep. Alice gave one last long glance at Lily before she pulled the curtains around her bed. She'd tell her about Frank in the morning. Lily continued gazing out the window, she did not know what time it was, but she was beginning to feel tired and cramped from sitting on the hard windowsill for so long.
She was about to slide off the sill when a glint of silver caught her eye on the edge of the Forbidden Forest. She leaned in and looked closer, squinting into the now-chilly night. It was a stag, tall and magnificant; its coat gleamed brilliantly in the moonlight and its long sleek legs were powerful as it walked gracefully across the grass. Suddenly, it jumped up; something had startled it. A large black dog pounced out of the bushes and nipped at its hind legs. The stag lowered its head so that its huge antlers faced the shaggy dog. The mutt yipped and ran in circles, prancing and jumping around. Lily furrowed her eyebrows.
It was an odd site. Perhaps she was just too tired. She stifled a yawn and and squinted into the night a little longer, the two animals below her disappeared into the dark Forbidden Forest. The sky was pitch black now and glittering with millions of diamonds for as far as Lily could see. She shut her eyes for a minute and took a deep breath, remembering the past. When she opened them, her head facing the sky, she saw a tiny streak of white shoot across the inky blackness leaving flickering sparks in its path. Her mouth dropped open and a tiny tear trickled slowly out of the corner of her eye.
"Make a wish, honey. Quickly before it goes away," she heard her father say.
Destiny. She wished it before she could even stop herself. Her mind numb with tiredness, she stood up and walked over to her bed, collapsing into it with memories of ice cream and warm summer nights, fireflies and sparkling stars. And a vision of the future. Chapter 13: A Vision of the Future
Lily woke up groaning with a splitting headache that made her want to cast herself off the Astronomy Tower. She rubbed her eyes and then tried to block the sunlight from hitting her face; the brightness of it stung harshly. She rolled out of bed, landing on the floor wrapped up like a taco in her maroon comforter and bed sheets. Moaning, she lifted up her neck to look at her clock. 8:34! Her first class started in 26 minutes! She savaging attempted to untangle herself from her bedsheets, her long smooth legs flailing and her wild red hair whipping around her face. Her head throbbed, she needed to eat but she was missing breakfast. She yelled out a few uncharacteristic expletives at the blanket that still had her trapped within it, and then slumped down and lay still.
She had had the strangest dream last night, but she couldn't remember it. It was stuck in the corner of her mind; she knew it was there. Crinkling up her forehead, she recalled it being...important. Important? Then why couldn't she remember it? Disgusted, she slowly and successfully slithered out from the tangle of sheets on the floor.
She stumbled to the bathroom, her pounding head made her stomach clench up uncomfortably. Barely making it to the toilet, she threw up. Thank God everyone is already in the Great Hall eating breakfast, she thought wryly, wiping her mouth. She'd have to go see Madam Pomphrey. Putting on her clothes and gathering her schoolbooks, she made her way shakily to the Hospital wing.
She had to stop and lean against the wall to rest for a second, though the Hospital wing was just down the hall. She took a deep breath; a piercing bolt of flashing pain shot straight down her forehead, splitting into smaller stinging jolts that cascaded down her body like hot piercing knives. She cried out, putting her hand to her head. Suddenly she remembered the dream.
Bright, electrifying green bolts of light shot past her. One flew so close to her arm that it left a deep red burn mark. Smoke and ash filled her nostrils. She heard screaming, men and women screaming. She was running, yelling. What was she yelling? The air was hot; she heard flames crackling nearby. It was so cloudy, so gray. Her eyes stung; she coughed. Someone called out her name. Flashes of red and blue, more bright green flashes. Was that a child crying? Where was the child? Frantically, she ran. More screams. Dull thuds as bodies hit the ground. And then laughter. Cold, high- pitched, echoing laughter.
She lay on the floor gasping for air. She had thrown up again, her vomit lay in a puddle around her face. Someone was hovering above her, saying her name. Lily? Lily? "Where is the child? she cried anxiously, her arms lashing out. She felt a firm hand grab her shoulder and shake her gently. "Lily?" the voice said. This time she opened her eyes. Remus Lupin's face slowly came into focus.
"Remus, what are you doing here?" She tried to stand up, but she collapsed, her body unable to support her weight. Her vision began to blur and the hallways seemed to tip sideways.
"Lily, are you okay?" He paused. "No, obviously you're not okay. Come on, let's get you to the hospital wing." He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her up. She leaned heavily against him, feeling him tremble slightly under her weight. The hallway continued to sway back and forth, but at least she could stand now. Lily felt her cheeks grow slightly warm when she realized that Remus, a Marauder, was holding onto her body tightly, guiding her down the hall.
"Uh..I think I can stand now.." She started off embarassedly.
"Oh!" Remus quickly dropped his arms and stood awkwardly. Nice one Remus, he thought to himself. He was about to ask her if she was okay on her own but she started to tilt a little to the left and he reached out and caught her by the arm.
"Hah. Thanks."
"Yep." He held onto her arm this time and conjured her scattered books into her bag, which he put on his shoulder. He proceeded to guide Lily Evans down the hall towards the Hospital Wing, which he had of course just come from.
As soon as he opened the door and walked in with Lily in tow, Madam Pomphrey dropped the bandages she was putting away and rained questions on Remus.
"Remus! What are you doing back here? Miss Evans? Are you alright? What happened?"
"It's alright, Madam Pomphrey, I just stumbled down the stairs and knocked my head and saw stars for a bit," she replied smoothly. Remus stared at her disbelievingly; he had seen her collapse in the middle of the hallway. He didn't know she was capable of blatantly lying to a teacher's face.
"Remus helped me here because I was a little dizzy. I think I just need a de-woozy potion perhaps?" she asked promptly, shooting warning looks at Remus. He nodded slightly, understanding.
"Yes. Yes, dear. One second, I'll go fetch some." She scuttled off.
"Lily, you didn't look okay-" Remus began but Lily cut him off quickly.
"I'm fine," she replied stubbornly, her eyebrow raised. He knew better than to anger this girl. That was saved for James. He suppressed a chuckle. Wait until James heard about how I got to hold onto to Lily Evans, he thought.
Madam Pomphrey hurried back and Lily quickly downed her potion and Remus handed put her bookbag in her outstretched arms obligingly.
"Thanks." She hesitated a moment, shuffling around books in her bag, and then said cordially, "Shall we go to breakfast?"
Remus nodded and turned around, Madam Pomphrey called out to be careful of the stairs. Beside him, Lily smirked and continued walking toward the door. Remus eyes widened; he had never seen Lily openly smirk at a teacher or anything of the like.
They walked down the empty hallway quickly and Remus could see the puddle of vomit on the floor ahead of them. He was about to cast a charm to clean up the mess but Lily beat him to it.
"Scourgify," she said in an almost bored tone of voice, her feet not missing a step as they continued to walk down the hall. Remus noticed that there was not a single damp or dirty spot on the stone floor, which was now sparkling as much as polished stone could sparkle. Well, the girl did know her stuff, he thought, as they made their way to the Great Hall for their five minute breakfast.