Part Eleven: Taking Flight
Lily's mind was reeling that morning. The wind that was whipping through the open car window made her face tingle and her hair splay out behind her, suspended in the air, as though her body had lifted itself out of the steel-and-cushion Ford and into the sky to fly. But Lily took no notice of the soaring feeling in her stomach that had become all too familiar over the years. Instead, she stared blankly at the seat in front of her, silently marveling at the fact she now knew it to be possible. Grinning, she replayed the words again in her mind, testing them out. She was a witch. And witches could fly.
As the car rolled to a stop at a red light, Lily caught Fred's eye in the rear-view mirror. "Alright, Lily?" He asked, his grin lighting up even the dark, sad circles under his eyes. He turned to her mother. "Hermione?"
Hermione, who was sitting up rigidly in her seat with a chalky face and eyes fixed in front of her, merely nodded. Lily, however, replied with vigor, her face stretching into a wide smile. "Yes sir, Uncle Fred!"
Fred chuckled heartily before turning his attention back to the car. Lily cast a fleeting look at her mother, who was still staring straight ahead as though entranced by a bug on the windshield. Clearly, the morning's conversations had taken a heavy toll on her. Lily recalled how her mother's thin face had wrinkled into an expression of intense agony as she told her daughter about her life in a world that she herself could only imagine-- a storybook life of magic and spells and werewolves and evil dark sorcerers and her father, Ron Weasley. Tears had streamed from her mother's eyes as she showed Lily a picture, ancient and worn, of a smiling adolescent with deeply-pigmented red hair quite similar to Fred's and a nose and freckles identical to her own. For a moment, she had wondered if she should be crying, too, at the father she had lost, had never known, only to find that she could not. This was, after all, the first picture of any father she had ever seen, and she was simply too fascinated to hurt. When her mother became too frazzled to continue with her explainations, Fred had taken over, recounting with a dramatic flair the circumstances of her father's adventurous life and heroic death, wherein he and a friend called Harry Potter had died defending her mother from a killing curse. All the while, her mother had sat nearby, limp as a ragdoll, breathing shallowly as her eyes flitted between the two of them. She did not speak until the end, when she feebly added that Harry and Ron had not only saved her life but Lily's own, as well as the life of her brother, Albus.
Brother. Like so many others, the word still tasted strangely in her mouth when she spoke it. During the long ride to her grandparent's house, Lily had learned to accept and understand the basic concepts of Hogwarts and Quidditch and the evil Lord Voldemort, but she could not bring herself to realize that she was a twin. It baffled her to think that somewhere out there in a world she had learned of barely two days ago was a carbon copy of herself, a boy living under the care of the magical healers and nurse witches that kept him alive. He had been touched by the curse, her mother said, and was institutionalized. Locked up, when he should have been flying.
At long last, the car slowed infront of a modest-looking home in the countryside, a sign outside its worn gate proclaiming it "The Burrow." Its yard was full of strange things Lily could hardly wait to inquire about, including several small, grey, potato-like creatures that scurried out of the driveway, grumbling, when Fred threw a soda can at them, causing Lily's grin to grow so large she knew it would ache later. As the car rounded the house to a bald-looking patch of ground that was clearly its parking place, it came upon the scene of a young woman in darkly-coloured robes mounting what looked like a small, sleek broomstick. The woman threw a long, red braid of hair over her shoulder and pushed off the ground, startling Lily as she floated gently into the air. With amazing ease, the woman manuevered the broomstick into a tight, perfect turn, bringing her to face the car and its inhabitants. With a tiny yelp, the woman jumped in her seat, tottered, and fell sideways off her broom, landing in the dirt with a light oof.
"Oy, Ginny!" said Fred, climbing out of the car and rushing to the aide of the woman. Lily and Hermione climbed cautiously out of the vehicle behind him.
Popping up from her place in the dirt as quickly as she had found herself there, the woman spoke, her eyes flying from Fred to the Grangers and back again. "Fred!" she said breathlessly. She bit her lip as it began to shake, and her eyes moved once again onto Hermione, where Lily had hid, nervously, behind her. "Oh, Fred...you've brought her!" Ginny rushed forward past her brother, stopping awkwardly a few feet in front of Hermione.
"Hello, Ginny." Hermione said tightly, fighting to control her voice. Reaching behind her, she placed a firm hand on Lily's shoulder, pushing her out from her hiding place. The red-haired woman threw her arms around Hermione lovingly as Lily appeared at her side.
"Oh, Hermione..." she said, breaking into what appeared to be a trademark Weasley grin. Then, taking first notice of the girl at Hermione's side, "Oh!"
Dubiously, Hermione nodded. "Ginny, I'd like you to meet my daughter, Lily." She took a gulp of air before adding solemnly, "Your niece."
Lily's mind was reeling that morning. The wind that was whipping through the open car window made her face tingle and her hair splay out behind her, suspended in the air, as though her body had lifted itself out of the steel-and-cushion Ford and into the sky to fly. But Lily took no notice of the soaring feeling in her stomach that had become all too familiar over the years. Instead, she stared blankly at the seat in front of her, silently marveling at the fact she now knew it to be possible. Grinning, she replayed the words again in her mind, testing them out. She was a witch. And witches could fly.
As the car rolled to a stop at a red light, Lily caught Fred's eye in the rear-view mirror. "Alright, Lily?" He asked, his grin lighting up even the dark, sad circles under his eyes. He turned to her mother. "Hermione?"
Hermione, who was sitting up rigidly in her seat with a chalky face and eyes fixed in front of her, merely nodded. Lily, however, replied with vigor, her face stretching into a wide smile. "Yes sir, Uncle Fred!"
Fred chuckled heartily before turning his attention back to the car. Lily cast a fleeting look at her mother, who was still staring straight ahead as though entranced by a bug on the windshield. Clearly, the morning's conversations had taken a heavy toll on her. Lily recalled how her mother's thin face had wrinkled into an expression of intense agony as she told her daughter about her life in a world that she herself could only imagine-- a storybook life of magic and spells and werewolves and evil dark sorcerers and her father, Ron Weasley. Tears had streamed from her mother's eyes as she showed Lily a picture, ancient and worn, of a smiling adolescent with deeply-pigmented red hair quite similar to Fred's and a nose and freckles identical to her own. For a moment, she had wondered if she should be crying, too, at the father she had lost, had never known, only to find that she could not. This was, after all, the first picture of any father she had ever seen, and she was simply too fascinated to hurt. When her mother became too frazzled to continue with her explainations, Fred had taken over, recounting with a dramatic flair the circumstances of her father's adventurous life and heroic death, wherein he and a friend called Harry Potter had died defending her mother from a killing curse. All the while, her mother had sat nearby, limp as a ragdoll, breathing shallowly as her eyes flitted between the two of them. She did not speak until the end, when she feebly added that Harry and Ron had not only saved her life but Lily's own, as well as the life of her brother, Albus.
Brother. Like so many others, the word still tasted strangely in her mouth when she spoke it. During the long ride to her grandparent's house, Lily had learned to accept and understand the basic concepts of Hogwarts and Quidditch and the evil Lord Voldemort, but she could not bring herself to realize that she was a twin. It baffled her to think that somewhere out there in a world she had learned of barely two days ago was a carbon copy of herself, a boy living under the care of the magical healers and nurse witches that kept him alive. He had been touched by the curse, her mother said, and was institutionalized. Locked up, when he should have been flying.
At long last, the car slowed infront of a modest-looking home in the countryside, a sign outside its worn gate proclaiming it "The Burrow." Its yard was full of strange things Lily could hardly wait to inquire about, including several small, grey, potato-like creatures that scurried out of the driveway, grumbling, when Fred threw a soda can at them, causing Lily's grin to grow so large she knew it would ache later. As the car rounded the house to a bald-looking patch of ground that was clearly its parking place, it came upon the scene of a young woman in darkly-coloured robes mounting what looked like a small, sleek broomstick. The woman threw a long, red braid of hair over her shoulder and pushed off the ground, startling Lily as she floated gently into the air. With amazing ease, the woman manuevered the broomstick into a tight, perfect turn, bringing her to face the car and its inhabitants. With a tiny yelp, the woman jumped in her seat, tottered, and fell sideways off her broom, landing in the dirt with a light oof.
"Oy, Ginny!" said Fred, climbing out of the car and rushing to the aide of the woman. Lily and Hermione climbed cautiously out of the vehicle behind him.
Popping up from her place in the dirt as quickly as she had found herself there, the woman spoke, her eyes flying from Fred to the Grangers and back again. "Fred!" she said breathlessly. She bit her lip as it began to shake, and her eyes moved once again onto Hermione, where Lily had hid, nervously, behind her. "Oh, Fred...you've brought her!" Ginny rushed forward past her brother, stopping awkwardly a few feet in front of Hermione.
"Hello, Ginny." Hermione said tightly, fighting to control her voice. Reaching behind her, she placed a firm hand on Lily's shoulder, pushing her out from her hiding place. The red-haired woman threw her arms around Hermione lovingly as Lily appeared at her side.
"Oh, Hermione..." she said, breaking into what appeared to be a trademark Weasley grin. Then, taking first notice of the girl at Hermione's side, "Oh!"
Dubiously, Hermione nodded. "Ginny, I'd like you to meet my daughter, Lily." She took a gulp of air before adding solemnly, "Your niece."