90 REVIEWS!!!!! *clutches heart* I think I'm going to have a heart attack.
Somehow the rising review counts never cease to amaze me! ^_^ Anyways,
thank you all for reviewing, and thanks Joey for the advice! Also, I'm
sorry I haven't updated. Something was wrong with my internet connection.
Here is the new chapter!
* * *
Lily broke apart from James. She felt better. Lily needed that kiss, that reassurance. Now she is ready to face the truth: one of her best friends is dead. She crawled back over to Celia, James trailing behind. Dumbledore was looking at the dead girl, his blue eyes softened with pity.
Lily wrapped her hand in Celia's cold hand, and cried again. She whispered, "I'm sorry Celia."
James heard and said, "What are you sorry for? You didn't do anything wrong. It's You-Know-Who who did it!"
Dumbledore looked at James and said, "Fear of the name only increases fear of the thing itself."
James and Lily looked up at Dumbledore, confused.
Suddenly, they heard crashing inside a nearby shop. They heard a very familiar bellow-
"LET US OUT! OUR FRIENDS ARE OUT THERE!"
Suddenly, the door swung open violently and a red faced Sirius and Margaret stormed out of the shop. They spotted Lily and James and ran over to them.
"Are you guys okay? Is . . . is HE gone?" Margaret asked, her lip trembling.
"He's gone, but he will be back, Margaret." Dumbledore answered when no one else spoke.
"Wait a minute," Sirius said, noticing Celia, "is that . . . oh my god it's Celia!"
Sirius ran towards her, and Lily just avoided him stepping on her. She let go of Celia's hand and gave Sirius some room. Margaret just stood there with a horrified and shocked look on her face.
Sirius took one look at her and fell to his knees.
"Ce-Celia! Wake up!" Sirius cried in vain.
"She won't wake up, Sirius," Dumbledore said gently.
Sirius didn't usually cry, but this was an exception. He was so sad, he felt numb.
"He killed her didn't he? You-Know-Who, I mean." Sirius growled.
Lily nodded. "He did. But not before she bit his finger. Be proud of her for that."
The five of them stood and sat in silence, mourning for the girl who lost her life because some crazy serial killer wanted to prove a point that he was dangerous.
* * *
It was the first of September, and Lily was meeting up with Margaret outside Platform Nine and Three Quarters like they always did. They saw each other and smiled, but said nothing except a hello.
They slowly dragged their trunks and got ready to run through the wall. Margaret went first. Lily looked around to see if anyone was watching, then followed suit.
As Lily emerged from the wall, a piece of paper floated around and hit her in the face. Lily irritably took it off, but the cover story caught her eye.
"You-Know-Who, Menace and Child Killer." Lily whispered the name of the story.
She continued to scan the story, and there were pictures of all You-Know- Who's victims, Celia among them. Lily looked at all the photos. They all looked so happy, especially Celia. Lily jumped from one picture to the next. They listed each name and age below their picture. And as if they needed to get another point across, they listed how they died. Lily got shivers down her spine as she read how some of them died. Torture, barely recognizable . . . at least Celia's death was quick and painless.
Because of all the media attention, Celia's funeral date had not been set yet. People kept on saying how it should be big and stuff, but the Celia's parents and friends knew that Celia would want a nice, small funeral surrounded by friends and relatives, not complete strangers who didn't know her until she appeared in the newspaper!
"Lily! You coming?" Margaret's fake cheery voice called.
"Be right there!" Lily called back.
She pocketed the article in her Muggle pants.
* * *
The train ride there was dull and boring. Margaret read her new books with disinterest, and Lily put her arm on the window and stared out the window, marveling about how life can offer so many beautiful things, like the scenery outside.
* * *
Sirius was still down about Celia. They all were. Sirius still cracked jokes, and James and Remus still teased him about how lame his jokes were, but anyone could tell that they're heart just wasn't into what they were saying. Peter listened but wasn't that sad. James thought that was suspicious and maybe something was up. But then Peter didn't know Celia as well as the rest of them did, so maybe that was it.
* * *
They all saw each other on the way off the train. Lily locked arms with James and said, "Let's go."
Remus rolled his eyes and said, "Margaret, you want to sit with us now that the love birds want their own horseless carriage?"
Margaret nodded. "Ok."
Over in the "love birds" carriage, James noticed Lily staring at the front of the carriage.
"Is there a spider over there or something?" James teased.
"You mean, you don't see them? I bet Dumbledore just put them in this year . . ." Lily said.
"See what?" James asked, confused.
Lily kissed him on the forehead. "The horses pulling the carriage, James. They're black and sort of ugly. Why can't you see them? Maybe it's a boy thing . . ." Lily wondered aloud.
"Maybe." James said uncertainly. He seemed hesitant.
"Why are you looking at me like I'm crazy or something?" Lily demanded.
"I'm not, really, I'm not." James said in a hurry, trying to avoid Lily's glare.
"Hmm."
"It's just that I don't see anything!" James said.
"Well that's weird. Oh well, forget the horses." Lily said as she kissed James on the lips fiercely.
James happily obliged, but the horse thing concerned him a bit.
* * *
All of the new first years had been sorted, and dinner was being eaten. Lily all of a sudden had the urge to go to the bathroom, so she walked out.
She was walking down the dark hallway, breathing in the familiar Hogwarts.
Lily saw the knights' armor, and she was reminded of the horse that James couldn't see.
"I'm not crazy. If I was crazy, then umbrellas would be dropping from the air and leprechauns would be flying around." Lily said to herself.
Suddenly, she felt a thump on her head.
"Ow!"
Lily looked to the ground and her eyes widened as she saw a pink umbrella on the floor next to her. Suddenly, the air rained with umbrellas as umbrellas of every size and color dropped down at Lily. Lily screamed as she covered her head and ran as fast as she could down the hallway.
She made a sharp turn and found that no more umbrellas followed her.
Lily breathed a sigh of relief. "Whew."
Suddenly she heard a loud cackling, and a flash of green circled her. It slowed down enough to show a little man with a green top hat and clovers everywhere.
"You have got to be kidding me." Lily groaned.
The leprechaun swirled and twirled around her, and Lily tried to wave it off. Lily tried to make a bolt for it, but another shower of umbrellas crashed on her head.
Now Lily was getting really angry and irritated. She plunged her hand in her robes, searching for her wand . . .
"PEEVES!" Lily stopped when she heard a loud voice coming down from the hallway.
The Hogwarts caretaker, a grumpy old man with a name no one but Dumbledore could pronounce, came running down the wall towards the leprechaun.
"Oops," the leprechaun cackled, "caught in the act, I was!"
And then it clicked its fingers and changed its form, and Lily recognized it as a-
"A poltergeist? What's Professor Dumbledore thinking?" Lily asked, incredulous.
"That's what I'D like to know, missy." The caretaker grumbled. "Peeves, you've ransacked my private drawers, and now you'll pay!" But Peeves merely laughed and winked at Lily, then flying off onto another corridor.
"COME BACK HERE!" The caretaker roared, chasing after the poltergeist.
Lily shook her head, wondering what the world has come to.
* * *
Lily broke apart from James. She felt better. Lily needed that kiss, that reassurance. Now she is ready to face the truth: one of her best friends is dead. She crawled back over to Celia, James trailing behind. Dumbledore was looking at the dead girl, his blue eyes softened with pity.
Lily wrapped her hand in Celia's cold hand, and cried again. She whispered, "I'm sorry Celia."
James heard and said, "What are you sorry for? You didn't do anything wrong. It's You-Know-Who who did it!"
Dumbledore looked at James and said, "Fear of the name only increases fear of the thing itself."
James and Lily looked up at Dumbledore, confused.
Suddenly, they heard crashing inside a nearby shop. They heard a very familiar bellow-
"LET US OUT! OUR FRIENDS ARE OUT THERE!"
Suddenly, the door swung open violently and a red faced Sirius and Margaret stormed out of the shop. They spotted Lily and James and ran over to them.
"Are you guys okay? Is . . . is HE gone?" Margaret asked, her lip trembling.
"He's gone, but he will be back, Margaret." Dumbledore answered when no one else spoke.
"Wait a minute," Sirius said, noticing Celia, "is that . . . oh my god it's Celia!"
Sirius ran towards her, and Lily just avoided him stepping on her. She let go of Celia's hand and gave Sirius some room. Margaret just stood there with a horrified and shocked look on her face.
Sirius took one look at her and fell to his knees.
"Ce-Celia! Wake up!" Sirius cried in vain.
"She won't wake up, Sirius," Dumbledore said gently.
Sirius didn't usually cry, but this was an exception. He was so sad, he felt numb.
"He killed her didn't he? You-Know-Who, I mean." Sirius growled.
Lily nodded. "He did. But not before she bit his finger. Be proud of her for that."
The five of them stood and sat in silence, mourning for the girl who lost her life because some crazy serial killer wanted to prove a point that he was dangerous.
* * *
It was the first of September, and Lily was meeting up with Margaret outside Platform Nine and Three Quarters like they always did. They saw each other and smiled, but said nothing except a hello.
They slowly dragged their trunks and got ready to run through the wall. Margaret went first. Lily looked around to see if anyone was watching, then followed suit.
As Lily emerged from the wall, a piece of paper floated around and hit her in the face. Lily irritably took it off, but the cover story caught her eye.
"You-Know-Who, Menace and Child Killer." Lily whispered the name of the story.
She continued to scan the story, and there were pictures of all You-Know- Who's victims, Celia among them. Lily looked at all the photos. They all looked so happy, especially Celia. Lily jumped from one picture to the next. They listed each name and age below their picture. And as if they needed to get another point across, they listed how they died. Lily got shivers down her spine as she read how some of them died. Torture, barely recognizable . . . at least Celia's death was quick and painless.
Because of all the media attention, Celia's funeral date had not been set yet. People kept on saying how it should be big and stuff, but the Celia's parents and friends knew that Celia would want a nice, small funeral surrounded by friends and relatives, not complete strangers who didn't know her until she appeared in the newspaper!
"Lily! You coming?" Margaret's fake cheery voice called.
"Be right there!" Lily called back.
She pocketed the article in her Muggle pants.
* * *
The train ride there was dull and boring. Margaret read her new books with disinterest, and Lily put her arm on the window and stared out the window, marveling about how life can offer so many beautiful things, like the scenery outside.
* * *
Sirius was still down about Celia. They all were. Sirius still cracked jokes, and James and Remus still teased him about how lame his jokes were, but anyone could tell that they're heart just wasn't into what they were saying. Peter listened but wasn't that sad. James thought that was suspicious and maybe something was up. But then Peter didn't know Celia as well as the rest of them did, so maybe that was it.
* * *
They all saw each other on the way off the train. Lily locked arms with James and said, "Let's go."
Remus rolled his eyes and said, "Margaret, you want to sit with us now that the love birds want their own horseless carriage?"
Margaret nodded. "Ok."
Over in the "love birds" carriage, James noticed Lily staring at the front of the carriage.
"Is there a spider over there or something?" James teased.
"You mean, you don't see them? I bet Dumbledore just put them in this year . . ." Lily said.
"See what?" James asked, confused.
Lily kissed him on the forehead. "The horses pulling the carriage, James. They're black and sort of ugly. Why can't you see them? Maybe it's a boy thing . . ." Lily wondered aloud.
"Maybe." James said uncertainly. He seemed hesitant.
"Why are you looking at me like I'm crazy or something?" Lily demanded.
"I'm not, really, I'm not." James said in a hurry, trying to avoid Lily's glare.
"Hmm."
"It's just that I don't see anything!" James said.
"Well that's weird. Oh well, forget the horses." Lily said as she kissed James on the lips fiercely.
James happily obliged, but the horse thing concerned him a bit.
* * *
All of the new first years had been sorted, and dinner was being eaten. Lily all of a sudden had the urge to go to the bathroom, so she walked out.
She was walking down the dark hallway, breathing in the familiar Hogwarts.
Lily saw the knights' armor, and she was reminded of the horse that James couldn't see.
"I'm not crazy. If I was crazy, then umbrellas would be dropping from the air and leprechauns would be flying around." Lily said to herself.
Suddenly, she felt a thump on her head.
"Ow!"
Lily looked to the ground and her eyes widened as she saw a pink umbrella on the floor next to her. Suddenly, the air rained with umbrellas as umbrellas of every size and color dropped down at Lily. Lily screamed as she covered her head and ran as fast as she could down the hallway.
She made a sharp turn and found that no more umbrellas followed her.
Lily breathed a sigh of relief. "Whew."
Suddenly she heard a loud cackling, and a flash of green circled her. It slowed down enough to show a little man with a green top hat and clovers everywhere.
"You have got to be kidding me." Lily groaned.
The leprechaun swirled and twirled around her, and Lily tried to wave it off. Lily tried to make a bolt for it, but another shower of umbrellas crashed on her head.
Now Lily was getting really angry and irritated. She plunged her hand in her robes, searching for her wand . . .
"PEEVES!" Lily stopped when she heard a loud voice coming down from the hallway.
The Hogwarts caretaker, a grumpy old man with a name no one but Dumbledore could pronounce, came running down the wall towards the leprechaun.
"Oops," the leprechaun cackled, "caught in the act, I was!"
And then it clicked its fingers and changed its form, and Lily recognized it as a-
"A poltergeist? What's Professor Dumbledore thinking?" Lily asked, incredulous.
"That's what I'D like to know, missy." The caretaker grumbled. "Peeves, you've ransacked my private drawers, and now you'll pay!" But Peeves merely laughed and winked at Lily, then flying off onto another corridor.
"COME BACK HERE!" The caretaker roared, chasing after the poltergeist.
Lily shook her head, wondering what the world has come to.