A/N: Let's explore Lily's destiny! Hope you like the chapter. I had lot's of fun writing it!

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Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns what she created.

When Lily left her Herbology class later that night, she told everyone else that she had to ask Professor Sprout a question. She watched them walk away, and then turned towards the lake. She hurried along the left edge, glancing around to make sure no one was watching. When she reached the trees, she didn't see anyone and wondered if she had remembered the place right.

"Hey Lily!" someone whispered behind her.

She turned and peered into the trees. She saw Rabastan beckoning at her. With one last glance towards the castle, she followed him into the forest.

He led her a little ways in, to where a larger group was talking quietly.

"You're a little early," he turned back to her once they had reached the others.

"I had Herbology," she explained.

"Well, we're going to have to wait for Walden. He's our group leader."

Lily nodded and turned to watch everyone else. There was an air of suppressed excitement, and Lily was starting to get a knot in her stomach.

"Are you ready to go?"

Walden Macnair had arrived.

"Hey Lily."

She nodded back nervously.

"We should go. Antonin will join us there. He has to take another group."

'So Antonin's taking Necromancy too?" asked Lily.

"Yeah. Ok, take hold of my arm. Don't let go, we'll be there in a sec."

Lily shut her eyes as everything around her disappeared. Her breath was squeezed out of her, and when they arrived at their destination, Lily let out a huge gasp.

Walden looked at her and smiled, "Feels funny, doesn't it?"

"Yeah."

Lily looked around and gasped again. They were outside of a very large stone mansion. She followed Rabastan and Walden up towards it, experiencing a strange deja vu from her arrival at Hogwarts. This castle looked sort of like the school's dark counterpart.

They entered into the front door and were met by a figure wrapped in black robes.

"What classes?" it asked in a husky voice.

"Necromancy."

It turned without a word and led them down a narrow staircase to a dark passageway with low ceilings. Lily glanced into one of the doors as they passed and saw what appeared to be a skeleton chained to a dusty wall.

She shivered and didn't look into any of the other doors that they passed. They finally entered a circular room with a dirt floor. The ceiling opened out here and Lily finally felt like she could breathe properly.

The shadowy figure left without a word. Lily and Rabastan glanced at each other nervously. Walden didn't appear to be worried. He stretched out against the wall and stuck his hands inside his robes.

"We'll have to wait until Antonin gets here," he said comfortably.

"What do you think we'll be doing today?" Lily asked.

"Since it's the first day, we won't get into anything really deep. We'll meet our main teacher, get an intro to the subject, ask questions... you know, that sort of stuff."

"Who's our main teacher?"

A shadow of fear passed over Walden's face before he answered in a lowered voice, "The Dark Lord has agreed to teach us. It is a great honor to be taught by him. This is the first year that he has been a main teacher. Being chosen as one of students is a great thing. Us Slytherins who have been chosen will be given a new level of respect. You, however, are not a Slytherin. I don't know what will happen with you."

Lily sighed, "It probably won't be very good."

"Good? I don't know about good, but it will certainly be advantageous. Some will be even more in awe of you because you are not a Slytherin, but have still been chosen."

"Amos Diggory was chosen too!"

"But he refused. He did not have the right mindset and did not deserve to be taught what we will be taught."

They were interrupted by Antonin finally arriving. He nodded at each of them in turn. They looked at each other nervously. Now that Antonin was here, they should be starting soon.

A hooded figure in black materialized in the center of the room. Lily thought for a second that their guide had returned, but then she realized that this was a new person. The figure radiated coldness, power, and seduction. It was a tantalizing combination.

The other Slytherins started to bow, but the figure held up its hands.

"Not now. Now we must focus on the task before us. We have a limited time to do this," his voice was soft and silky, with an undercurrent of steel running through it. Lily found it fascinating to listen to.

The four students ranged themselves in a half circle in front of him.

He began to talk, "Necromancy is not a difficult concept. It is essentially the raising of the dead. You call a person's spirit back into their body for a certain period of time. The longer the period of reanimation, the more powerful the necromancer must be."

Lily thought instantly of her Ancient Runes teacher.

"You cannot call someone's spirit back without putting it into a body. You can put the spirit into any body you wish to, even that of a live person. The host's spirit will simply be pushed aside until the guest leaves."

He stopped talking for a little and watched them.

"I choose you four because you have the power and mental capacity to do this. Most people cannot do Necromancy. Only a very few have the finesse. I am one of them. I hope that you will be four more."

Lily glanced around at the others, but they had their eyes fixed on the figure. She looked back and found the hooded cowl facing her direction.

"Lily Evans," this was breathed with a hint of relish, "You are unusual. I don't know why you weren't put in Slytherin. It's the only place that you seem to fit properly."

Lily thought back to the Sorting Hat's hint of something hidden in her head, but didn't say anything.

"No matter, I have still found you. You are powerful. I have not tasted such power in a very long time. You shall be one of my greatest followers."

The other figures shifted uncomfortably. He laughed.

"Yes, a Gryffindor will be greater then any of you. That stings, doesn't it? But no matter, you will still be of great service to me. Do not forget that you were chosen over the others to be my students."

He considered Lily again.

"But you do not know who I am. I am the greatest wizard alive today. That may sound boastful, but it's true. I am Lord Voldemort."

Lily shuddered when she heard the name, without knowing why.

He laughed again, "See? Even you, who do not know who I am, fear my name. No matter, you will not call me that. You will call me the Dark Lord. It is a suitable title, is it not? But you will learn to revere it. Worship it, and this face."

He pulled his hood down away from his face. Lily drew back slightly as he did so. Not because he was terrible to look at. Oh no, he was beautiful. But there was something etched into his face, something that terrified her and drew her in at the same time. His eyes were jet black and seemed to draw in all light from around him. He looked at her expression and read it correctly.

"Oh yes," he whispered, "You will be great. Already you feel yourself being drawn to me."

He smiled and pulled his hood back up, "We must not frighten the others. They cannot work properly with my face uncovered. Do you know why? They have known me since birth. They have been taught to fear me. But you, you can view me with an open mind, and you see what all others have failed to see."

Lily drew in her breath slowly. She couldn't take her eyes off of the place where his eyes had slid back into darkness. He looked away from her and she felt like she had been doused in cold water.

"Now, let's see a demonstration of this subject that you are going to study," he backed away from them slowly, "But who shall we bring back? Your parents?" he turned suddenly to Lily.

She spoke to him for the first time, "Sir, my Lord, my parents are alive."

"Your parents are alive? I don't think so. Your pretend parents, maybe. But we have no wish to talk to them. They are ignorant Mudbloods. But I think that maybe you are not ready to meet your parents. We'll have to find someone else. Perhaps, yes, that's what we'll do."

He raised one of his arms and pointed at the ground. A dark mist started to rise, faster and faster. His hand formed into a claw shape and he began to pull back, away from the floor. He raised his hand, filled with mist. As his other hand reached out and pointed towards Rabastan, he opened his fist and released the mist. It floated gently towards Rabastan. Right before it reached him, it vanished. All of the mist disappeared as suddenly as it had appeared.

Rabastan closed his eyes and shuddered. He opened them again and let out a long breath.

"So, you feel a need to show me off, do you?" he said in a high pitched voice. "Are you trying to scare them? Not many have the courage to converse with me."

The Dark Lord simply pointed at Lily. Rabastan, or whoever was inside of him, turned and looked at her.

"Scum!" he hissed suddenly, "Gryffindor scum!"

Lily flinched.

"Look closer," said the Dark Lord impatiently.

Rabastan drew closer to Lily and peered into her face. Then he drew back suddenly, "Why is she is Gryffindor? Has our old Hat gone daft?"

"Perhaps it has made a mistake," said the Dark Lord softly.

"Impossible!" he pounded himself on the chest, "I personall-" he stopped suddenly and looked down at himself, "What is this? What has this poor abused boy had done to him?"

"I believe he did it himself."

"But why? How horrible! He has ruined his fine physique!"

The Dark Lord sighed, " Well, you're no longer helpful. I'm going to send you back," he reached out towards Rabastan, who was feeling his chest with a look of deep disgust on his face, and pulled back on the air. Rabastan closed his eyes again and let out that same, slow breath.

He opened his eyes to find them all looking at him and started.

"That," said the Dark Lord, and everyone looked back at him, "Was Salazar Slytherin. Our fine founding father. A man with great vision, although he had a few unfortunate weaknesses."

Rabastan seemed to realize what had just happened and looked at himself carefully.

The Dark Lord noticed, "You are fine. I got rid of him before he decided to rip those things out of your chest."

Rabastan looked down at himself fearfully and winced.

"You are responsible for the host's body while it is taken over," the Dark Lord continued to the group, "Nothing that you did not intend to happen, should happen to it."

Lily looked at her hands and wondered if she really did have the power to control the dead.

"Necromancy is very difficult. I do not expect you to successfully do it the first time you try, or even the second and third times. Except for you," he turned to Lily again, "I know you can do it. You will have no difficulty with the basics. You will advance quickly and leave the others far behind. You will learn how to do many things that you didn't think were possible. I am looking forward to teaching you."

Lily leaned forward slightly, eagerly.

"Now, however, you must go back to your school. Tomorrow night your classes will begin for real. You will not see me in all of them, but I will be aware of what is going on. I expect full devotion to your studies. Slacking will be punished. Do not linger in or around the castle after you leave me. There are many things that you would not wish to meet."

He nodded to each of them in turn, and then disappeared. Lily stood stock still for a little, and then started walking towards the door behind the others. Their guide was waiting for them and led them back up to the door the same way they had come. Lily walked in a daze and didn't pay much attention when Walden grabbed her and Apparated back to Hogwarts. She followed them blindly back to the castle.

Walden said something about it being her first time and shook her. Her head cleared a little and she looked up at him.

"Lily, you need to go back to your Common Room, ok? You need to get some sleep. You've just spoken with the Dark Lord face to face and your body needs time to recover. Go straight to your bed. Don't stop to talk to anyone."

She nodded and started to walk away. Her mind had cleared a little and she thought of something suddenly. She turned back around.

"Rabastan!"

He came towards her.

"What do you have on your chest?"

Rabastan pushed his robes out of the way and lifted up his shirt. Both of his nipples were pierced. He gave Lily a wry grin.

"Oh, I thought it was something more exciting then that."

"Nope. I guess he just has an aversion to piercing."

"Ok, well, goodnight."

"See you tomorrow, Lily."

When Lily got to her room Molly and Alice were both asleep. The other bed was still empty.

She sighed. That mystery just didn't seem as important anymore.