A/N: I'm sorry, but this is another sad one. I'd say enjoy, but . . . Well, thanks for reading and reviewing! You know how much I love you all!

I don't own the Harry Potter universe.

Aftermath

"Drink this, Lils. It'll help you."

Lily sniffed at the potion, then gave Dana a dubious look. "You're just in training to be a Healer, Dana. Are you sure that this is going to help me, and not send me into a dreamless sleep?"

Dana smiled slightly. "Healer Stevens gave it to me to give you, I'll have you know. I had nothing to do with the selection of the potion. But, Dumbledore gave her strict orders to make sure that you stayed awake as long as you wanted. This is to help you get over the effects of the Cruciatus."

Lily nodded, and downed the contents of the vial in one gulp, grimacing at the taste. "Happy?"

"Yes."

"And do you feel better?"

Lily shrugged. She wondered if she'd ever feel better again.

"At least it's something," Dana muttered. "I'm sure it's already started working."

Lily nodded slightly. Why couldn't Dana focus on what was really important? "Can I go see Petunia now?"

"I suppose. Do you want James to go with you?"

Lily thought for a moment, then shook her head. "He'll just try to jump in and talk for me. I want to do this on my own."

"You'd better tell him where you're going. If he comes in here and finds out you're gone without his knowledge, I'm never going to hear the end of it."

Lily shook her head. "He worries too much."

"You worry just as much about him."

Lily nodded, knowing that it was true. She pushed herself off her cot. "Where is he?"

"He went out to see if he could help the Aurors."

"Then I'm going outside."

Dana nodded. "I'll help you find him."

The two girls walked out of the tent, surprised to see that darkness had fallen while they were inside. Lily had completely lost track of time; she had no idea that it was that late. She looked around the yard, searching for James.

"There he is," Dana said after a moment. "He's with Sirius."

"I guess I should have expected that."

Lily and Dana walked across the yard together. Sirius saw them coming first, and nudged James. He turned to them, concern written plainly on his face.

"How are you?" he asked as soon as the girls reached them.

"All right," Lily replied. It wasn't true, and both of them knew it, but she couldn't bring herself to answer his question honestly.

Sirius looked at her for a moment, and, without a word, drew her into an embrace. Lily was surprised, but hugged him. Sirius held her tightly, trying to make her feel safe. After a moment, his tenderness broke through her reserve, and tears began to fall again. She buried her face in his shoulder, crying into his robes. He responded by running his hand over her back, still holding her just as tightly. He held her until her spasm of tears was over, then pulled back to look at her.

"Do you feel better?" he asked.

"A little," she replied.

He shook his head. "No, you don't. But you will. You're strong, Little Flower. You can get through this. You can do anything. And you'll have all of us here to help you."

She tried to smile, but another tear fell instead. "Thank you, Sirius."

He smiled, and took her face in his hands. "James has always been like my brother, Lily. After all we've been through during the past couple of years, you're like my sister. I'd do anything for you."

"I know." She tried to smile again, and two more tears fell.

Sirius took a deep breath, and removed his hands from her face. "James tells me you want to see Petunia."

Lily nodded. "Do you know where she is?"

"Yeah, she's over with all the others we've questioned but want to talk to again. That's a good thing, really, because it means that her memory hasn't been modified yet."

Lily nodded again. That was good. She wanted Petunia to have clear memories of the last few days while she talked to her. She wanted to retain the relationship they had only just begun to rebuild.

"I can take you to her, if you like."

"Thanks, Sirius."

"I'll come with you," James said at once.

"No," Lily protested.

James blinked. "What?"

"I don't want you to come with me."

"Why not?"

Lily felt hot anger rush through her. How could he ask such a stupid question? "I want to talk to my sister alone, James," she spat. "How difficult is that to understand?"

James looked surprised. "Sorry, Lil. I'll just . . ."

"I need you," Dana said quickly.

Lily nodded. "Fine. Stay with Dana or whatever. I have to go see Petunia."

James watched her walk away with Sirius, and turned to Dana. "Do you know what the hell that was all about?"

"She wants to be alone with her sister," Dana replied carefully.

"Yeah, that came through loud and clear," James replied. "But what about . . .?"

Dana sighed. "She's grieving, James. Her whole world was just turned upside down. You can't expect her to be the same Lily that she always was . . . not yet anyway. She's going through a lot right now, and she hasn't had the time she needs to process it or deal with it." She sighed again. "You've suffered losses during this war, James. You should understand that."

James shook his head. "I can't even begin to understand what she's going through right now."

"Well, that's a good thing. Not that you can't understand, but that you can recognize that you haven't been through anything this terrible. She needs you, James. Even when she doesn't act like it, she really needs you." She smiled sadly. "And let me just warn you now, it's going to get worse before it gets better."

James ran his hand through his hair. "I want to support her, Dana, I just don't know how."

"You're doing a great job so far. Just be there for her. Be whatever she needs – and remember, she's going to need a lot. She's going to try to push you away, to act like she doesn't need anyone – but she does. She really does need her friends, and she especially needs you." She smiled slightly. "I'll tell Aidan to talk to you. He's definitely had experience with this."

"Yeah," James said softly, remembering that Dana's father had died only a few months before. "Yeah, I guess he has."

"I'm here for both of you, James," Dana said softly. "If you need anything, you know where to find me."

"Thanks, Dana," James said with feeling. "Thank you so much."

Sirius led Lily into her house, into the living room. He took her hand, and looked deeply at her.

"This is where the people we want to question again are," he said softly. "You can take her somewhere else if you want, but make sure that she comes back here. If anyone is looking for her, I'll cover for you."

"Thanks, Sirius," Lily said, gently squeezing his hand.

"No problem."

Sirius squeezed her hand once, then walked away. Lily took a deep breath, and walked into the living room.

Petunia was there, sitting alone in her favorite chair. She was staring blankly at the television. Someone had turned it on, and the news was playing. Lily looked at it for a moment, wondering how anyone could possibly care about news of an explosion in Greece. Didn't they realize the destruction that was going on right in England? Didn't they realize the destruction that had happened in her life?

She looked back at Petunia, who was still staring at the television without really seeing it. Lily crossed to stand next to her sister.

"Petunia?"

Petunia's head snapped up at the sound of her name, her eyes wide. "I've already told you all I know!" she shrieked.

Lily put her hand on Petunia's shoulder. "Petunia, it's me. It's Lily."

Petunia looked up, her eyes finally focusing on her. "You!" she spat.

Lily looked at her for a moment, trying to assess her state of mind. She didn't want to try to talk to her if she was already in a towering rage. "Petunia, we need to talk."

"I don't think we do," Petunia said coldly. "Your friends have already told me everything I need to know."

"Who? What did they tell you?"

"They told me that our parents are dead!" she screamed, her eyes filling with tears. "They're gone, Lily! Do you realize that? Gone!"

Several people turned to look at them, their expressions compassionate. Lily looked at them, and knew in an instant why Sirius had told her to take Petunia away. She was already well on her way to hysteria.

"Come on, Petunia. Let's go upstairs or something. We don't need to have this conversation here."

"We'll have it where I want to have it!" Petunia yelled, jumping to her feet. She swiped at her cheeks, trying to wipe away her tears.

Lily sighed, resigning herself to the fact that Petunia would not move from the living room. "Who told you about Mum and Dad?"

"I don't know – that old man with the beard."

"Professor Dumbledore?"

"I think that's what he said."

Lily nodded. At least it had been Dumbledore who told her. He would have been very gentle about how he did it – just like James had been. "Does Vernon know?"

"How should I know? I haven't seen him since they brought me here. They said they had to question him. I don't know where they took him." Anger crossed her face. "Why would those awful people take him away from me?"

"They're like the police, Petunia. They wanted to talk to him about what happened."

"They could have talked to us together." Tears welled up in her eyes. "I really don't want to be alone right now."

"Have you seen them?" Lily asked, knowing that Petunia was thinking of their parents.

"Who?" The anger returned, as if Petunia had just realized that she was still talking to Lily. "The freaks that are running around all over the place? How could I miss them?"

"No, I mean, have you seen Mum and Dad?"

Petunia looked at her with wide eyes. "Why would I want to?"

"To say good bye," Lily replied softly.

Petunia shook her head firmly. "I'll do that at the funeral." She appeared to be thinking for a moment, willing herself to concentrate. "We'll have it for both of them together. We'll have two days of visitation first. I'll see when Father O'Leary can do the funeral."

"Who decided that you get to make all the decisions?" Lily yelled, her temper flaring. This was one point where she did not intend to let her sister walk all over her. "They were my parents, too! Don't you think that I'd want to be a part of planning this? I have as much right to say good bye to them as you do!"

"No!" Petunia's eyes narrowed into a glare, and tears started to slide down her cheeks again. "You don't have any right to be a part of this process! You shouldn't even be allowed to come to the funeral!"

"Why?" Lily taunted. "You don't want to see freaks like me there?"

"No, that's not it. I don't want you there because YOU'RE the one who killed our parents!"

Lily took a step back, her anger forgotten in the face of her horror. "No," she whispered. "No, I never –"

"It's because of you that those people were here at all!"

It was the very thing that Lily had been fighting against ever since the first dementors had appeared. She was responsible for what had happened. Tears welled up in her eyes, and spilled over.

"You know you're guilty," Petunia said in a low voice, stepping closer to her. "You know that you caused Mum and Dad's deaths. It was as much your fault as if you had killed them with your bare hands."

"Petunia, I never wanted Mum and Dad dead! Never! I'd do anything to bring them back again!"

"But you couldn't save them. For eight years, all they've talked about was how proud they were that you're a witch, that you're magical! Well, look where it got them! They're both dead now, and it's entirely your fault." She stepped even closer; her eyes narrowed menacingly, her tears spent. "I'll never forgive you, Lily. I don't want to have anything to do with you, your freakish friends, or your freakish world. You do whatever you want to with your life, but I won't be a part of it. As of this moment, you're as dead to me as Mum and Dad are."

Lily's hands flew to her face, trying to stifle the sobs that wanted to shake her body. This was it. She had finally started to create a relationship with her sister, and now she had lost her again. And, somehow, she was afraid that this time, there would be no going back. A sob escaped, and Lily stumbled backwards, trying to flee the room as quickly as she could.

"Hey!"

Lily looked up, and saw that she had run into Sirius. "Oh, God – oh, Sirius – oh –"

"Hey, hey," Sirius said, pulling her close. He folded her into his arms, rocking her slightly back and forth. "It's all right, Little Flower. You're safe."

"Sirius – please, will you do something for me?"

"If I can."

"Modify my memory."

Sirius grabbed her by the shoulders, and pulled her away so that he could look into her face. "What did you just ask me to do?"

"Obliviate me! Make me forget that this day ever happened!"

"Lils, I can't do that."

"Yes, you can! You're training to be an Auror! All Aurors can do that! Even James can! Please, Sirius, please, take all this pain away from me! I don't want to remember it!"

"Little Flower, I am not going to do a memory charm on you."

"Sirius, please."

She was such a pathetic picture, with her face tear-streaked and crumpled in misery, that Sirius nearly gave in. He fought down the urge to do as she wanted.

"Please," she said again.

"Lily, I can't," Sirius said softly, knowing that he was breaking her heart for the moment.

"Why not?"

"You know why not. Because it's not the right thing to do. In fact, it's completely the wrong thing to do. You don't want to forget that your parents died."

"Yes, I do! I'm not like you, Sirius! I love my parents! I don't want to remember the pain of losing them!"

"Lil . . . I can't. You know that this is wrong. You said yourself that James can do a memory charm. Why not go and ask him to do it for you?"

Lily bit her lip. She wouldn't go to James, and they both knew why.

Sirius nodded. "James would refuse. He would refuse because it's wrong. You need to remember this day, Lils. It's horrible, it's a tragedy, but it's going to shape who you are." He touched her face, wiping away her tears. "You'll come out of this fighting, Lil. You'll be stronger than any of us by the end."

Lily drew a shaky breath. Sirius was right, and she knew it. "Take me to James," she said.

Sirius looked at her with one eyebrow raised. "You're not going to try this memory charm stuff on him, are you?" For all his brave words, he wasn't entirely sure that James would refuse her anything at this point.

"No. I just want to see him."

Sirius nodded. "I think that can be arranged. Come on, let's go find him."

"Petunia?"

Petunia looked up, and saw Vernon coming into the living room. "Vernon!" she cried, jumping up to hug him. "Are they finally done questioning you?"

"Who are all these people?" he asked vaguely. "What are they doing at your parents house? Where are your parents?"

Petunia gasped. "Are you in some sort of shock?"

"No," a new voice said. "His memory has been modified."

Petunia gasped again as she looked up at the same old man who had brought her the news that her parents had died. "What did you do to him?" she demanded.

"The same thing I need to do to you," Dumbledore replied, holding up his wand. "I'm going to perform a memory charm on you, Petunia. It won't hurt you, but it will cause you to forget all that you've been through today."

"You're going to make me forget my wedding?"

"Oh, no. I'll simply wipe your memories of everything that's happened since the dementors arrived."

Petunia looked at him warily. That meant that she'd forget what had happened with Lily. She certainly didn't want to forget that. She wanted to remember who had caused her parents' deaths for the rest of her life. She'd never forgive her sister. "No," she said.

Dumbledore blinked. "Excuse me?"

"I said no. I'm not going to let you erase my memories."

"With all due respect, Mrs. Dursley, this is for the best. We don't want you to be burdened with all these memories of the wizarding world, which, as I have heard, you rather despise."

"I don't want anything to do with your world," Petunia replied. "But I don't want to forget all that's happened today. I will not allow you to do anything to me. Not today, and not ever."

Dumbledore looked at her for a moment. "I cannot make that promise," he said softly. "There may be a time when you will rely on magic for your very existence."

"That will be a sad day indeed," Petunia sniffed.

Dumbledore nodded slightly. "Very well. If you wish to retain your memories, I will allow it. However, I require your solemn promise that you will not breathe a word of what you have seen today to anyone. You cannot tell another living soul."

"Don't worry," Petunia said quickly. "I don't want anyone to know that I have any association with your world."

Dumbledore nodded. "All the same, you must sign a contract with me." He waved his wand, and a piece of parchment appeared in the air. He flicked the wand again, and words appeared on the contract. "You will have my protection, Petunia, so long as you adhere to the conditions of this contract."

"Your protection?" she scoffed. "What good will that do me?"

"Plenty," Dumbledore replied. "I can call in twenty people right now who will declare me to be the most powerful wizard in our world."

For the first time, Petunia looked a bit afraid. "You're more powerful than those people who killed my parents?"

"Oh, yes," Dumbledore replied as if it was of little consequence. "And I will protect you and your family, so long as you do not discuss today's events with another living soul, save your sister and James Potter. That is all outlined in the contract. I also have the ability to add more conditions to this contract as I see fit at any time in the future."

"This doesn't seem like a fair arrangement," Petunia replied.

"Life is not always fair, is it? I, however, feel that I am being very generous to you, with this offer of protection."

Petunia glared at him. "And if I refuse to sign?"

"I will modify your memory." His expression changed, and in an instant the kind old man was gone, replaced by a hardened soldier. "Remember, Petunia, that I have the power to protect you against all you have seen today, but I also have the power to let you feel the wrath of the wizarding world."

"Is that a threat?"

"If it needs to be. You will agree to my terms, Petunia. If you refuse, you will pay the consequences."

"You wouldn't hurt me. I've seen the way you are with others. You wouldn't cause pain."

"Wouldn't I?" Dumbledore raised an eyebrow. "Believe me, Petunia, I hold all the cards. I can protect you, or I can destroy you," he continued, his eyes narrowing slightly. He handed her a quill. "You will agree to this contract, and you will sign it, or I will modify your memory. The choice is yours."

"Choice? You leave me no choice."

"Everything is always a choice. Some choices are easier than others, and some provide better options than others, but the final decision is always yours, and yours alone."

Petunia gave him a hateful look, and signed her name on the parchment. It didn't even register that it was the first time she had signed Dursley as her surname.

James watched as Lily and Sirius came toward him. Lily was walking slowly, and Sirius was poised to catch her at any moment.

"How is she?"

James glanced to his left, where Olivia had appeared. He shrugged, and looked back at Lily and Sirius. "She asked Sirius to take her to Petunia. That's all I know. She didn't want me to go with her."

"Don't take it personally, James," Olivia said, surprised by the slight bitterness in his tone. "She's been through more in the past six hours than most people go through in a lifetime. The last thing she needs right now is for you to be angry with her over something so petty."

James looked back at Olivia. She was right, and he knew it. "You're a very harsh person when you want to be."

"The truth hurts," she said with a slight smile. "Just support her, James. Love her."

"I do love her."

"I know, and so does she. But, somehow, I think she's going to need you to prove it now."

James nodded. "I will. I'll do whatever she needs me to do."

They both fell silent as Sirius and Lily approached. Lily looked at James for a moment, then collapsed into his arms. He held her tightly, stroking her back and kissing the top of her head. Lily finally pulled away, and looked up at him.

"Take me home, James. I can't stand being here anymore."

"All right," James said, already feeling a bit panicked.

Lily couldn't Apparate. In her emotional state, she'd be lucky to only splinch herself into two pieces if she tried. The house wasn't connected to the Floo network. And James still hadn't learned how to drive. Who could drive their car?

Sirius and Olivia were out. Despite Sirius' continued search for the perfect flying motorbike, neither of them could do more than sit in a car. Remus knew the mechanics, but had never learned to actually perform the driving process. Even if he could drive, the Healers had put him to work. Dana might know, but she, like Remus, was busy dealing with the victims of the battle. That left one person.

"Lil, can you stay here with Liv and Sirius for a minute? I need to find Laura."

Lily looked slightly bewildered, but nodded her agreement. Olivia pulled her close, and James began the search for his Muggle-born friend.

Laura was talking to an Auror James didn't know. Judging by the amount of notes she was taking, she was preparing a report for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. James stepped closer to them, clearing his throat.

"Laura? Excuse me, but could I speak with you?"

"Of course," Laura said, putting down her quill. "I'll be right back," she informed the Auror. The older woman nodded, and Laura walked a little away from her with James.

"I need your help," James said without preamble.

"I'll do anything I can," Laura replied, her eyes showing instant concern. "Is it Lily?"

"Yes. She wants to go home, but I'm not about to let her Apparate right now, and I can't . . . Do you know how to drive a car?" he finished with a sheepish smile.

"Do you mean to tell me that we bought you that beautiful car, and you can't even drive it?" she asked with a smile of her own.

"Yeah, that's about it," James replied. "Can you drive us back to London? Is it okay for you to leave?"

"Yeah, I'll do it. There are so many people from the department here that I've been trying to find things to do. I'll meet you and Lily at the car in ten minutes."

"Thanks, Laura." James leaned over to kiss her forehead. "You're the best."

Laura smiled, and waved a hand as if to shoo him away. "Go find Lily."

"All right."

James returned to where he had left Lily with Sirius and Olivia. The two Auror trainees looked rather relieved to see him.

"Moody just came over and told us that Crouch is here," Sirius said in a low voice. "Liv and I need to get back to work."

"Who's Crouch?" James frowned.

Sirius rolled his eyes. "When are you going to start remembering the names of the department heads?"

"When I become one," James replied sarcastically. "Who is he?"

"He's the head of the Auror department in the Ministry. He's a titch crazy, and if he thinks that we're not doing anything here, he'll have us both out of the Academy. I'll just see you at home later, all right?"

"All right. Work hard."

Sirius shook his head. He kissed Lily's cheek, saying good bye. Lily hugged both of her friends, then looked at James.

"Can we go home now?"

"In about five minutes. Laura's going to drive us. Do you need anything?"

"Yeah, my stuff is still in my room."

"Well, let's go get it."

Lily was careful not to look at anyone as she led James through the house. They reached her room, and began packing up her things. She picked up the picture of James kissing her, and looked at it for a moment before placing it in her purse. She glanced around the room, trying to see if she had forgotten anything, and released a shaky breath.

"Are you all right?"

Lily turned to James with over-bright eyes. "This was my room for my entire life but now . . . I'll probably never see it again. Mummy and Daddy are . . . Petunia and I  . . . Well, the house will be sold. I'll never be here again."

James crossed the room, and pulled her close. He didn't say anything. He couldn't think of a single phrase that might offer her comfort. She responded to his silence, however, and pulled herself together.

"Come on," she said, drawing away from him. "We have to meet Laura."

James nodded, and followed her out of the house.

Lily's flat was silent when the arrived. The other girls were still at the battle scene, and Laura had returned home after dropping them off. Lily dropped her things on the coffee table, and surveyed the living room as though she had never seen it before. James watched her uncertainly.

"Do you want something to eat? I can make you –"

"Oh, stop," Lily sighed. "We both know that you can't cook."

"For you, I'd try."

She gave him a sad smile. "I just want to go to sleep."

James pulled a vial from his pocket. "Dana gave me this to give you. It's a potion for a dreamless sleep."

Lily shook her head. "Between Dana and Dumbledore, I'll never dream again."

"You don't want it?"

"I'll take it," she said, reaching for the bottle.

"Come on," James said, leading her to her bedroom. "Let's get you ready for bed."

Fifteen minutes later, Lily collapsed onto her bed. James sat down on the edge, and took her hand.

"Do you want your potion now?"

"Will you stay with me?" Lily asked, rather than responding.

"Of course." He handed her the bottle.

"All night?" she asked as she uncorked it.

"If that's what you want."

She drank the potion, then nodded in response to his comment, her eyes teary again. "I don't want to be alone," she whispered. She turned over on her side, with her back to him. She couldn't stand to let him see her crying again.

James laid down next to her and pulled her close, pressing his chest against her back. "You're not alone," he said, wrapping his arms around her tightly. "You're never going to be alone. I'll never leave you."

A tear slid down her cheek. "I love you, James."

"I love you, too, Lily."