Chapter Five: Like Sand through an Hourglass
A/N- This story takes place about a month into the summer before Jack and Lily's seventh year in school. Just thought you'd want to know! Also, I've had some people ask me when Ginny comes into all this. It's not for a long while. Do you think I should move this into a different category? They do play a key part in the story, but they don't even meet up again for several chapters. And one more thing, I realized I haven't put a disclaimer on this. So this is it. Who do I look like? JK Rowling! I own nothing but the characters which do not appear in the Harry Potter books. All the characters who are not in the books, as well as theplot, belong to me.
"Ron, what time did Lily and Jack say they would be getting home from camp?" Hermione Weasley asked her husband while folding some socks in the living room.
"They said this afternoon sometime," Ron called from upstairs in their bedroom just as the door bell rang. "Can you get that, love?"
"Sure," Hermione said under her breath as she walked to the door. When she opened the door she had expected to see one of her younger children's friends wanting to come over and play. What she saw when she pulled open the door was such a shock she felt her heart stop beating.
He looked different. His hair was lighter, he must have dyed it. He was perhaps even taller than she remembered, and he did not wear glasses anymore, and his scar was missing as well. But the eyes were the same; they were the give-a-way clue.
"Hello Hermione!" Harry took a step toward his friend and engulfed her in a large hug.
Another male voice called from behind the pair, "Mione, who is it …oh my God…Harry!" Ron ran over and hugged his friend like a brother when he pulled away from Hermione. She stood back and allowed her husband to pass her, trying desperately to regain her breath.
After another round of hugs and laughs the three proceeded to sit in the living room. Harry was surprised that neither Ron nor Hermione were mad at him for what he did. He thought they might be, but he was glad they weren't.
"Harry, where have you been all this time and why have you decided now is the time to come back? Not that I'm complaining or anything," Ron asked beaming back at his friend. It was as if no time had passed between their last meeting, but in actuality it had been nearly seventeen years since Harry's supposed "death."
"Well, I moved from place to place. I changed my name and covered my tracks. I spent some time in America, but most of the time I was in Canada in a remote town near the American border. The people there were nice and I pretty much kept to myself. I also changed my appearance so that no one would recognize me. I have my scar disillusioned, in case you were wondering. As for why I came back now, I read something in the paper the other day about Lily. It was rather startling, and I realized I can no longer protect her by staying away from her. That and I desperately want to be part of her life again." Harry said all this very fast and was rather out of breath when he was finished.
"She's okay Harry. I must say she handled herself very well as she always has. She takes after you I guess in that sense, there is really nothing she can't handle. You are going to be so proud of her when you see her! She is even smarter than Hermione was in school," Ron said putting an arm around his wife who sat looking at Harry not daring to take her eyes off him out of fear he would disappear.
"Really," Harry said with a wider smile.
"Hermione and I are both teaching at Hogwarts now, so yes we can tell you with absolute certainty that she is one of the smartest students ever to go to that school," Ron added.
"What do you teach?" Harry asked Ron. When he left, Ron had been working for the auror department and Hermione was the one at Hogwarts.
"I teach potions if you can believe it! It turns out I like it a lot more than I thought I did. And Hermione still teaches transfiguration," Ron replied, "Oh, and Neville is teaching Herbology."
"I guess I saw that coming with Neville. I can't wait to see everyone!" Harry said excitedly while standing up and walking around the room looking at various items.
"Do you want to see some pictures of her, Harry?" Hermione asked softly after a few moments of silence between the three.
"Do you have any?" Harry asked hopefully turning around to face them.
"Of course we do!" Ron said as he got up and walked out of the room. He returned with several photo albums in his arms. "They're in here with our other family pictures." Ron put the albums down and opened the one that had to oldest pictures. They were of Ron and Hermione holding a baby in their arms. "This album is too old, she won't be in here. Let's find a more recent one," Ron said half to himself as he closed the book and began looking for the one he wanted. Harry picked up the album Ron had just sat down to look at the pictures of the baby. This was obviously not a picture of Jack, because the baby had Ron's red hair. He remembered Jack's hair was brown.
Harry turned to Hermione and asked, "How many children do you two have now?"
Hermione smiled again. Her favorite subject was talking about her wonderful children. "We have five. Andrew was born a year after Jack. He is going to be sixteen years old and in his sixth year. Kyle was born two years after that, he's in his third year. Brandon was born three years later, and he will start Hogwarts in the fall. We didn't have Joe for seven years after Brandon was born. He was our little surprise. He will be four in a few weeks."
Harry looked slightly surprised, "Well, that's quite a lot. Looks like Ginny is the last Weasley girl for a while!"
At the mention of Ginny the room fell silent. Harry mentally kicked himself for the comment. Here he was, sitting in his best friend's living room, when he had broken his little sister's heart years ago.
"I'm sorry, that was a stupid thing to say," Harry said miserably.
Ron smiled and nodded while Hermione stood up and walked to the mantel place over their fireplace. She picked up a framed picture and handed it to Harry. The picture was of Ron and Hermione in the hospital with four children. All of them had flaming red hair so Harry assumed that Jack was not one of the children.
"That was when Joe was born. Lily and Jack must have been off somewhere," Hermione said taking a seat next to her husband again.
Ron nodded half heartedly as he found the pictures that he wanted, "Here they are, Harry. These were taken starting the night Lily and Jack were sorted. Hermione had a camera ready. She wanted to be able to show you someday."
Harry sat in silence as he saw his daughter in the pictures. She had black hair and green eyes like his, just as when she was a baby. But she had her mother's hair texture. Her hair was long and full of curls and waves. That was one thing he really had hoped she would inherit from Melissa. He loved her hair. The pictures progressed slowly because there were a lot of them. He knew she had been sorted into his old house when he saw her wearing a scarf bearing the Gryffindor colors. He had never been so proud.
He looked at the pictures for what seemed like hours. He watched as the years went by and Lily grew older and even more beautiful. There were many pictures of her at the burrow with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, and at their house here near London. He knew then that Ron and Hermione had taken her after she started Hogwarts because she was in nearly all of their family pictures. He was grateful beyond words.
"She plays Qudditch?" Harry asked when he came to a picture of Lily standing with a Qudditch uniform on. She had obviously just played a match because she was rather tired looking and wind blown.
"Yes, her and Jack have both been on the team since they were in first year. They love it. She's a seeker just like you, Harry," Ron said proudly.
"What does Jack play?" Harry asked after a few seconds.
"Keeper, just like his father," Hermione said after nudging her husband affectionately in the rib cage. Ron just smiled back at her.
"So Jack and Lily are good friends then?" Harry asked looking at Hermione and Ron for a second and then returning to the pictures. There seemed to be a lot of pictures taken at this particular Qudditch match.
"You could say that," Ron relied mischievously as he and Hermione exchanged looks and waited for Harry to turn the page of the album. When he did they both started laughing.
Harry looked up at them and then back at the album. These pictures were of Lily, but she was with a boy. This boy had brown hair like Hermione. "Is this Jack?"
"Yup," they said together.
Harry looked at the next page. In these pictures the photographic Lily was standing with the photographic Jack behind her. He had his arms wrapped around her waist and every so often he would kiss her cheek making her smile even more.
"You're son is dating my daughter," Harry happily accused.
"Yes he is. They started dating the summer after their fourth year in school. When they first came to Hogwarts they got along really well right from the beginning. It was rather funny seeing the two of them together at first. It was kind of like seeing you and me together again," Ron said as he let the memories of years past come back to him for the first time in a long time without any pain. It seemed like every happy memory that had taken place over the past sixteen years had been bittersweet because Harry hadn't been there to share it with them.
"Well, I don't recall you and me ever dating Ron!" Harry joked looking at his best mate with a raised eyebrow.
"Well, it turns out that not all male members of this family are like Ron when it comes to romance. Jack handled himself like a perfect gentlemen," Hermione said turning her nose up to Ron.
"Are you saying I wasn't a gentleman?" Ron said pretending to be put out.
"You were a prat!" Hermione said laughing as she recalled how they got together while she and Ron were with Harry looking for the fragmented soul of Voldemort.
"You were, mate," Harry admitted.
"He loves her Harry," Ron said seriously.
"Then I am happy for them. It was just a little unexpected, that's all." Harry began to flip through some more pictures. He found a picture of Jack and Lily in what looked to be the Gryffindor common room. They were sitting on the couch together, Lily had her head in Jack's lap and she was reading something as Jack ran his hand through her hair absentmindedly while staring out the window. She was wearing glasses and Harry couldn't get over how much she really did look like him with them on.
"When was this taken?"
Hermione canned her neck to see the picture he was asking about, "That was taken at the beginning of this year."
"I see," Harry nodded and turned the page.
The next picture Harry came to was in the final album with the most recent pictures. It was of Jack and Lily along with another boy he didn't know, but he certainly was somewhat older than Jack and Lily. He did however notice that Jack and Lily were not wearing Hogwarts uniforms. They were wearing black floor length robes, traditionally worn by aurors in training.
Harry made the connection and looked up at Ron and Hermione, "They're training to be aurors? Aren't they a little young for that?"
"When she and Jack came to Hogwarts they were so advanced in their studies thanks to that orphanage you sent her to and all the books Hermione had laying around the house for Jack to read. They were placed in third year classes their first year. They took their NEWT exams at the end of their fifth year with all the seventh years and have been training to be aurors every since. Lily's also training to be a healer, though none of us really know why," Ron concluded by looking over to his wife for an answer to his question.
"I think she just needed something that didn't involve the dark arts for once. She likes healer training and she's good at it. She'll be working at St. Mungos for a few hours every week next year," Hermione said looking at Harry who was staring at them with a strange expression. "Harry what is it?"
"She's so grown up. I guess I always thought of her as a baby in my mind. I never imagined that she would grow into the young woman in all these pictures," Harry said looking down at the pictures of a smiling Lily Potter with what must have been one of Ron and Hermione's other children. "I'll never forgive myself for not being there for her."
Ron placed a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder. "Listen mate, you only did what you thought you had to do to protect your one and only daughter. No one could ever ask more of you than that."
"Still, I should have been there."
"Lily and Jack have both had to grow up a lot faster than we would have liked them to," Ron said regretfully. He glanced at Hermione who shook her head, indicating that she didn't want him to continue down this particular conversation path.
Hermione finally asked what she had been wondering for the last few moments, "When are you going to tell her Harry?"
Harry closed the album and returned it to the pile on the coffee table, "I want you to introduce me to her as a friend of yours from school. I'll tell her in the next few days. I just want to find the right moment. I don't want it to be a total shock."
"Well," Hermione said looking at her watch, "We shouldn't have to wait very long. They should be home anytime now."
"Where are they?" Harry wondered.
"Oh, they're at Qudditch camp for school. They have been co-captions for the team since the beginning of their fifth year. They started this camp the summer before their fifth year to help bring the team together. I have to say it's worked out really well. The team has never failed to win the house cup yet!"
Just as Ron finished what he was saying there was a series of cracks and loud thuds from the kitchen followed by sounds of laughter. Ron, Hermione, and Harry walked quickly into the kitchen to see what happened. When the situation came into view Harry felt his heart skip a beat. There before his eyes were two entangled teenage bodies. They were on the floor and so were their broom sticks and duffle bags. One of them had apparently apparated in on top of the other.
"Jesus, Potter! Did you have to choose that exact spot," Jack said in a light tone and he regained his composure and found his feet. He stood up and looked over at his parents and Harry, "We're home Mum! But I guess you already know that thanks to our grand entrance," Jack beamed at his parents before bending down and helping Lily untangle herself from the straps of two duffle bags. He pulled her to her feet and she started to dust herself off.
"How was camp? It was longer this year wasn't it? I don't remember it being two whole weeks last year," Ron said going over to his son and taking their bags up off the floor then placing them on the table. "How are you feeling about it all?"
Lily looked over at Jack with a grin that Harry instantly recognized as his own, "We're sore Uncle Ron, but I feel really confident that this year will go good!" Harry took notice of her American accent mixed with a little British as well.
"Lily, Jack, this is our friend Harold from school," Ron said introducing Harry using a fake name. Harry laughed to himself at how ridiculous the name was.
"Where are Andrew and Kyle?" Hermione said as she unzipped one of the bags and began to unpack the teen's belongings.
"Kyle should be flooing in any second now. Jack and I walked to the gate so we could apparate. Let me help you with that Aunt Hermione," Lily said as she walked over to Hermione and started to unzip the other bag.
"Lily you need to rest, you look dead on your feet. I'm just emptying the bags right now. I'll wash everything tomorrow," Hermione said as she forced Lily to sit down in one of the dinning room chairs. Harry and Ron took seats on the other side and Jack sat next to her handing her an apple.
Harry looked at his daughter more closely and noticed she did have dark circles under her eyes, but she looked content. She reminded him of himself after a long and strenuous Qudditch game.
"Hello," a voice called from the hallway and a gangly red headed figure walked into the room and dropped his duffle bag next to the others.
"Kyle, this is a friend of ours from school. Harold this is our son Kyle. This is his first year playing Qudditch for the house team," Ron said as Kyle went to the counter and got a bottle of water.
"It's nice to meet you Harold. I'm beat though! I think I'll go catch a few winks before supper," he said walking out of the room without another word.
"Where is Andrew then?" Ron said looking at Jack with a wary eye.
"Andy's got himself a little girlfriend. They were saying a teary goodbye when we left," Jack said pretending to wipe a tear from the corner of his eye but stopped and laughed when Lily hit him in the shoulder.
"That's not nice, Jack. You know Andrew is sensitive about that," looking at Ron and rolling her eyes.
"It's just so funny! I mean they're both so young! They almost need a babysitter," Jack said laughing even harder.
"They're older than we were," Lily said with a glint in her eye.
Hermione walked in the room and laughed as well, "She's got a point Jack! You were a full year younger than your brother when you and Lily started dating."
Jack looked rather shocked, "Yeah Mum, but Lily's was so…she was so…mature for her age. She's always been like that." He said this eyeing both his mother and Lily cautiously.
"Oh, really! Too bad I can't say the same for you Weasley!" Lily said as she jumped up from the table and ran for the living room. She clearly knew she was in trouble after that comment.
Jack was after her and caught up to her in a second, wrestling her to the ground. He then proceeded to tickle her to the point that she had tears of laughter in her eyes.
"Take it back, Potter!"
"NEVER!" She said as he continued to tickle her mercilessly.
"Don't take that from him Lil! Put him in his place," Ron called from the table as he and Harry watched the two love birds on the floor. Ron looked over at Harry and winked at him. Harry just shook his head and smiled wider.
"Hey, who's side are you on anyway Dad! I'm your own flesh and blood," Jack said and he held Lily's hands above her head.
"So is Lily as far as I'm concerned," Ron said giving Harry a more serious look. Harry was grateful to Ron for this. He had always hoped Ron and Hermione would love Lily as their own.
Harry looked back to the couple on the floor and laughed at what he saw. Lily had taken advantage of Jack's momentary distraction and had succeeded in rendering him immobile by pinning his body beneath hers.
"Say it!" She yelled down at Jack with a smile.
"Okay fine, MERCY!" Jack said as he and Lily sat up red in the face.
"Oh, this came for you two the other day," Hermione said as Jack and Lily sat next to each other trying to catch their breath. She handed the letter to Lily and she and Jack got up and walked back to the table.
Lily saw the handwriting on the outside and gave Jack a odd look. Harry looked over at the envelope and saw the auror department's seal on the outside. Their names were written in navy color ink.
Lily read the letter and then handed it to Jack pretending not be upset but failing miserable. But Harry saw right through her act. He used to do the same thing. She took a long deep breath and looked away giving Jack time to read the letter.
"Who's it from?" Ron asked sensing that Harry wanted to know.
"Luis," Jack spat the name out as if it were poison. Jack folded the letter up neatly after reading it and handed it back to Lily.
"We're going away again this weekend. Department orders," Jack answered looking at Lily again who was now folding the letter back up and setting it on fire with her wand.
"Will you be gone for the weekend again or the whole week?" Hermione asked looking concerned.
"Who knows…" Lily said under her breath.
Just then a little boy with red hair came running into the room and ran over to Lily and Jack excitedly. Harry was puzzled for a second and then realized that this most be Ron's youngest son Joe. He was a small child that looked exactly like his father, strikingly different from his oldest brother who looked just like his mother.
"Jack! Lily!" The boy cried as he ran into Jack's open arms, "Did you miss me!"
"Of course we did!" Jack said as Joe moved over to greet Lily.
"I wanted you to read me a story, but Mum said you were too tired from camp!" Joe said to Lily, pouting.
"Me, too tired? Not for you buddy," Lily said tapping him on the nose and standing up, "You lead the way." She glanced back at Jack and shrugged her shoulders.
"I'll come get you for dinner, Lil," Jack said as he returned to the table with Ron and Harry.
"So you were friends with my dad in school? What was he like?"
Harry looked over at Ron and smiled devilishly. "Well, let's just say we got into our fair share of trouble!"
An hour and a half later the boys were still sitting at the table, their sides hurting from all the laughter. Hermione had entered the kitchen a while before and started preparing dinner. She would pipe into the conversation whenever she felt Harry was leaving something out.
Joe came back down the stairs just as Hermione was starting to set the table. Jack turned to his brother. "Did Lily read you something good?"
Joe shrugged his shoulders, "Yeah, but she fell asleep on my bed before she was done. I played in your room for a while to let her sleep."
"That was kind of you Joe," Hermione said ruffling his hair then turned to Jack with her hand on her hips. "Exactly how hard have you been practicing at this camp Jack? You and Lily both have not regained your strength from…" Hermione was about to go on but the look of horror on Harry's face prevented her.
"Yeah, I know Mum. But you know Lily. She wanted to practice hard just like we always do. I think she liked it that way. It kept her mind off things," Jack added quietly. He looked down at his hands resting on the table and let out a long sigh.
Just then a tall man walked in the back door without knocking. "Hello Hermione," he said with a smile that did not reach his eyes.
"Oh, hello Richard! We weren't expecting you tonight. Harold, this is Richard Luis. He's head of the auror department at the ministry. Harold is a friend of ours from school," Hermione explained continuing to set the table, "You're welcome to stay for dinner if you like."
"Unfortunately this is not a social call," the man said seriously then he looked to Jack, "Jack I need to talk to you and Lily in private for a second. It's important."
Jack looked away from the man and seemed to be rather angry, "If this is about Mal-"
"Jack, go and get Lily and met me outside," Richard said cutting Jack off. He turned on his heel and walked out the door as abruptly as he walked in.
"You know, I'm really beginning to hate that guy!" Jack stood up and pushed in his chair, "He always seems to be around to mess things up."
"Jack, he only wants to help," Hermione said but Harry could tell she really didn't mean it by the sound of her voice. "You'd better go and wake Lily up."
"Yeah," Jack muttered as he ran up the stairs. He walked into Joes room with was the last room on the right hand side, and opened the door. Lily was laying on her stomach with her arms up under the pillow her head facing the wall. Jack sat down on the edge of the bed and rubbed her back to get her to wake up.
"Jack," she mumbled against the pillow turning around slowly.
"Sorry to wake you, love," he said bending forward to kiss her lightly on the lips.
"It's okay," she said sitting up and getting up off the bed, "I didn't mean to fall asleep." She followed him down the stairs and didn't ask any questions until they were on the main floor.
"What's this about Jack?" she said sounding groggy and rubbing her eyes.
"Luis," Jack said simply, "He wants to see the both of us outside. He says it's important. You'll need a coat or sweater, it's chilly out and I'm sure he'll keep us out there for half the night."
"Great," Lily said under her breath as she turned to look for a sweater. Hermione came into the room with a sweater draped over her arm.
"It's one of Jack's but it'll serve the purpose," she said handing it to her.
Because she was wearing a white tank top that revealed her upper back and shoulders, Harry was able to see something that scared him greatly. On her back was a long white thin scar. It looked as if it had been painful whenever it happened though it looked like it was several years old.
Lily put on the sweater which appeared to be a Hogwarts Qudditch sweater. Apparently they made them now and they told who had won the Qudditch house cup for a particular year. The sweater was in Gryffindor's house colors and had names on the back of it. Harry noticed at the bottom it read: Co-Captions Lily Elizabeth Potter and Jack Jasper Weasley. Snapping himself back to reality he saw Jack holding the door open for Lily as she stepped outside.
"Don't hold dinner for us," Jack said as he tuned to leave.
"Okay Son, and don't let him push you around. And stand up for Lily," Ron said as Jack shut the door. Ron then turned to Harry and stood up, "Let's go somewhere we can talk okay?"
"Sure," Harry said as Ron led him into what appeared to be a small study. The room was decorated in dark colors and had a large overstuffed couch on one side, and wooden desk on another. Hundreds of books lined the other two walls and on various bookshelves around the room. Ron took a seat on the corner of the desk and motioned for Harry to sit on the couch.
"Okay, so you probably want to know what that's all about," Ron said in a light tone but with a serious expression.
Harry's mind was racing. There were so many questions running through his mind, he didn't know where to start. "Why is my daughter in contact with the head of the auror department, and what does that have to do with Jack? I know you said they were training, but trainees hardly capture much attention from the department head," Harry said matter-a-factly.
"Well, I guess it's always best to start from the beginning," Ron stated, "It didn't take long for people to take notice of Lily after she came to Hogwarts. She was smart beyond her years, and what's more she is your daughter. Let's just say she had her fair share of enemies. A group of Voldermort's surviving death eaters have formed a group they call The Circle. At first we didn't give them much attention, but they have become a very real threat to the peace. They attacked Hogsmade several times trying to get to the school over the past six years before they finally succeeded last year. Hermione and I have worked closely with the Order trying to bring this group to its knees but we always seem to be one step behind them. Jack and Lily started to display some unique characteristics during their second year, and…well the ministry took notice. They have already gone through a lot of the auror training you and I went through. The department is using them for undercover work mostly and keeping tabs on the students at Hogwarts who are children of those we believe to be in The Circle."
"What kind of characteristics are you talking about," Harry said before Ron could go any further.
"Telepathy is one of them. They both tend to have visions or premonitions about the future. They also seem to have this sense about whether people are good or bad at heart. Jack tried explaining it to me once; he said it's like being able to tell if someone's heart is pure or corrupted. The auror department has found them quite useful. They both have jobs lined up for after next year. They were told they would need no more training. They'll be certified aurors once they graduate."
Harry held up his hand to stop Ron from continuing, "But they're so young. Have they been on any real missions yet?"
"Yes, they spent most of the last two summers on one mission or another. They are not allowed to talk about much."
Ron stopped talking for a moment and looked at his friend to see how he was taking all of this. Harry sat with his elbows on his knees and his eyes on the floor. His expression was difficult to read. "I get the feeling that there is more to this than you are letting me in on," Harry finally said.
Ron began again without further hesitation, "Last summer, while on a mission Jack and Lily brought down a number of The Circle's key members. That was part of the reason there was an attack at Hogwarts last year. They wanted revenge, and…well… they got it to an extent. They had come with the intent on killing both Lily and Jack but were unable to. They did however manage to kill one of their very good friends in the process, a fact which as caused both of them no small amount of pain over the past few weeks. The real problem we have to face now is the leader of this Circle. He has taken a particular liking to Lily and will stop at nothing to cause her pain and grief."
"Who is it?" Harry wondered again.
"Malfoy," Ron answered quietly.
"WHAT," Harry said as he rose from his seat and looked at Ron as if he had lost his mind.
"Draco Malfoy," Ron repeated.
"That son of a bitch," Harry said as he began to pace the room in anger. After a few moments of tense silence he calmed down and returned to his seat with his head in his hands. "I really thought what I did would have kept her safe from things like this."
Ron shook his head and took a step toward his friend, "You did keep her safe for a while. She's alive, and that's all that matters. We will never know what would have happened if you had not done what you did. I'm not going to lie to you mate, I was very mad about what you did at first. It took me a while to see that it was for the best. You and I both know that if you had remained alive in the eyes of the wizarding world than Lily would have been killed and maybe even you, but for real this time. You did the right thing, Harry." Ron was now sitting next to Harry with his hand on his shoulder.
"How am I going to tell her the truth?" Harry asked out loud to himself.
"I know Lily. She'll understand. But I agree with you about not telling her right away when she came home today. That would have been a shock. Tell her sometime when it is just the two of you maybe. I'd be surprised actually if she does not figure it out for herself. Don't let her touch you until you tell her, or else she will know. She will be able to sense what you're feeling and that will give it away."
"Okay, I'm going to tell her soon though," Harry said looking down at the wood floor once more clearly deep in thought.
"Well, I'm going to leave you alone for a while. I'll have 'Mione save you a plate," Ron said as he got up and left Harry alone with his thoughts.
"Okay, so what's this all about," Jack asked once they met Richard under the tree in their backyard.
"It's about Malfoy," he said standing up with his hands in his pockets.
"What isn't," Jack replied with cool sarcasm.
"What is it this time?" Lily asked with her arms folded across her chest. Jack looked at her and saw that familiar look on her face. Whenever they talked about Malfoy he noticed her face tense up and he could also sense some kind of fear deep inside her. This was strange because he never knew Lily to be afraid of anything.
"He's up to something. We just don't know what yet," Richard said breaking into Jack's trance.
"Draco Malfoy is always up to something," Lily said under her breath.
"What do you want us to do about it?" Jack asked looking back at him.
"He's having another party this weekend. That's the mission I'm sending you on. I want you to assume your old aliases and try and find out all you can. Then I want to talk to you about a month long mission to Africa that will take place sometime during next school year."
Jack held up his hand furious, "Wait just one minute! You want us to go back to Malfoy pretending to be the same people as before? I thought the department decided that wasn't a good idea considering what happened last spring. What if he knows about us? What if he knows we're the ones who got all his people killed and sent to prison? Do you even realize the risk you're asking us to take? And what is this bull about a mission to Africa? What does Africa have to do with anything?"
"I understand this is difficult on you both. But you must understand the good that can come of this," Richard said with fake sincerity.
"Look, when we signed up for this auror training program at the beginning of last year we didn't sign up for all this. Being an auror is the only thing I've ever wanted to do. But you have no idea what it's cost the both of us. You don't have to look in to my mother's eyes every time I go on one of those missions. She looks at me like she's never going to see me again!" Jack said this and glanced back at Lily who looked just as mad.
"Being an auror means you have to take risks like that," Richard's voice had lost all its comfort and his words where now as harsh as his eyes.
"Don't you dare lecture me on taking risks," Lily said looking completely infuriated, "I've lost both my parents and a best friend fighting against one evil or another! I've put my life on the line willingly countless times in hopes that maybe what we're doing will would keep others out of harms way. And all it's done is caused more pain and heartache. Look what happened last year. Two students at Hogwarts died in that attack not to mention aurors and other law enforcers. When is it gonna to be enough?"
"When we find out what they're planning," Richard countered quickly.
"And what then?" she asked taking a step forward, challenging him without words.
"Then we fight," Richard replied showing no signs of backing down, "Unless you're afraid," he looked at her with an evil look in his eye.
Jack knew Richard had gone over the line with that comment and he stepped in between of them trying to separate the feuding pair. "Now what a minute! Let's just calm down," he said trying to reason with them, though his head was telling him to slug Richard in the face. Lily would have none of it; she acted like Jack hadn't said anything at all.
"You unimaginable bastard," she said in a low voice, "Nothing you could ever say would frighten me. I have seen things in my life that would leave you crying in the corner like a little school girl."
Richard laughed heartily, "If you're referring to one of the missions I've sent you on, I assure you none of them are anything in comparison to the things I've seen in all my years with the department."
"I never said anything about any mission," she said emotionless.
"Care to elaborate on that, Potter?" he challenged further
"Not to you I don't," she said taking a step back and looking at Jack who had a puzzled look on his face. He had no idea what she was talking about. This part of Lily's life remained a mystery to him.
"Well, the attack at Hogwarts wouldn't have been so hard on you if you hadn't-"
Richard began to say this but was cut off quickly by Lily who was right back in his face, "If I had what? If I had been able to save Allan? That's what you're thinking isn't it? Why don't you just go ahead and say it. You think I'm weak for not being able to save his life, don't you?"
"Yes I do," Richard said coldly never even blinking.
"Luis!" Jack screamed trying to get someone's attention.
Lily talked right over Jack, as if he had said nothing. "Than you don't know anything about me," she said taking yet another step towards him. They were now only inches apart. She continued to talk at a normal level though her tone revealed the true anger behind her words, "Because if you did you, would know I would've given my life to save his. He was one of my best friends and I would give anything to go back to that day and replace my fate with his. There is not a day that goes by that I don't think about him and what I could have done to save him. I feel sick to my stomach every time I think about how I should be the one lying dead in a grave and not Allan. That's not what he deserved. But there was nothing I could do and you know it!"
"Just keep telling yourself that. Whatever helps you sleep at night," Luis said looking away.
"Luis, you taken this far enough! You have no right to talk about things you know nothing about!" Jack said nearly foaming at the mouth. He had never heard anyone talk to Lily like that. He knew just how much it had hurt her because he could feel it. She was completely broken over what he said, though he knew she would never let Luis know it.
Lily stepped back and placed a hand on Jack's heaving chest preventing him from lunging at Richard and giving him a piece of his mind. "Forget about it Jack," she said in a not so soothing voice. She turned back to Richard who kept his ground, "We'll go on your little mission and gather all the information we can. But know that we're not going because you told us to. We're going because there's a slight chance that some good may come of it. Now why don't you explain the details of these missions to us so we can all go to bed?"
Richard nodded his head and they took a seat at the outdoor table in Jack's backyard. The family had shared many happy summer meals out here on this table. But this was no such occasion.
It was nearly midnight before Lily and Jack were able to come back inside the house. They were both fuming. They entered the kitchen and saw Jack's mum had left them both leftovers from dinner.
"Are you hungry?" Jack asked looking at Lily who was pacing the floor.
"Who the hell does this guy think he is? I mean he wants us to go on a month long mission to Africa in the middle of the school year! What the hell are the other aurors in the department doing? Technically we aren't even aurors because we haven't graduated yet," she looked at Jack who was holding up a plate of mashed potatoes and steak. "No Jack, I'm not hungry."
"Well, the mission doesn't even start for another six months. A lot can change between now and then. It wouldn't be the first time they've wanted to send us on a mission and then changed their minds. Let's just wait and see what happens," he was trying really hard to calm her down even though he was just as mad and knew they had every right to be pissed off.
"Sure it doesn't start for another couple of months, but he's got us training for it starting at the end of August! And he's got us going on this mission this weekend! This is our last year at Hogwarts for crying out loud! Our last year to play Qudditch! How are we going to caption the team if we aren't there to hold practice for a month?"
"Well, we need to start looking for a caption to take our place after we leave next year. I guess this might be a golden opportunity to see who is cut out for the job," he said putting the plate aside realizing that he wasn't hungry either.
"And where does he get off telling me I was weak in not being able to save Allan? He wasn't there…he doesn't know what really happened. I tried to save him…but he was one the other side of the dungeon and I couldn't get to him in time," she was now beginning to get upset again. Her expression softened from one of rage to one of complete sorrow. Her eyes glossed over and she stopped pacing.
This was the one thing that really made Jack's hatred of Richard Luis go over the edge. He had made Lily feel she was responsible for the death of their good friend, and for that Jack would never forgive him.
He walked over to her and crushed her tense body against his, "I know it's not your fault, and so does everyone else. Luis is an ass and everyone knows that as well. You are not the reason Allan died. He choose to be there and fight. He could have stayed up in his common room just like everyone else."
Lily pulled away and started walking toward the stairs, "I'm going to bed. I'll see you in the morning," she called over her shoulder.
He knew this was a time when they should talk things through, but he also knew when she needed to be left alone. He walked with her to the stairs and before she was about to step up the first stair he turned her around by taking her hand, "Good night, I love you. And don't stay up worrying over this, we'll work it out."
He kissed her on the lips and she offered him a small smile, "I love you too," she said before turning and walking up the stairs. She looked as if they had just lost a really big Qudditch game. Well…at least he figured that's how she would look, because they had never lost a Qudditch game in six years of playing for Gryffindor.
a/n- Well, I've just given you two chapters in one night. Please tell me what you think!