Lily Evans entered the Great Hall quite groggily, having just woken up a few minutes prior. She stretched and yawned, then made her way next to Whitney and Paige. They chattered merrily, then suddenly someone from behind Lily spoke up.

"Why hello, Evans. And how are you on this lovely day?" James asked, grinning.

Lily rolled her eyes. "Alright, Potter. And you?" She had forgiven James a bit, after he had apologized to Andrew.

James sat down across from her casually, pompously rumpling his hair. "Alright, I suppose. Much better now that I'm with you," he winked.

"POTTER! Can't you give it a rest?" Lily scowled. "I have a boyfriend now, you know!"

James gazed at her innocently. "So?" Sirius grinned, full of pride for his best friend. I am so very proud of him. I've definitely had a lot of influence on him! He thought.

Lily laughed, surprising herself. "That is just like you, Potter. Always breaking the rules. Of course, you're James Potter! The usual rules don't apply to you," she grinned, teasing him.

James puffed out his chest, beaming with pride. That was exactly how he had always wanted to be seen. Lily laughed again, then quickly stopped and covered her mouth, blushing. Suddenly, the owls flew into the Great Hall for their morning deliveries. Lily had always loved watching the spectacle of all the owls swooping in on their recipients, almost always making something comical happen. A large, vividly white owl swooped down onto James' shoulder, sticking out his leg, giving James the Daily Prophet. Soon after, one of the Prophet's owls perched on Lily's breakfast plate, nipping at her arm, sticking one of his legs out. On his leg was a tiny coin purse. Lily quickly shoved a knut into the coin purse, and the owl flew away. Without glancing at her Daily Prophet, she went back to her breakfast, careful to inspect her plate for any remaining owl feathers first. Suddenly, James' once happy face turned grim, and pale with shock. He had a strong hold on the Daily Prophet, and as he kept reading, his face got even paler, until he was almost paper white. Lily gazed at him in concern, not quite sure what was going on with him. He looked up at Lily in horror, giving her a strange look.

"Er…Lil-Evans. I think you should…er…read the front page. Now," he said nervously, unable to look her in the eye.

Lily stared at James, amused. "Why, Potter? I mean, nothing amusing is ever in the Prophet. It's all about some new Ministry code, or what to do when an augrey attacks. Hardly ever is there something substantial-"

"Lily. Please read it. I – I think, as hard as it will be for you, it's for the best," James gulped.

Lily, taken aback by the fact James used her first name, quickly picked up her Daily Prophet, giving James a strange look. It must be serious if he's using my first name, she thought. I hope nothings happened. She turned her head to read the first headline:

MUGGLE COUPLE SLAIN

Last night, a muggle couple was killed by the growing Dark Wizard "Voldemort." According to witnesses, the couple, Abigail and John Evans, were killed around 9:28 p.m., in their home. Their magical daughter, Lily Evans, is safely attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Their muggle daughter, Petunia Evans, survived by sheer luck. At the time of the two murders, she was at her boyfriend, Vernon Dursley's, home, having sneaked out of her house. She is very shaken by recent events, and will be living with the late Mrs. Evans' sister. As of press time, we have had no word from Lily Evans of her parent's murder.

According to the Evans' neighbors, "a strange man barged through their door. He had this evil smirk on his face. Then, he walked into the sitting room (I saw it through the window). John was there. I saw John hastily snatch up a club from the table. He must have assumed something like this would happen. Strangely enough, the man was only armed with a long stick, which he was pointing at John. I heard John scream, 'MY LILY TOLD ME ABOUT YOU! I refuse to just watch you kill my family! I won't have it, sir!' Then, he started beating the intruder with his bat, hitting any body part he could find. The strange man muttered something, and John was suddenly flown across the room. Then there was a brilliant flash of green light, and John keeled over. The man laughed – not a normal laugh, but the laugh of a madman. He then made his way upstairs. I heard Abigail scream, and shout, "NO!" It was the type of bloodcurdling scream you could never forget. It was high-pitched, and full of fear and surprise. But then her voice was cut off. Even from the next house, I could hear the man's hysterical laughter once more. After that, this strange…thing sprouted from the house. It was green, and looked quite disturbing. Then I heard this loud POP."

Muggle onlookers called for what they call "police." These "police" are almost like aurors, except nonmagical. These "police," as they call them, then called the muggle minister, who called the Ministry of Magic. People from the Ministry were at the Evan's home at once. They modified the muggle spectators' memories, and camouflaged the "Dark Mark," as it has started to be called. They brought young Petunia Evans to her aunt's home, and then continued to search for the reason the Evans were killed. Strangely, no other families were killed. Also, Voldemort himself killed them, making this a significant killing. He must have had a reason for their murder. The Minister of Magic said at a press conference, "We would like to take this time to advise all members of the magical society to be alert. This wizard, nicknamed Voldemort, is gaining power. He's unstoppable. We would strongly suggest that you report any strange behavior immediately. There is a madman on the loose. The sooner we catch him, the less casualties there will be. Please, stay alert and be cautious, especially those of you who are muggle born." The Ministry also publicly announced that they had received an anonymous tip, telling them the whereabouts of this "Voldemort." They are absolutely certain that they will catch him soon, and the random and vicious massacres will cease. However, the Daily Prophet would like to advise you to not get your hopes up. The Ministry has lied to us many times before. This "tip-off" could possibly just be a publicity stunt. Please do not believe anything until it has been confirmed and you actually see a picture of this "Voldemort" in an Azkaban prison cell.

Abigail Evans donated her time to many muggle charities. She was known as smart, kind, and loving amongst her family and friends. She was always boasting about her daughter, Lily Evans. "She was ever so proud of Lily," sobbed a close friend of Abigail's. "She said she was the smartest student at her boarding school. She said she learned all sorts of unique things. Abigail loved her family so very much. She would do anything for them. We will all miss her deeply."

John Evans also had a strong love for his family. He was protective of them, and he was determined to keep them safe. "I remember when his young Lily mentioned a young man from her school, by the name of Potter, I believe," recalled a colleague of John's. "Lily was about fifteen then. She was saying how stupid and immature this 'Potter' was, but John knew she secretly liked him. He told her he would simply not have it, and if 'this young man wants to date you, he will have to be respectful and sit through an interview with me first!'" The Daily Prophet offers their condolences to Lily and Petunia Evans, along with the other relatives and friends of the late Abigail and John Evans.

By now, Lily's hands were shaking so much, James had to reach out and steady them. He gazed into her sad, helpless eyes, then looked away, not able to bear it. Lily shakily stood up from the table, having to squeeze her eyes shut to hold in the tears. "I-I have to go now. Excuse me." She ran out of the Great Hall, her hands covering her face. James, looking heart broken, ran out of the Great Hall after her. Sirius furrowed his eyebrows, quite confused.

"What is going on? What did I miss?" he asked.

Remus rolled his eyes. "The Daily Prophet, you idiot!" He pointed to the headline on James' abandoned paper.

Sirius quickly read the article and dropped it in shock. "Bloody hell."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lily Evans was sitting in an empty broom closet, sobbing. I had just heard from them! She thought. They sounded safe and alert! And now – and now they're dead! I'll never talk to them again! I'll never have a mother. My father will never walk me down the aisle at my wedding. She paused. Strangely enough, when she thought about her future wedding, James' image came into her mind. She shook off the thought, and continued to sob uncontrollably. Thank goodness Petunia is alive. I never thought I would say this, but I don't know what I would do if she weren't here. Then again, I said the same thing earlier this year about my parents. Lily sobbed even louder, memories of her parents flooding back to her all at once; the time they had come to Hogwarts for Prefect's Parent's Visiting Day, beaming with pride. Her recent seventeenth birthday, when they let her seriously mangle their appearance, just so she could use her new magical privileges. The day her first Hogwarts acceptance letter came in the mail. Lily smiled. They were so proud of her that day – confused, but very proud. Unlike Petunia, they were believers, which makes all the difference. More memories came flooding to her. No. NO! I DON'T WANT THESE NOW! MAKE THEM STOP! She thought, trying to close her mind from anything that would cause her pain. It didn't work, the memories kept coming; the time she had gotten so angry at Petunia, Petunia's hair magically disappeared. Petunia had screamed bloody murder, and her mum came to see what the commotion was about. Her mum had just stood there, laughing, seemingly proud of Lily, however evil it was. The time when Lily had gotten "the talk." "If there is ever anything you need to ask me, feel free," her mother had said. Well, now I can't! Lily thought, her temper rising. WHY DID YOU LEAVE ME? WHY? I'M JUST SEVENTEEN! I NEED A MOTHER! She lay on the floor of the broom cupboard, now completely giving up on resisting the memories. She remembered when her mother had seen a picture Sirius had quickly taken of the kiss Lily had shared with James by the lake in fifth year (Sirius was the only other person who knew about the kiss). "Is this your boyfriend? He is rather cute, isn't he, Lilypops?" her mother had said, grinning at Lily's mortification. "No, mum. He's not. That kiss was just one moment, that will never happen again," Lily had replied, snapping at her mother. Lily now regretted all the horrible, cruel things she had said to her mother when she was alive. And now, I'll never get to apologize. WHY COULDN'T THEY HAVE BEEN CAREFUL? I warned them at Platform 9 and 3/4! Lily cried even louder, not caring if anyone heard her from the outside world. M-maybe they mistook the bodies as my parent's, she thought hopefully. Maybe they are really still alive! They can't be dead! They can't do this to me! They love me too much! I need them! She sobbed, now out of breath, her nose running. Suddenly, the door to the broom cupboard opened, and James Potter stepped inside, nervously ruffling his hair. Lily stared at him in alarm, hastily trying to dry her face, and take away the evidence of her crying.

James took a few steps towards her. "Listen, Lily," he started, thinking using her first name was proper at a time like this. "I'm – I'm really sorry. It's just horrible, what happened. I don't know what I would do if I were you. I would probably lose my mind."

Lily nodded her head graciously. "Th-thanks for your concern, Potter," she said, trying bravely to hold back the tears.

James smiled warmly at her, taking a few steps closer again. "Listen. I'm here anytime you need me. And I mean that. And don't worry, I won't try anything funny, and I won't ask you out. It will just be a friend – to – friend conversation. I'm always here for you Lily. Always."

Lily looked up at him, appreciative of his support. Suddenly, many emotions erupted inside of her, and she flung her arms around his neck, sobbing mercilessly. He staggered backwards out of surprise, but quickly regained his balance, trying not to breathe in Lily's beautiful scent. He silently stroked her hair. "Shhh. It's ok. I'm here. You're going to be alright, don't you worry," he whispered softly in her ear.

"JAMES! EVERYTHINGS RUINED! I'm having second thoughts about Andrew-" James lifted his head slightly out of joy. "And – and now my parents are gone! I'll n-n-n-never see them again! I CAN'T DO IT! I CAN'T! WHY, JAMES, WHY?"

It broke James' heart to see Lily like this. He rocked her back and forth, still stroking her hair. "I don't know why, Lily. Some people in this world are completely heartless, and they strive to cause pain to as many people as possible. Then again, most evil wizards are just afraid – afraid of death, afraid of feelings, afraid of failure. In reality, they're all just a bunch of cowards, taking the easy way out," he said, deciding to be honest with her. She buried her face into his chest. They each immediately received a warm feeling. "Listen, Lily," James continued. "There are some really dark times ahead. And we're all going to have to choose a path – either the right one, or the wrong one. We won't know which one is the right road, until we're already well down it. Just remember: sometimes the right path is not necessarily the easiest." Lily nodded her head, tears silently falling down her face.

"J-James? Did you…er…d-d-did you mean it when you said you'd always be there?" Lily asked, poking her head up.

James smiled wryly. "I'll always be here, Lily. You can always count on me, for better or for worse."

"Th-thanks. That m-m-means a lot to me," she sniffed, going back to crying, this time completely letting it out, sobbing uncontrollably, and worse than before. James continued to rock her back and forth, offering words of comfort every now and then. But most of the time, he just held her as she cried, letting her know he was always there for her.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

My parents are dead. At least that's what they are all saying. But I don't believe it. They can't be dead. They were too aware, too alert. They would have saved themselves for me. They wouldn't have just left me here, all alone, an orphan. I miss them. No matter how much I try to convince myself that they're still alive, I have this gut feeling that they're not. I hate them. I HATE THEM! Why would they do this to me? I can't stand them! I'm their daughter! They said they loved me! I refuse to think about them right now. I can't. I'm too mad at them.

Potter was really nice. He held me for at least three hours straight, trying to calm me down. He let me cry in his shirt. He didn't even try anything, which surprised me. I think I feel more comfortable with him now…but not that way. I don't think it will ever be that way with us. Andrew never even came to see me, even though he was released from the hospital wing this afternoon. He didn't even talk to me once. Whereas Potter was with me all day. I think I am having second thoughts about Andrew. I suppose we'll just have to see about him. Potter and I used each other's first names again today – but I think today, it was just because it seemed proper. It seemed right.

I need a distraction – anything. I can't think about them. They betrayed me. Even if they are really alive, they betrayed me. I don't think I'll ever forgive them.

Me.