"Toothflossing Stringmints," Lily said to the gargoyle statues. They immediately let her through. She walked up the moving staircase to Dumbledore's office. She made her way towards the door, then stopped. There were people inside Dumbledore's office. She stood outside the door, not wanting to interrupt. As must as she resisted, she couldn't help but overhearing.
"BAGNOLD! THERE IS A DAMN KILLER ON THE LOOSE!" a man shouted gruffly to Minister of Magic Millicent Bagnold.
"I am sure Ms. Bagnold is aware of that, Alastor," said Dumbledore calmly. "However, the reason I brought you here today is-"
"INNOCENT PEOPLE ARE BEING KILLED! BECAUSE SHE WON'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT!" shouted Moody. "POOR LITTLE EVANS IS AN ORPHAN BECAUSE BAGNOLD DOESN'T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT VOLDEMORT!" Lily gasped, surprised at the mention of her name. Moody and Bagnold started bickering loudly.
"ENOUGH!" Dumbledore bellowed. At once, both Moody and Bagnold silenced. Dumbledore held such power over people. "Now. Back to why I brought you here. We all know the Ministry has received a tip-off of the current locations of Tom Riddle, widely known as Voldemort. They reported Tom is going to be at the Ministry tonight, searching for a catastrophic weapon. We need protection, even if this was a false tip. Alastor, I brought you here because you are the most successful auror of your time. Bagnold – well, you are the Minister of Magic. So. Any suggestions?"
"Well, the public absolutely cannot know about this. It would wreak absolute havoc!" exclaimed Bagnold indignantly.
"Well, obviously, Bagnold. Don't be so thick. Albus is talking about protection and security, so Voldemort won't get what he's looking for!" Moody said exasperatedly.
"Yes, thank you, Alastor. Now. Any ideas?" Dumbledore asked calmly. There was a long pause, and for a moment, Lily had the strange sensation that someone was staring at her.
"We'll have to brainstorm another time, Dumbledore. I believe we have a visitor," Moody grunted. Lily's eyes widened in surprise, as the door flew open.
Dumbledore's eyes twinkled at Lily. "Ah, yes. We do. Well, Minister, Alastor, I will talk with you two later."
Moody nodded, and walked towards the door, then paused as he looked at Lily. "I am so sorry to hear about your parents, Miss Evans. I've heard that they were wonderful people." Lily smiled wryly and nodded her head. With that, Bagnold and Moody left Dumbledore's office, bickering with each other yet again. Dumbledore sat in the chair behind his desk, studying Lily closely. He then gestured for her to take a seat. She did so.
"So, Miss Evans. I am terribly sorry about your loss. I just thought that I would share some information with you. About why your parents were killed."
Lily's eyes widened in surprise, but she nodded. "Al-alright. Er…thank you, headmaster."
"You're parents weren't killed simply because you're a muggle born witch. They were killed because you are a threat. Tom and his supporters believe that as soon as you graduate, you will fight against them. And once you dofight against them, it will be very hard for them to overcome you, because you are so talented. Killing your parents was Tom's way of warning you."
Lily assumed "Tom" was Voldemort. They were quiet for a moment, allowing Lily to think about what Dumbledore had just said. "S-so…if I fight against him, h-he'll kill me?" she asked shakily.
Dumbledore's eyes lost a bit of their normal twinkle. "Well, if you fought against him, he would kill you anyway. But you in particular, yes. You're known as the most talented witch of your time, you know."
Lily looked up curiously. "Who's the smartest wizard of my age?"
Dumbledore beamed. "James Potter, of course."
Lily gasped in alarm, then rolled her eyes. "Are you quite sure of that, Headmaster?"
"You should give him more credit, Miss Evans. He is quite smart. I believe, that together, you two will do incredible things that lesser humans can only imagine."
Lily snorted. "Do we have to be together?"
Dumbledore's eyes beamed excitedly. "Well, I believe you know the muggle saying 'opposites attract'? It seems to apply here, does it not?"
"If you don't mind, Headmaster, could we get back to the point of this meeting?" Lily blushed.
Dumbledore nodded. "But of course. I just wanted to warn you to be aware of your surroundings constantly. You and Mr. Potter will be wonderful targets for them after you graduate. Simply stated, they will either try to kill you, or try to get you two on their side. Please, Miss Evans, do not do anything foolish that will put you in danger. It would be a great grievance to the entire Wizarding community to hear about your death."
Lily flinched, very uncomfortable. "Er…right. Well, if that's all, Headmaster-"
"Yes, yes. Thank you for meeting me. And remember my warning," Dumbledore said solemnly, searching into her eyes. Lily fidgeted, then quickly left Dumbledore's office.
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Lily sat on her bed, thinking about the day's events. Potter is the SMARTEST WIZARD OF OUR AGE? No way. Remus, maybe. But not POTTER! So…Potter and I will be…targets? Which means, pretty much, that they'll kill us some time or another. That's a happy thought, isn't it? I cannot believe Dumbledore thinks Potter and I could be a great team someday. I hope that never happens! Andrew and I will be a great team, more like. At least he finally talked to me about my parents. He is just SO sweet sometimes! Lily suddenly thought about her parents' death, a topic she had been trying to avoid. I hate them all. I hate Voldemort, I hate mum, I hate dad. I don't think I'll even go to the funeral! They definitely do not deserve it. And I certainly hope they catch Voldemort tonight – and kill him. Or maybe NOT kill him. He deserves something worse than death. Whatever it is, I hope it's painful. Lily blushed, ashamed at herself for thinking such horrible thoughts. He deserves it, though. He deserves to pay for what he has done to all of these people. You know, maybe I will join the fight to vanquish him, when I've graduated. I've got nothing else to do – and healing can wait until after he's defeated. Who cares if Dumbledore says I'm in mortal peril? We all are right now, because he's out and about. I might as well fight him before I die, instead of going down without a fight. I want to make him pay for what he did to my parents. I want to be a part of overthrowing him. Lily grinned evilly. She had a great idea. A stupid idea, but wonderful nonetheless. She got up from the bed, and left her bedroom quickly, not aware that James Potter was watching her every move.
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James Potter stared through the window, into Lily's bedroom. What is she thinking about? He thought. Should I be worried? She's just sitting there, staring in one direction, crying, then laughing, then crying again! Girls are always mental, but this is different! She's completely insane! AHA! LOOK THERE! Now she's laughing maniacally again! That is just…not right! Oh God. WHAT IS SHE DOING NOW? SHE'S GETTING UP! SHE'S LEAVING! NO NO NO! Where the hell is she going? Probably off doing horrible, crazy, insane things. Women. Why are they so secretive and thick? That's it. I'm going to follow her. Normally, it wouldn't be a big deal if she left, but now, after her parents' death, she's going through a lot of feelings. She could be doing something really stupid. Damn. Why do I always have to save her from everything? Can't she just sit in her room like a good little girl? Why did I have to pick the feisty one to love? Well, I guess I'll just have to follow her now. Just my luck she's leading us somewhere where we will most surely be killed. Why do I love her so damn much? James picked up his invisibility cloak and the marauder's map. Hastily throwing on the invisibility cloak, he ran out of his bedroom to follow Lily.
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It was 11:27 p.m. James was mentally cursing Lily for taking them out this late at night. Strangely enough, Lily was taking them into Hogsmeade. Almost all the stores and taverns were closed for the night, but a few remained lit. James trudged along, keeping his eyes glued to Lily's back, determined to keep her safe. She'd better just be going out for a late night butterbeer, or something, he thought frantically. Because I am NOT in the mood to hex five million people in her defense. James was getting very grumpy, and very tired. Not a good combination for him. Suddenly, Lily closed her eyes and started a quarter turn. NO NO NO NO NOOOO! James thought. SHE'S APPARATING! DAMN IT! Desperate, he flung off his invisibility cloak. Lily stopped in alarm.
"Potter? Is that you? H-How did you just…just appear like that? AND WHY?" Lily asked, her temper rising.
"To stop you from killing yourself! Look, I don't know where you're going, but it's bound to be nothing good. Just stop! Right now. Come back to the castle with me, and we'll forget this ever happened," James groaned.
Lily clenched her teeth. "No, Potter. I'm not going with you to the castle. But you can. Go on! Run along! This does not concern you, anyway."
"Oh yes it does!" James shouted indignantly. "I am notgoing to let you get yourself killed!"
"I WON'T GET MYSELF KILLED!"
"How do you know?" James replied in a determined tone.
"I just do, ok? So please, just leave me alone!" she moaned.
James' jaw was set, and there was a blazing look in his hazel eyes. "No. I'm coming with you."
"No, you're not!"
"YES I AM!"
"NO! YOU'RE NOT!"
"YES! I AM!"
"FINE! COME WITH ME! But be quiet and stay out of trouble, alright? And don't do anything!" Lily snapped.
James smirked triumphantly. "Alright, alright, I'll go with you. You don't have to freak out on me! Where are we going, anywa-" James didn't have time to finish the sentence. Lily had already grabbed his arm, and they had started to apparate.