A/N: Good lord, I'm tired. BUT, I had a few extra minutes this weekend. So enjoy the product of my toil!
JANUARY 15 SIXTH YEAR
James hadn't spoken to anyone since the news of Lily's death had arrived. Most of the time, he just sat, looking lost. Sirius had stopped dating, pranking, and, well, being Sirius. Peter was… missing. Yet again. And Remus was pondering all the evidence they had. Which wasn't a lot, but hell, he was a werewolf, he could make something out of nothing.
So they were sitting in the common room, completely silent, Remus thinking. What could we have missed? She went home for the holidays… well, there IS always a chance that her stepfather murdered her, but wouldn't the note have said something?
Think Moony, think. Let's see. The owl was unfamiliar, but her aunt could have gotten that at the owl post, she must've known how so she could contact Lily while she was at Hogwarts.
James opened the envelope, read the parchment, fainted. WAIT! Opened the envelope… read the parchment… read the parchment… read the PARCHMENT! THAT'S IT! Muggles don't USE parchment! Wizards do!
He didn't want to get anyone's hopes up by yelling 'OH MY GOD, LILY WASN'T MURDERED!', so he tried to remain calm.
"Ever get that feeling that something's terribly wrong?" he asked, his voice only wavering slightly.
"All the bloody time now days," muttered Sirius sullenly. James didn't say anything.
"Don't you think there's something odd about Lily's 'murder'?" continued Remus. James winced at the words 'Lily's murder'.
"Besides the fact that she was murdered?" spat Sirius.
"Think, Padfoot. You too, Prongs."
"I don't WANT to think!" bellowed James. "Lily's dead! And she died thinking that I hate her!" he completely broke down.
"What I'm trying to say is that there's something WRONG about all this! Lily's aunt, the one we supposedly received the letter from was a muggle! It was written on parchment! Muggles don't use parchment!"
Silence. Complete silence. Then Sirius spoke. "So she might be alive?" he asked hopefully.
Remus nodded. "The question is, did she want to disappear, or did someone want her to disappear?"
.xXx
Lily opened her eyes. She was lying on a soft bed in a comfortable-looking room decked out in green and silver. Slytherin colors. Rather comforting, really. There was a blazing fire, and cushy furniture. She sat up slowly as the massive door creaked open. In came a tall cloaked man. Rather handsome, really, if his eyes weren't so cold.
"Hello, my flower."
"Er, hi?"
"I am Lord Voldemort. You may call me 'father'."
Lily was confused. "… why?"
The man smiled slightly. "Because, I intend to make you my daughter. You will become my heiress. You fit here rather well, you know," he said conversationally as he poured her a drink. Lily took it and sipped.
"How so?" she asked. She took another sip of the drink.
"Well, you are a Slytherin, my daughter."
"Of course, father. What else would I be? A Gryffindor?" she laughed haughtily. "Tell me, father, do I please you, being the way I am?"
He seemed to ponder the question for a minute. "Yes, daughter, I believe you do. You love power enough to reign after I am gone."
"Good," she said, "Good."
"Now, daughter, finish your drink. Is there anything you would like?"
Lily tipped back her drink. "Books," she said. "I'd love to read something right now."
Her father nodded and waved his wand. The shelf to Lily's right filled with books. She grinned. "Thank you father."
"I will leave you for now. Some one will come to escort you to dinner later. The wardrobe over there is filled with clothes I think you will like. Goodbye."
"'Bye father."
He turned and exited, and Lily went over to the books. There were books on the Dark Arts, on Salazar Slytherin, on the Unforgivable Curses, and the like. Lily picked up on and sat down in an armchair to read, as if she had been doing it every day for her entire life. And as far as she knew… she had.
.xXx
Sirius came downstairs the next morning. Remus and James were already sitting in the Common room.
Sirius announced to them, "I have a dream… No, wait… I mean, I had this dream…"
"About…?" asked Remus.
"Lils. Voldemort had her captive. Wanted her to be his heiress. She was fine with it, too. She believed anything he told her. It was kinda creepy, really."
"Yeah, like that'd happen," snorted James sullenly.
"Right," said Remus, rolling his eyes.
.xXx
Lily was sitting in the library a few days later, talking to her father, just as they did every day. Today, however, he announced something.
"In two weeks, on your seventeenth birthday, you will become a death eater."
Lily smiled fondly at her father. "Of course. If that's what you want."
"Good. We will have a celebration, as that night you will officially become my heiress."
.xXx
The three Marauders woke from this same dream simultaneously. They looked around at eachother.
"Did we just have the same dream?" asked James.
"If it had to do with Lily, Voldemort, and him telling her she was going to be a death eater, then, yeah," said Remus. The boys looked at each other with wide eyes and bolted for Professor Dumbledore's office.
.xXx
Lily lay in her room, asleep, dreaming.
:FLASHBACK THINGIES:
Lily looked at Marie, her first friend at Beauxbatons. Marie looked back.
"Scarlet, darling, wherever did you get all those scars?"
"Can you keep a secret?"
FLASH
"So… Scar, huh? Where did such a pretty girl get a name like that?" asked Sirius.
Scarlet's face darkened. "I vould razzer not zay."
FLASH
"You can read minds," Jay mused.
"Which means you need to have a visit with the old crackpot," said Evan, grinning.
"Dumbledore," said Lily, shuddering.
"I'll take you," said Jay. They left together, Jay practically dragging his friend.
FLASH
"Guez whatScar? Tonight I danssed wiv Lilllllllly," he slurred.
"You, Jamez, are drunk."
"Jjame Bodder duzn ged drung."
"Zen who are you?"
"Now, now, Lilllllly, be nize."
Scar froze. "I am not zis Lily Aevans!"
FLASH
"Lily Evans, will you marry me?"
The jaws of everyone in the Hall graced the floor. James looked ready to kill. Sirius was muffling laughter.
FLASH"So, do I get to see this 'Prongs'?
"You'll just have to find me," said James, pitching his voice lower than normal. He pressed a single red rose into her hand and turned tail.
Lily pushed the blindfold up in time to see a dark head disappear into the crowd. She tapped the rose against her lips thoughtfully, thinking, I will find you.
FLASH
"Don't! You're just like the rest of them! All manipulating, selfish, cold-hearted little bitches!" He turned and stalked up the staircase.
Lily turned her hard, pained eyes to Sirius and Remus. "Good God, I do 'ope you are 'appy by now."
FLASHThe girls raced down to the common room. Sure enough, shining in golden and scarlet letters in the middle of the room was 'To Make You Sweeter Than You Already Are, Flower'. Underneath the words, a gold sword crossed with a scarlet wand—James Potter's signature sign.
"PPPPPPPPOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOTTTTTTTTTTTTTEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!"
The Slytherins were gathering in the common room, all of them in basically the same state. There were angry murmurs at the sight of the Marauder's signature.
"This. Means. War." Sounds of agreement ran throughout the angry, sticky, crowd.
FLASHAh, Lily Evans. Nice to see you again. Well, the name change alone suggests that you value your own hide too much to be a Gryffindor. But I must say you have gained many Gryffindor characteristics since we last met. And it seems you're falling for the Prince, too. I guess I COULD make an exception just this once…
If you put me in Gryffindor, I'll use you for dusting.
Well, I put you in Slytherin once before, and I don't like the way it turned out.
I did well for myself in Slytherin! My friends are there! My LIFE is there!
So get a new one!
"GRYFFINDOR!"
Lily jerked awake. Weird dreams she was having lately. Why would she be in France? In some of those dreams, she actually felt like she cared about James Potter! Ha! Like that would ever happen. He was only good to be pranked. And what the hell was with the whole becoming a Gryffindor thing? Creepy! Not to mention morally wrong… Real purebloods weren't sorted into that House. And she was a good little pureblood.