Uncle Alphard's flat was situated above a Muggle launderette, within walking distance of the Ministry. There was not even a speck of wear on the furniture inside the flat, and the air smelled strangely sterile, as though its normal occupant did not spend much time there.
"Is your uncle —" began Remus, but Sirius wasn't listening; he had unzipped his Muggle racing suit and tossed it carelessly on the floor, even though there was a coat stand right there.
Remus decided to point this out. "There's a —"
"We're back!" yelled Sirius. His shoulder bumped the coat stand as he sprinted into the living room, and it would have tipped over if Remus hadn't been there to steady it.
Typical, thought Remus. He tried to summon a bit of annoyance, but he found that he couldn't be cross with the whirlwind that was Sirius Black. Not after he'd spent the past month missing him, at any rate.
"Padfoot!" called an elated voice that could only have been Peter. "Did you bring Moony…?"
"I'm right here." Remus trailed Sirius into the living room. "And you've got to be more careful, Sirius."
Sirius was wrestling with Peter on the fluffy crimson rug, which looked suspiciously like Manticore fur. "Why?"
"You nearly broke the coat stand. It's a lucky thing I caught it —"
"Ah, but you did catch it," said Sirius.
"Yes, but next time I won't. You've got to learn to clean up your own messes."
"Alright, Prefect Lupin," said Sirius in a tone that made it clear Remus was being a bore. Remus responded by drawing his wand and casting a Jelly-legs Jinx on Sirius, which gave Peter the upper hand in the wrestling match.
"Not fair, Moony!" yelped Sirius as Peter held his arms behind his back.
Remus took a seat on the sofa and asked the question he'd been wondering since they had arrived at the flat. "Is your uncle here?"
"I — get off, Pete — I don't think so." Despite his useless legs, Sirius somehow managed to flip Peter onto his back and pin him down like a beetle. "He doesn't come round, much."
"Is he off doing work for his vigilante group?" asked Peter, who didn't seem bothered in the least at being held down by Sirius.
I wouldn't be, either, thought Remus, but he shoved the damning thought away before it could distract him.
"They're not a vigilante group," retorted Sirius. "Dumbledore organized them."
"That doesn't mean anything," said Remus. "They're still operating outside of the Ministry's orders, aren't they?"
Peter squealed as Sirius began to tickle him. "Stoppit! Moony, make 'im stop!"
"Stop it, Padfoot."
"Or else you'll what?" Sirius stopped tickling Peter long enough to give Remus a beatific smile.
Damn you, thought Remus. "Or else I'll get involved." He arched his eyebrows in a way he hoped was threatening.
"Yes, please do," said Sirius, and he grabbed Remus by the wrist and tugged. Remus could have stopped him, but he let himself be pulled off the couch and fell atop both Sirius and Peter.
"Ha!" cried Peter triumphantly. He rolled out from underneath them and jumped on Sirius' back. "It's two on one, now — get 'im, Moony!"
The logs in the hearth suddenly burst into emerald flames. A scattering of green sparks caught the hem of Remus' trousers as he scrambled away from the fireplace, and he stamped the embers out on the Manticore rug.
"Who —" began Peter, but in the next moment his question was answered. A short, sturdy-looking girl with close-cropped blonde hair stepped out of the fireplace.
"Hello, lads," said Marlene McKinnon, eying them curiously. "What're you doing on the floor? Shagging?"
"Why, did you want to join?" asked Sirius.
"Ha," said Marlene in a deadpan voice. "Well, you might want to get out of the way, because —"
The green flames in the hearth flared, and another girl strode out of the fire. She had dark skin and was taller than Marlene; her elegant navy robes accentuated her lithe figure as she stepped into the room. She caught sight of Sirius, who was sprawled on the floor, and smiled.
"Long time no see, pretty boy."
"Dorcas," responded Sirius, hastily sitting up.
Remus was not, generally, a jealous person. He'd never begrudged Sirius and James their closeness, and he'd never been envious of the girls Sirius had taken to Hogsmeade during their third and fourth years, back when girls still found his capriciousness attractive.
Now, however… there was something in the way that Sirius was looking at Dorcas that made Remus' ribcage tighten.
"Are you going to introduce me?" Dorcas asked Sirius, tilting her chin towards Remus and Peter. "Or were you just planning on staring?"
"Sorry," said Sirius at once, which alarmed Remus more than anything else so far. "Didn't mean to stare. You just look so… you look like…"
"Like a witch?" said Marlene slyly.
"Yeah." Sirius tore his eyes from Dorcas long enough to wave a hand at Remus and Peter. "These wankers are Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew. Wankers, meet Dorcas Meadowes."
"Dorcas?" Peter's eyes widened. "The Dorcas? That Muggle girl you wouldn't shut up about last year?"
"Had a lot to say about me, did you?" Dorcas settled onto the sofa, tucking her legs underneath her.
"No!" Sirius glared at Peter. "He exaggerates. Everybody knows I'm the strong and silent type. Brooding, like."
Godric's teeth, thought Remus. Sirius actually looked embarrassed.
Peter was looking eagerly at Dorcas. "Sirius said you and Uncle Alphard are — you know. Are you?"
"Am I what?" said Dorcas, amused.
"You want me to say it?" asked Peter incredulously, and he dropped his voice, as though someone might be listening in on them. "Are you really a member of the…?"
Just then, the door of the flat flew open, and James and Lily stumbled inside, sopping wet and laughing loudly. James tripped over the coat stand and nearly fell, but Lily caught him by the sleeve and hauled him upright as the coat stand clattered to the floor.
"Oh, hullo everyone," said James cheerily, waving at the group in the living room. "Sorry we're a bit late — Lily is truly shit at Apparition, we ended up in Leeds by accident."
"That was your fault," said Lily defensively. "You were the one who jinxed me —"
"Jinxed you? I would never —"
"It's a figure of speech. You said 'wouldn't it be funny if we went to Leeds' just as I was turning on my heel, so of course that's what I was thinking of when we Apparated —"
As they continued to bicker, Remus nudged Sirius. "They look chummy, don't they?"
"Yeah," said Sirius, who was staring at James and Lily with his mouth slightly open. The expression would have looked stupid on anyone but Sirius, which was a testament to how insufferably good-looking he was. Remus found this patently unfair.
Lily was still lecturing James as they entered the living room. "It's like when someone tells you not to think about a white elephant. It's all you can think about after."
"Speak for yourself. I'm doing an excellent job of not thinking about a white elephant. Or Leeds."
"James Fleamont Potter, you are being stubborn on purpose —"
"A-hem."
Marlene cleared her throat loudly. Lily broke off, seeming suddenly aware that she and James were not the only people in the room.
"Er," said Lily. A flush crept up her neck. "Hi, everyone."
Marlene eyed Lily's waterlogged clothes. "It's raining?"
"It is in Leeds," said James with a smirk. He joined them on the floor, squeezing in between Sirius and Remus. "Alright, Padfoot?" He flung an arm around Sirius' shoulders and embraced him enthusiastically, as though they hadn't seen each other in years.
"Fantastic," replied Sirius, leaning into James' embrace. "Where have you two been?"
"Leeds, apparently," remarked Peter.
"For about thirty seconds!" said Lily. "We were on Oxford Street before that."
Dorcas straightened, suddenly interested. "What were you doing there?"
"Oh, shopping," said Lily, who had apparently mistaken Dorcas' navy robes to mean she was a witch. "There are quite a few popular Muggle clothing shops there."
"Did you go to Selfridges?"
"Yeah, we did." Lily looked quizzically at Dorcas. "Have you ever been?"
"Only about a hundred times," said Dorcas. She grinned at Lily's perplexed expression and extended a hand. "Dorcas Meadowes. I'm a Muggle; these robes are just for show."
Lily's mouth fell open. "You're a… but how…?" She looked at the rest of the group, searching for confirmation.
"It's true," said Marlene. "Try to keep up, Lils. Now, what's this about you and James going shopping together? For clothes? There's got to be more to that story."
Lily and James exchanged a glance. "As a matter of fact…" began Lily, but she trailed off, flushing.
"Er," said James. He pushed a wet strand of hair out of his face. "Yeah. We're, erm, dating."
"I knew it," said Peter.
"So did I," said Marlene triumphantly. "There was something off about the way you two were acting on the Hogwarts Express. This is why, isn't it?"
Sirius let out a whoop and shoved James. "You've been holding out on us, Prongs!"
"He really hasn't been," said Lily quickly. "It's quite recent, he hasn't kept anything from you…"
There was something oddly forced about James' smile. As soon as Remus had the thought, James turned to him, grinning.
"Mad, isn't it, Moony? Who could've predicted that Evans would give me a chance?"
"Everybody," said Remus honestly.
"My crystal ball has shown you two snogging ever since our third year," said Peter. "Professor Vablatsky says it's the most consistent prediction he's ever seen…"
"We were not that obvious," said Lily.
"Yes, you were," said Marlene. "While we're on the subject, actually… Dorcas and I are dating, as well."
Remus felt as though someone had grabbed hold of his lungs and squeezed all the air out of them. Dating. She spoke without shame, as if it didn't matter that she could never take her words back. As though she had nothing to fear from being seen with another girl.
Perhaps Remus was the jealous sort, after all. At that moment, he was utterly envious of Marlene.
Breathe, Lupin, he told himself. He resisted the urge to stare at Dorcas, who had taken Marlene's hand, and instead busied himself by picking lint off his socks.
"Dating!" said James, seeming thrilled that the focus of attention was no longer on him and Lily. "That's excellent news. Good for you!"
Remus chanced a glance at Sirius and immediately regretted doing so. Sirius looked as if Marlene had punched him in the face; he was staring, utterly perplexed, at Dorcas' fingers interlaced with Marlene's.
"Oh, don't pout, pretty boy," teased Dorcas, once it became clear that Sirius was not about to join in on the congratulations. "Your face will freeze that way."
"I wasn't pouting," said Sirius. He had a look in his eye that Remus knew well, one that meant he was feeling defensive and therefore prone to lashing out. "Well. Since we're all dating each other now, apparently — Remus, d'you want to go to Madam Puddifoot's with me next Hogsmeade weekend?"
It would have hurt less if Sirius had punched him in the gut. "No," said Remus emphatically, and James laughed.
"Tough luck, Padfoot! Remus is too good for you, anyway — you've got to aim a little lower. Maybe if you asked Peter nicely…"
It was nearly midnight by the time the boisterous conversation died to a lull, and James went to the kitchen to fetch another round of drinks. He refilled Lily's mug with Butterbeer, which she accepted with a small smile. She'd gotten quieter as the night went on; he suspected she was having a hard time shaking the thought of her hearing the next morning.
He offered a bottle of Butterbeer to Dorcas, as well, but she shook her head and got to her feet, yawning. "I should be off. See you tomorrow?"
"If they don't chuck me in Azkaban first," said Lily, staring into her mug of Butterbeer.
"That won't happen and you know it," said Marlene. "All you did was Apparate home, for God's sake. It's not as if you appeared before a crowd of Muggles in broad daylight. There weren't witnesses."
Lily's head snapped up. "Hang on. Does the Wizengamot call wit—"
"By the way, Dorcas," said Peter. "Before you go — d'you know any Muggle girls who might be interested in a dashing young lad like me? I've got many talents —"
"Name two," said Sirius, who was lying next to Remus on the carpet.
Peter was not to be dissuaded. "I got an Outstanding in Divs, which is more than any of you can say —"
"— because the rest of us figured out that Divination was a massive waste of time in year three —"
" — and McGonagall says my Transfiguration's really coming along. Says I've got a knack for animal Transfiguration, if you can believe that…"
"Interesting," said Remus. "Anything that Muggles are permitted to know about?"
"Well," said Peter, "there's my massive —"
"Don't listen to him," Sirius told Dorcas. "He's not allowed to have a girlfriend, his first obligation is to his mates."
"I'll walk you home, Dory," said Marlene. She rose from the couch and bent to kiss Lily on the cheek. "Sweet dreams, Lils. Try not to worry about tomorrow — we'll see you in the morning, and we'll be thinking about you the whole time."
Dorcas tossed a pinch of Floo powder into the hearth — James marvelled at how casual the gesture was, as if it was something she did all the time — and the two girls vanished into the emerald tongues of fire.
"Should we call it a night as well?" he asked, watching the flames die to embers.
Sirius nodded, rubbing his eyes. He sat up and gently shook Remus, who appeared to have fallen asleep. "Time for bed, Moony. There's a guest bedroom down the hall, I'll show you…"
Peter stuck out his lip, watching Remus follow Sirius blearily down the hall. "I was going to sleep in the guest bedroom."
"You and I can share the sofa, how's that?" said James.
Peter mumbled something that sounded like 'Alphard's room'.
"Lily's sleeping in that one," said James.
"I don't mind the sofa," said Lily, though her tone made it clear that she absolutely did mind.
"Nonsense," said James. "You need a good night's sleep before the hearing tomorrow, which means you get the best bed. That's the rule."
"I like that rule," said Lily.
"I don't," said Peter.
"You'll get over it," said James. "Anyway, I think Alphard's put a few charms on his room."
"It's jinxed?" asked Lily.
"No, I think he's enchanted the place to make it more comfortable. Sirius described it as, erm, the ultimate sleeping experience. I could show you if you like."
Lily flushed, and James realized that perhaps he shouldn't have invited himself to join her in the bedroom.
"I only meant —"
"I know," she said, though her cheeks were still pink. "Alright, then. Why don't we, erm, have a look?"
Peter began to cough uncontrollably; he appeared to have choked on his own saliva.
James ignored him. Instead, he strode down the hall and tried the handle of Alphard Black's bedroom. The door was unlocked, and as soon as he and Lily crossed the threshold into the room, the sound of Peter's coughs faded away.
It was like stepping into a wonderful dream: a layer of fluffy clouds drifted lazily across the floor, and the walls pulsed softly with the lavender light of sunset. A marble fountain in the corner burbled softly, providing just the right amount of white noise, and in the centre of the room, the clouds swirled around an elaborate four-poster bed. Soft, white blankets covered the bed, and the ornate ivory headboard was barely visible above a mountain of pillows.
James had never seen a bed so inviting. And totally off-limits, considering who was sleeping there tonight.
"Well," he said, with the air of someone giving a tour. "Here we are." He gestured towards the bedside table, which was also carved from ivory. "If you need water, you just have to think it and a cup should appear by your bed. If it's too hot or too cold, just say 'warmer' or 'cooler', and the temperature should adjust accordingly. There's probably a few Sleeping Draughts tucked away somewhere, as well, in case you'd like a specific dream…"
He trailed off. Lily didn't appear to have heard a word he'd said. Tears were rolling down her cheeks as she stared blankly at the bed.
"Erm. Are you alright, Lily?"
"Fine," she said with a sniff, and she wiped her eyes with her sleeve. "Sorry."
James had never seen Lily cry before. He fought the urge to panic. "Nothing to be sorry for," he said in what he hoped was a comforting tone. "Do you want to talk about it?"
Lily hesitated, then nodded miserably. "The hearing tomorrow… everyone's acting like it's going to be fine. Like I'll get off scot-free. But I won't!"
"You don't think so?"
"No." Her eyes welled with fresh tears. "I'm Muggle-born, James. They won't go lightly on me. I'm sure of it."
"The Wizengamot won't chuck you into Azkaban over something as small as illegal Apparition, though. Even if you are Muggle-born."
"Maybe." Lily looked away, chewing on her lip.
James ran a hand through his hair, confused. They'd had this conversation before, and she hadn't cried over it then. What had changed? "Is something else on your mind?"
Lily sighed. Clouds swirled around her as she sank onto the plush blankets atop the bed. "Does the Wizengamot call witnesses?"
"Er, I think so. Why?"
Lily didn't respond for a moment; she bent and dipped a hand into the clouds, which swirled around her fingers. "Severus saw me."
"Severus — what?"
"I was at his house when I Apparated. He saw me do it." She raised her head to look at James. "They'll call him as a witness, won't they?"
The answer was a resounding yes, but that definitely wouldn't soothe her. "Maybe they won't think of it."
"James Fleamont Potter. Don't bullshit me."
"I'm not bullshitting you! I'm trying to think of a bright side!"
"There is no bright side!" she said, raising her voice. "They'll call on Sev to testify and he'll make sure they throw the book at me, I know he will! He'll want to get even with me, after — after…"
"After you snogged me in front of him and said I was your boyfriend?"
Lily buried her face in her hands. "I'm doomed."
"You're not doomed," said James, but Lily didn't look up.
"Am so." Her voice was muffled.
There was nothing he could say to improve her mood. That left only one thing to do, then. He stepped closer and put his arms around her.
She tensed, and he froze. Had he crossed a line? He began to let go, but before he could pull away completely, she relaxed into his arms.
They stayed that way for a long, quiet moment. At last, her shuddering breaths slowed to match his, and he forced himself to pull away. "You ought to get some sleep."
Lily wrinkled her nose. "I'll try."
James felt the overwhelming urge to hug her again. He mussed his hair to give his hands something to do. "See you tomorrow?"
She nodded.
His hand was on the doorknob when she cleared her throat.
"Erm. James?"
He turned, apprehensive, but she was smiling. "Thank you. I feel better."
James' chest filled with warmth. She felt better! He could have skipped down the hall. With a great effort, he shut the door gently behind him and forced himself to walk normally down the hall. As he passed the guest bedroom, he heard low, insistent voices coming from the other side of the door.
Were Remus and Sirius quarrelling? That was unusual. Not wanting to eavesdrop, James continued past the door, but paused when someone said his name.
"…just because James didn't tell you about him and Lily, that doesn't mean you've got to…" said a voice. Remus, from the sound of it.
"Christ, Moony, it's nothing to do with James."
"Dorcas, then."
Sirius sounded confused. "Dorcas? What's she got to do with it?"
"Don't deny it. You looked put out when she and Marlene were holding hands — and you've got a past —"
"That doesn't mean she's got to tell me everything she does. I don't tell people about everyone I go round with —"
"Except me, is that right? What was that bit about us going to Madame Puddifoot's?"
"Moony. That was a joke."
"It wasn't funny."
Sirius fell silent. James began to suspect that he was listening in on something very private.
"I didn't —" said Sirius after a moment. "Look, I didn't mean anything by it, alright?"
"It wasn't very nice."
Sirius sounded genuinely bewildered. "Not nice? How so?"
"Because I'm — I've never…"
"Because you've never gone to Hogsmeade with anyone? That's nothing to be self-conscious about, Moony! You just haven't found the right person, that's all."
"I'm not self-conscious about it, and it's not a matter of finding the right person. But you see how it makes a nasty little joke. That's the funny bit, isn't it? That you'd take poor Remus, who's —"
"But I would take you. If you wanted me."
Sirius sounded utterly sincere. James decided that he didn't need to hear more, and he began to tiptoe away.
Remus' response came as James was sneaking down the hall. "That's enough, Sirius."
"You —"
"I'm tired." Remus' tone of voice made it clear that the conversation was over. "Let's go to sleep."
Quietly, James crept back to the living room. Peter was snoring on the couch, but he stirred as James curled up on the Manticore rug in front of the hearth. "How's Evans?" he asked sleepily.
James was still thinking about Sirius and Remus. "What?"
"Is Evans alright? You were gone a while."
"Oh," said James. "Yeah, I suppose I was. She's alright."
"Good," said Peter, and he promptly fell back asleep.
Though James' eyelids were heavy, he stared into the fireplace, thinking hard. What had that conversation between Sirius and Remus been about? It had sounded so… intimate. And Remus — calm, unflappable Remus — had been angry.
With a sigh, James rolled over and placed his glasses on the hearth. Apparently, he wasn't the only one keeping secrets from his friends; they were keeping things from him, too.
Morning came despite Lily's best efforts to forestall it. She'd been determined to toss and turn all night, but Uncle Alphard's bed was so inviting that she fell asleep at once. When she awoke, sunlight was streaming through the windows, and she had a crease on her cheek from where it had pressed into the pillow.
After a quick bath, she charmed her hair dry and changed into the dress she and James had bought together: a stylish yet modest blue wrap dress with white polka dots. It would have been perfect at a Muggle hearing, which meant that the Wizengamot would not appreciate it in the slightest. All the same, the familiar cut of the dress made her feel a bit more confident.
When she ventured out of the bedroom, the boys were already awake. Sirius and James were in the kitchen, fiddling with the hob while Peter offered advice. Remus was sitting at the table, reading the Daily Prophet.
"Morning," she said, joining Remus at the table.
"Wondergirl!" exclaimed Sirius. "You're just in time — we're making breakfast. How many eggs do you want?"
"Er, two," said Lily, nonplussed, and Sirius added a few yolks to the frying pan.
"How're the eggs coming, by the way?" asked Remus from behind the paper. "It's been twenty minutes, surely they're done by now?"
"Yours are almost ready," said Peter, craning his neck.
Lily followed his gaze; more than a dozen eggs crowded the frying pan, all completely raw. Beside Sirius, James was turning knobs on the cooker seemingly at random.
"Sorry," she said, "but you do know how to turn it on, don't you?"
"Of course we do," said James. He pulled out his wand and pointed it at the frying pan.
"Don't —" said Lily, but her words were lost in the commotion that followed. There was a loud bang as the entire cooker exploded into flames.
James and Sirius jumped back, swearing. "Meant to do that," said James, reaching for his wand. "I'll just — Aguamenti should do the trick…"
A minute later, the flames were gone, leaving only a smoking frying pan.
"How're my eggs?" asked Remus after a moment. "Not burnt, I hope…"
Just then, the fireplace in the living room flared, and Dorcas and Marlene stepped into the apartment. Marlene's nose wrinkled as she sniffed the air. "Is something burning?"
"Not anymore," said Lily. "You didn't happen to bring any food, did you?"
"Afraid not," said Dorcas.
"That's fine," said Lily, even though it wasn't. What if she went to the Ministry on an empty stomach and fainted during the trial? "I'm not hungry, anyway."
"There's some cereal, Lily," said Remus kindly, and he pushed a bowl towards her.
She accepted it gratefully. Maybe I won't pass out during the hearing after all, she thought. At the first bite of cereal, however, her stomach twisted itself into knots. She forced herself to swallow, then set down her spoon.
"Feeling alright, Lils?" asked Marlene.
"I'm fine," said Lily quickly. "A bit nervous, that's all."
Marlene sat down heavily at the table. Up close, she looked exhausted; her makeup was smudged and her cropped blonde hair was tousled.
"Long night?" Lily asked.
"That's putting it lightly," said Marlene. "I think I slept for an hour, at most."
"Is that so?" Sirius waggled his eyebrows suggestively.
"Mind out of the gutter, pretty boy," said Dorcas, helping herself to some cereal. "We've been on Order business."
Peter dropped his cup of tea, which smashed into pieces. "Quiet!" he yelped. "You shouldn't say things aloud like that — Someone could overhear…"
"Like who?" asked James, repairing Peter's teacup with a wave of his wand.
"The Death Eaters —"
"Last I checked, Voldemort's followers weren't hiding in Uncle Alphard's cupboards," observed Sirius. Frying pan in hand, he took a seat beside Marlene and began to shovel burnt eggs into his mouth. "Tell us more about your nighttime adventures, Marlene. Sounds exciting."
"It was," said Marlene, perking up. "Had to be outside the Ministry at midnight for our shift — just keeping an eye out, you know. Then we got a tip about an employee in the Department of Security who's been acting funny — Imperiused, Dorcas thought — so we had to follow up on that, and afterwards there was this Muggle family who nearly —"
"It was boring, really." Dorcas punctuated her statement with a yawn.
"Come off it," said Sirius. "Dumbledore's end-of-term speeches are boring. Working for the Order sounds fascinating."
Dorcas shrugged. "I just don't appreciate being forced to stare at the entrance to the Ministry for six hours."
"Who's forcing you?" asked James.
Dorcas jerked her chin towards Sirius. "His uncle, for one."
"Bullshit," said Sirius. "You wanted to join the Order. It isn't Alphard's fault if it's not as glamorous as you thought it would be —"
"That's not it at all!" exclaimed Dorcas. She slumped in her chair, sighing. "Look, it's nothing against Alphard, alright? But they — the Order, I mean — they keep giving me these rubbish assignments while the rest of them do more important things. It's like they think I'm helpless just because I'm a Muggle. It's maddening."
"I doubt it has anything to do with being a Muggle," said James, but Dorcas glared at him.
"Then why do they keep me in London while the rest of them go gallivanting around Europe? Everyone's been at this point except me, and when I bring it up they won't — they never…" She bit her lip and trailed off, clearly aware that she'd said too much.
"The Order have been to the continent?" asked Remus.
Peter scrunched his face, thinking hard. "What would they be doing in Europe?"
"No idea," said Dorcas sourly. "They don't tell me anything."
"It's for the best," said Marlene in a soothing voice. It was clear from her tone that she and Dorcas had had this conversation before. "If anyone gets captured, you wouldn't want —"
"Yeah, yeah." Dorcas returned to her breakfast. "I know. I shouldn't be whining about it — I'm just tired, that's all."
Half an hour later, they were out of cereal, and the dishes in the sink were scrubbing themselves. "Ready?" James said to Lily, checking his watch. "You ought to leave in the next five minutes to give yourself plenty of time. It won't look good if you showed up late to your own hearing, after all."
The few spoonfuls of cereal that Lily had forced down threatened to come up again. Though she'd been mentally rehearsing the directions to Courtroom Ten, where her hearing was to be held, she suddenly couldn't even remember how to get to the Ministry. "What was the number I'm supposed to dial in the telephone box?"
"Six two four four two," said James. "Once you're inside the Ministry, the security desk will be on the left. After you submit your wand for examination, go past the fountain to the lifts at the far end of the hall. Take the lift to the ninth floor, then take the stairs to the tenth. That's where the courtrooms are."
Though James' directions were excellent, she doubted she would be able to remember them. "Thanks," she said in a strained voice.
James caught the anxiety in her voice and smiled reassuringly at her. "Just think: in a few hours this will all be behind you, and we'll be celebrating your victory in court."
"I wish you could come," Lily said. Realizing how that sounded, she added, "I wish everyone could."
"So do we," said James. "Think I can relate to Dorcas, actually. It'll be rubbish to wait here while you're at the hearing."
Lily latched onto the change of subject. Anything to distract herself from the looming trial. "Speaking of Dorcas… Remember what she said about Europe? I wonder if that's why Sirius' uncle is away?"
"Yeah, could be," said James. "It's strange, isn't it? I always thought You-Know-Who was content with terrorizing Britain. He's no Gellert Grindelwald, right? But if the Order has business on the continent…"
"Exactly," bluffed Lily. She didn't know the first thing about Gellert Grindelwald, but she wasn't about to tell James that. "Before I leave — do I look alright?"
"Yeah, you look… good." Was it her imagination, or had he been about to say something else?
"Thanks for helping me shop. I feel much better in this dress than I would in a set of robes."
"It suits you," said James, and for some reason that made Lily's cheeks burn. To disguise her sudden embarrassment, she turned and made for the door.
He followed her. "We'll be worrying about you the entire time, you know."
"You'd better," she responded. "After everything I'm about to go through, spending every second fretting over me is the least you can do. Especially if Severus shows up."
"If he does, I'll Transfigure that massive nose of his into an elephant trunk."
"Promise?"
"I promise." He cocked his head to the side, grinning at her. "See you after you've been cleared of all wrongdoing."
Lily Apparated to the shabby side street where the visitor's entrance to the Ministry was concealed. She thankfully remembered the number to dial in the telephone box, and she only cringed a little when the badge that fell out of the metal coin chute read Lily Evans, Disciplinary Hearing.
The telephone box sank into the ground like a lift, and after what felt hours, it shuddered to a stop. The atrium of the Ministry of Magic was splendid, with gold accents and a royal blue ceiling and hundreds of busy-looking wizards striding across the gleaming, dark wood floors. Lily had never seen so many witches and wizards in one place; in hindsight, the decision to wear a wrap dress from Selfridges seemed an obvious misstep. As she crossed the hall, she felt glaringly out of place, as if she had a neon sign labelled 'Mudblood' pointed at her.
Halfway down the hall was a magnificent golden fountain that depicted a witch and wizard surrounded by an assortment of magical creatures. As Lily passed in front of it, she swore the golden witch was sneering down her nose at her. Silver Sickles and bronze Knuts glittered at the bottom of the fountain, which gave her an idea: more out of defiance than anything, she reached into her purse and dropped a two-pound coin into the fountain. The gold-ringed coin stood out among the glistening Sickles and Knuts, and she took a certain satisfaction in the thought that the snooty statue would have to stare at it until the end of time.
At the security desk, it took nearly five minutes before the guard in peacock-blue robes returned her wand. He kept placing it on a funny-looking bronze scale, then removing it. Each time, a slit at the base of the scale spat out a new slip of paper, which the wizard scrutinized, as if expecting to see something different written there. After he had repeated this ritual nearly a dozen times, Lily cleared her throat loudly.
The wizard jumped; he seemed to have forgotten that she was there. With a sceptical glance at her Muggle dress, he returned her wand, muttering something about 'unusual circumstances' and 'had to be certain'.
The lift to the ninth floor was blessedly empty. Lily slumped against the wall of the lift and took a deep breath. Walking through the Ministry had been bad enough. The thought of the entire Wizengamot scrutinizing her like an exotic yet repulsive insect made her stomach turn. She really wished she didn't have to do this alone.
The lift shuddered to a halt. Its doors opened with a clang, revealing a dimly-lit stone corridor not unlike the dungeons of Hogwarts. Another flight of steps down, and she was in a corridor lined with wooden doors that led to different courtrooms.
Lily stopped outside the largest, most foreboding door. It was locked with seven iron bolts, and a metal plaque above the door read 'Courtroom Ten'.
She bit her lip. "I'm not going to be expelled," she said aloud.
The corridor's silence was its own response.
Well, no use prolonging things any longer, Lily thought. She took a deep breath, then pushed the bolts aside and stepped into the room.