Chapter Twenty-seven: Rude Interruptions
With James gone, the weeks seemed to drag by even slower than before. Lily really had no motivation to do anything. She had tried, however, to perk herself up. After all, it was all out of her hands now: Edith was moving away with James, and that would be the end of it. No more drama.
Still…
Lily was sitting quietly in the library, her books spread generously across her usual table. Too distracted to study, she pulled out her latest letter from Melinda, smoothing it on top of her open notebook.
Dear Lily,
I hope things aren't too stressful. Your last letter was so brief I'm beginning to wonder if everything is truly okay with you.
To answer your question, yes, the article is going very well. It seems the Baldrics have been buying out all sorts of businesses in the area and acquiring the assets of other well-known wizarding families such as the Prewetts and Willoughbys—I'm not entirely sure by what means, but I have a hunch. The Vane's cauldron company was just the beginning—and squib employees like Madeline's father were just the first to go. Anyone they deem unworthy is out of the job—essentially following the standards of You-Know-Who.
Still, I continue to dig deeper, looking for something that will once and for all put an end to all of it.
I can't say much more, but if you could do me one favor and keep your ears open for any information, I would be greatly indebted to you.
Wishing all the best,
Melinda Moonshine
"Lily?"
She glanced up from the blurred words to see Remus standing across from her, looking as haggard and handsome as usual.
"May I sit?" he said, polite as ever.
"Er…" Lily jostled some things around the table, "sure…"
"Don't bother," he smiled, sitting across from her.
They sat in silence a moment; only the shuffling of Madame Pince's sharp heels could be heard across the way.
"I haven't seen you in awhile," Lily said softly. "Sick again?"
Remus didn't blink before giving an answer, "Yes. Sick. And you? How have you been?"
"I'm doing great, actually. I got my letter for Head Girl…"
"That's fantastic!" he said.
"Did you get yours?"
He shook his head. "No, actually…James did though."
"Oh. Wow…that's…"
"Unexpected? I know," he laughed.
Lily smiled weakly. "Yeah…I guess it will go to someone else now."
There was an awkward pause.
"Speaking of James," Remus began.
"Don't, Remus," Lily stopped him. "Please. I know what you're going to say—"
"Lily…" he shook his sandy head, "I don't think you do. I don't think you understand yet that James never grew up. He doesn't know when to stand up and fight, or when to keep his mouth shut."
Lily picked at the corner of a book cover.
"And I think, because of that, you were hurt."
Lily nodded softly.
Remus leaned forward earnestly. "Lily, James does care for you. He just needs to grow up first. Things may have turned out for the best…"
"The best?" Lily exclaimed. "How could this possibly be for the best? James is going off to France to marry the most horrible creature—it's too soon! He's too young! And Edith is far from trustworthy a-and—we both know it—she's sleeping with Sirius!"
Remus shook his head. "She can't be…"
"Why? Because she's not as bad as I think?"
"No," he said firmly, "Because Sirius has grown up, and he knows better than that. He wouldn't be so stupid, even for a girl he loves."
"…But—"
"Listen to me, Lily," Remus said, "Things will work out for the best, but you have to believe that. You can't change James—he has to make the decision for himself. As for you, don't let all of this affect what's best for you. Don't let it drag you down."
Lily was silent.
"Alright?"
Lily nodded. "Thanks, Remus."
"Sure." He stood and walked out, hands in his pockets. He cast one last concerned glance over his shoulder at her, and she mustered up as much energy as she could to smile back.
Maybe he was right, she thought to herself as she gathered up her things. Maybe things had worked out for the best. One thing she knew Remus was right about: she couldn't let it drag her down. She had to be strong and focus on what was important.
---
"Lily? Are you alright?"
Lily felt a nudge at her arm. She blinked and peered up from her book which was lying upside down across her lap. The common room fire crackled at her feet, and she found herself embraced by the arms of an old wingback chair.
Kenneth was staring at her with his droopy eyes.
"Er…I'm fine." She sat up and quickly wiped the drool from her cheek. She must have fallen asleep.
"I'm headed to breakfast if you want to come." He looked at her strangely. "You were drooling, so I thought—"
"No thanks," Lily mumbled, "I'm not hungry."
"Right," Kenneth stopped short. "Okay, then. Hey, listen, Lily," he turned back toward her, "I'm sorry I yelled at you the other day."
"It's okay…" Lily hardly remembered.
"See you around then." He lumbered off.
She picked up the book she'd been reading and frowned: Detoxify, De-stress, and Don't Explode— Literally— for the Modern Witch. Despite what Melinda said about it being rubbish, Lily still took comfort in its words. Besides, Lily was convinced that Melinda hadn't given herself quite enough credit.
Her eyes lingered momentarily on the open pages in her lap.
Chapter 24: Salvaging Sanity in Times of Crisis
When life gives you Doxies, brew Doxicide, as the saying goes. Don't leave anything in the hands of others—this is your life, and you must act now if you don't want to travel down a path created by others. It is never too late to turn around and stand up for your principles, even when no one else is willing.
You are a bright, brilliant witch.
Repeat after me:
I am a bright, brilliant witch, capable of unthinkable greatness.
"I am…" Lily muttered to herself, "a bright, brilliant witch, capable of unthinkable greatness…"
"That's a bit self-absorbed, don't you think?"
Lily dropped her book and whirled around. Charlotte was staring down at her, hand on hip, arching a delicate blonde eyebrow. "I was just…reading."
"Whatever." She flipped her hair. "I'm going to breakfast. Are you coming?"
"No thanks…" Lily's thoughts were wandering elsewhere, the book's words still churning in her mind.
Charlotte narrowed her eyes. "Are you ever going to get over this whole James leaving thing?"
Lily cleared her throat gruffly. "Of course. I am over it. I—" Just then something clicked.
Throwing the book into Charlotte's arms, she bolted for the portrait hole. Charlotte stumbled out of her way, gripping the book as she watched Lily incredulously. "What has gotten into you?"
But Lily had flown from the common room before she could answer. Why hadn't she thought of this before? The whole time the answer had been staring her in the face. "Kenneth!" she cried to the figure lumbering around the corner. "Wait!"
The boy hesitated a moment, raising his eyebrows at the sight of Lily dashing through the corridor toward him. She screeched to a halt, clutching the stitch in her chest. "You—" she heaved, "know the—Baldrics—don't you?"
Kenneth looked at her funny, smoothing his striped sweater. "Er…well…why?"
Lily paused a moment to catch her breath. "It's really important, Kenneth. Do you? I know your parents are, well…Death Eaters…"
He looked irritated. "Are you going to make fun of me too? Call me a traitor? Join the bloody club—" He turned to leave. "I'm going to breakfast—"
"Wait!" Lily cried, grabbing his robes. "Please, Kenneth. I'm not here to make fun of you. I need your help, and I know someone else who needs it too."
He narrowed his eyes cautiously. "Why?"
"Can you testify? Can you…" she looked around and lowered her voice, "Can you vouch for the fact that Edith's parents are Death Eaters?"
Kenneth scoffed. "Of course I can. They—" he stopped short and looked at his feet.
"They what, Kenneth?" Lily pressed. "Please, this is important."
Kenneth shook his head. "I—no, I have to go." He tried to shove past her, but amazingly, with the adrenaline pumping through her veins, Lily blocked his path.
"Kenneth," she looked him straight in the eye. "Whatever you're keeping could be the key to helping a lot of people."
He grumbled something and looked at his shoes.
"What?" Lily said angrily.
Ruddy-faced, he lifted his head and growled, "I said, they killed Lydia Lofgren." He suddenly looked ashamed, as if he'd said too much.
"They—what?"
"I—I have to go—" He whirled around, but Lily caught him by the sleeve.
"Kenneth!" she hissed, dragging him into an empty corridor. "You're telling me that the Baldrics killed Mila and Ingrid's mother? But I thought—"
"That my parents did it?" Kenneth said angrily. "They did—but not by choice. They were under the Imperius Curse."
Lily was gaping. "Kenneth…have you told anyone this?"
"No. And you can't either!" he burst, suddenly looking panicked. "They only did it to protect me. They worked for Dumbledore, and were trying to put an end to the Baldrics. But they were tricked and the Baldrics said they'd kill my parents and me if they admitted to being under the Curse."
"But—"
"No!" Kenneth shuddered. "It's why they're in Azkaban right now—and it's the only way for them to stay alive."
Lily was overwhelmed. "Does…Ingrid know?"
Kenneth looked ashamed once more. "Yes…it's the only reason she's still dating me. But her brother and sister—"
"Don't know," Lily finished for him. "Kenneth, how could you keep something like this so secret? You have to tell—"
"No way. My parents are at the mercy of the Baldrics, cooped up in there with who knows how many Death Eaters…"
"But…" Lily took a deep breath, "Being in there is killing them too."
The halls were dead silent. Everyone was in class by now. Kenneth scuffed his shoe on the floor. "I know…"
"The Baldrics have done a lot of horrible things—and there's no telling what else they have in store for other families. I can already think of one in danger…" She looked him hard in the eye. This was turning out to be a lot darker than she'd expected. "Kenneth, you have to be brave. You have to step forward and say something. Dumbledore will keep you safe."
"I can't."
"Kenneth," she touched his shoulder gently. "I'm so, so sorry about your parents. But think long and hard about this—it's your chance to be brave and finish what your parents started. Your words can put the Baldrics away forever, and release your parents."
He thought about this a moment, looking a bit pale and shaky. Finally, he nodded. It was barely noticeable, but still, affirmation.
"Okay. Okay," Lily repeated. "This is good. Here's what we're going to do. You're going to come with me to the fundraiser at the Potter's. All you have to do is back me up and say you can testify. I promise, no one at that place will let you come to any harm. I have a friend who's writing this article for the Prophet, and if you can testify, it could potentially put the Baldrics away for a really long time."
Kenneth licked his lips nervously and nodded. "Okay," he looked Lily in the eye. "I-I'll do it."
Lily swallowed hard. If this was true, then there was far more at stake than Madeline's father's job—who knew what plans the Baldrics had for James and the Potters? They could be getting tangled up in something that was sure to be horrible. She couldn't let that happen, no matter what her feelings for James were.
---
"You really think this will work?" Charlotte pursed her lips as she handed over the tickets to the fundraiser that she'd wrangled. "I mean, it is Kenneth we're talking about here."
"It has to," Lily said determinedly, tucking them in her pocket and throwing a cloak over her dress. "It's my only shot to help everyone."
"So…" Charlotte examined a nail. "I guess this means you won't be needing me."
"Don't be ridiculous," Lily said. "You're the reason I'm even taking any action against Edith."
"Well…" Charlotte looked somewhat pleased. "I doubt I'll be there to witness it. I have some business of my own to take care of."
"Work?"
"Just some things I've been too busy to get to," she said mysteriously.
Lily nodded, checking her appearance. "Right."
Charlotte leaned in and jammed another bobby pin in Lily's knot and smiled. "Perfection. Now, whatever you do, don't let Helen see you—she'll know that I told you about Sirius and Edith."
"Right." Lily snagged her scarf and hurried out the door. She'd received special permission to travel by Floo with a few other students, and did her best to blend in with them so that Helen and Florence wouldn't single her out and ruin the plan.
When she arrived, tumbling once more onto the familiar white carpeted floor of the Potter's, a flood of anxiety filled her chest, making it a tad difficult to breathe. She loosened the scarf around her neck and fanned her heated face with her handbag.
"This way, please, your families are waiting in the ballroom," the hook-nosed butler simpered as the Hogwarts students invited marched past him. He followed each with the tip of his nose. "Delighted to have you all."
Lily tried to hide her face when she passed him, his hawk eyes zoning in on her momentarily before moving on. Relieved, she scurried forward a bit faster to keep up with the eager partiers.
"I heard this is James' goodbye party as well," a feathery-haired girl said loudly.
"It is…My mum told me he's off to France tomorrow, day after his birthday," a dark-haired boy Lily recognized as a Slytherin prefect sneered. "Dodging his exams is all. What luck."
The group laughed.
Lily tried to keep her head down as they entered the party. Within seconds she spotted them: the Potters and the Baldrics sipping drinks and chatting. James was swirling his glass, staring dully at its contents. Sirius was lingering nearby, a drink in his hand. He turned and caught sight of Lily suddenly, his dark eyebrows rising curiously.
Quickly, she dove out of sight behind a particularly tall man and caught her breath.
Across the glamorously decorated room, over the masses of elegantly cloaked and coifed guests, Lily spotted Kenneth and a man Lily deemed to be his grandfather, mingling with the crowd. Kenneth was looking pasty in his dress robes, eyes darting shiftily around the room. This was her chance.
It was then Lily felt a hand latch firmly onto her shoulder and whirl her around. "Miss? Are we lost?"
Lily shrank away from the sneering face of the Potter's butler, Leatherby. "Er…"
"I don't believe I see your name on the guest list," he cooed. So he had recognized her when she came in. Damn.
"Well…I have a ticket!" She waved the glittering stub weakly in his face.
He snatched it and tucked it in his pocket. "Not," he drawled, "anymore. I think we both know you were never on the list. Follow me, please, Miss Evans."
"Okay, but—see—" Lily objected, struggling as he tried to usher her out. "I have a guest ticket—"
"Please, Miss, let's not cause a scene," he droned. "I was given specific instructions from Miss Baldric to see that—"
Immediately, Lily dug in her heels and turned, kicking him hard in the shin. Leatherby stumbled and caught himself on a side table, smashing three champagne glasses in the process. The surrounding crowd jumped back at the shattering of glass and watched in horror as Lily shoved her way through.
"Stop!" Leatherby choked, still clutching his knee.
Lily honed in on the Potters, shoving anyone in her way. Edith turned just then to see the commotion and immediately went pale.
"Stop her!" Edith cried suddenly, desperately putting herself between James and Lily.
Someone in the crowd snagged Lily's arm, and she struggled to get free. "JAMES!" she shouted.
He moved past Edith, knocking her to the side so that he could see what was going on. "Lily? Let her go!" He demanded angrily.
"No!" Edith shouted, running interference.
James brushed her aside again and took Lily by the shoulder, helping to steady her. The blonde man with a moustache who'd been holding her let go, and she recognized him as James' Uncle Edgar from the dinner party.
"You know this little terror?" his uncle smoothed his jacket and glared at Lily. "She's soiled my best pants."
Lily noticed a giant stain from spilled champagne on his thigh. "Er, sorry about that." It looked like he'd wet himself. She had a bit of trouble feigning regret.
"What is the meaning of this?" Mrs. Potter glided forward, tightening her beaded shawl around her shoulders, peering bitterly down at Lily.
Mr. Potter delicately moved past his wife. "I'll handle this, Eleanor. Miss Evans." He shot her a dark look. "What do you have to say for yourself?"
"She needs to leave—" Edith started, but her parents silenced her. They were about to wish they hadn't.
Lily stood up straight, completely aware her hair and clothes were askew, but tried her hardest to ignore her shabby appearance in the mirrored dining hall. "I—" she could feel her nerves swelling, her hands growing clammy. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. Just then she noticed James' hand was still resting on her shoulder. She glanced up, peering back into his confused hazel eyes. "I—came here to make sure everyone knew the truth—about the Baldrics."
"What—" Mr. Baldric stepped forward, breaking his usual grim silence. His eyes were beady, not at all like Edith's, and his sharp little goatee was like a threatening little dagger, just waiting to spear his prey.
Mr. Potter held up a hand to silence him. "That will not be necessary, Miss Evans. We're all aware who the Baldrics are—our future family," he smiled benignly. The crowd actually tittered in response.
Lily thought she was going to be sick. "You can't be serious—" she spat. "You of all people should know who and what they are. You told me it was the reason you were even letting James marry Edith—because being connected to the Dark Arts could keep James safe."
There was a collective gasp.
James tightened his grip on Lily's shoulder. "Lily…"
"No," she shook him off, angrily. "It's true! The Baldrics are working for You-Know-Who! They killed Lydia Lofgren!"
Everyone gasped again and began chattering.
"That's enough!" Mr. Potter bellowed. "I will not have you come here uninvited and attack my guests. Everyone knows that Aldus and Gemma Kaufman murdered the Lofgren woman. They're in Azkaban for it."
"It's not true. Kenneth!" Lily turned and searched the crowd for him. "Their son Kenneth can testify that it's not true. Kenneth!" She spotted him on the other side of the room, hands stuffed in his pockets. He was sweating profusely, avoiding her eyes. "Kenneth! Tell them," she urged.
He shifted awkwardly. "I—I'm sorry, Lily," he mumbled, turning and shoving his way through the crowd until he had disappeared.
"Kenneth!" Lily cried after him, her jaw hanging limply. This was not happening.
"Thomas, please," Eleanor Potter hissed hastily, "do something."
"You need to leave. Immediately," James' father snapped at Lily. "Leatherby—"
"Of course you would try to cover this up—" Lily burst, snaking out of Leatherby's grasp. "You're a liar yourself! Trying to bribe me into staying away from your son! You're almost as bad as them," she spat in the Baldric's direction. "They buy out every business in this area and sack anyone who doesn't reach their 'standards'! Madeline Merewether's father, because he's a squib—" Lily spoke directly to James, "and countless others because they aren't pureblood! It's discrimination!"
"What we do with our employees is no concern of yours, young lady—" Mr. Baldric shot back.
Lily was fuming now, with no intention of stopping. Her hair had come loose, and was tumbling over her shoulders like a fiery halo—she probably looked psychotic, but she could care less. She turned back to Mr. Potter. "Was it you who got my father sacked so that you could get me to take the money? Or am I not giving Edith enough credit?"
Leatherby latched onto her then, as did Edgar, dragging her backwards like a mental patient being hauled off to her cell.
Thomas Potter had turned his back on her and was in the process of ushering his wife away. But James had other plans.
"Don't touch her," he snarled to Leatherby and Edgar, wrenching Lily free from their iron grips. He took her wrist and moved protectively in front of her.
"Dad," he said quietly, "Is it true?"
Thomas looked appalled. "James, I am your father. This is ridiculous—the girl is obviously lying to get your attention."
James was livid. "Lily wouldn't lie."
James' father was losing color, his wrinkled cheeks matching his silvery hair. He shook his head tensely, his frown deepening the lines on his face. "We can talk about this in private—"
"No," James bellowed suddenly, his eyes dark with intent. He straightened and looked his father straight in the eye—they were both of equal stature and looked impressive in their attire, almost fearsome. "We talk about this now."
"James—" Mr. Potter warned.
"Dad," James replied steadily, as if trying to hold back his anger, "This—all of this—it ends now."
"What's the meaning of this?" Mr. Baldric piped up, moving his pointed beard this way and that incredulously. "We had an agreement, Thomas—"
"I'll handle this, Eamon," Thomas Potter held up a hand. "James, you have an obligation to your family—"
"I am not," James hissed, pressing his face close to his father's, "going to France."
The room erupted in chatter. Edith looked like she was going to interrupt, but James kept speaking.
"I may have an obligation to marry her, one that I can't turn down even if I wanted to," he indicated to Edith roughly, "but we'll do it on my terms when I'm ready. I'm not leaving Hogwarts."
"James!" his mother placed a hand to her décolletage with a little intake of breath.
"Mum, please," he turned to her, "You know I'm a grown man now. You can't keep forcing me to follow Dad's orders. In fact," he turned back to his father, "You legally can't force me to go anywhere now that I'm 17."
His father pursed his lips, looking as if he would burst.
Lily watched James a moment, standing tall against his father. He looked…so grown up.
"Tell me now," he whispered dangerously, "Did you have something to do with Lily's father losing his job?"
"Don't be absurd, James," Thomas Potter replied gruffly, his eyes darting between guests, all agog, hardly believing their luck at witnessing firsthand such a fantastic future piece of gossip.
"It's true," another voice broke in suddenly.
They all whirled around to see the crowd parting in awe to allow a brilliantly dressed blonde girl, her curls pinned back elegantly, stride through the opening like a religious figure.
"Charlotte—" Lily gaped at her friend as she tipped her head graciously to the guests she passed.
"Adolphus, it's been too long," Charlotte grinned and did a little curtsy. "Phinneaus, Julia, a pleasure as always…" She reached Lily's side and halted abruptly, hand on her glittering and svelte hip.
James looked at her blankly. "So it's true—my father had something to do with Lily's father losing his job."
"I don't know," she brushed the air prettily, "But this is true!"
Suddenly, she whipped a photograph from her bosom and shoved it in James' face. "You've been played, darling."
Lily nearly fainted. She glanced at Sirius who was watching intently from a safe distance. "No!" She clawed desperately for the photo, knowing full well it would hurt him just as much as Edith. She latched on to Charlotte's wrist, but she easily broke free.
"I'm sorry, Lily," she said, "You may not be that type of person, but I am. Look at this, James."
James took the moving photo and immediately looked repulsed. His hands were shaking, his eyes hidden by his dark hair—Lily couldn't fully make out his reaction, but it couldn't be good—his best friend had been cheating with his fiancé.
Immediately, Thomas Potter snatched the picture away, examining it himself. After a shaky moment, he balled it up and tossed it to the floor, the crumpled image rolling to Lily's feet. "What kind of sick joke is this?" he boomed, his voice echoing off the high walls, rattling the chandeliers a bit.
Lily bent to pick up the crumpled photo, unraveling it as she stood.
Charlotte stood her ground. Edith was watching her with vicious hawk eyes. "That," she spat, making sure to lock eyes with Edith, "is your son's fiancé getting down and dirty with—"
"Charlotte, no!" Lily begged.
"—her favorite Beater," Charlotte finished with a sparkle. "No pun intended."
There was yet another collective gasp in the room. An elderly lady swooned while another croaked, "It's positively lude!"
"It's—just a photograph—it means nothing—" Thomas Potter stammered, losing a bit of his cool.
Charlotte shook her head. "Give me all the truth serum you want—I'm the witness, and I will testify to break that marriage contract."
Lily's eyes widened as she stared at the picture. She looked up at James, his expression unreadable, then back at the photo. She glanced over to where Sirius had been standing, but he seemed to have suddenly disappeared, his empty glass sitting on the windowsill. It wasn't Sirius in the photo—it was—
Suddenly and inexplicably, James burst out laughing. The entire dining room looked at him, appalled. "Grimm?" he laughed, looking at Edith. "You cheated on me with Grimm? That Slytherin oaf? That's the best you could do?" Tears were streaming down his face now as he clutched his stomach.
"What's so bloody funny?" Edith snarled. "And you," she rounded on Charlotte, her teeth like venomous points, "We had a deal. I paid you. I paid you to keep quiet!"
"Money doesn't buy everything, Edith," Charlotte brushed her curls aside. "It bought these fab cherry Beatrix Brunhild pumps." She lifted a heel daintily. "But some things are worth more…" she winked at Lily. "I've learned my lesson and I think I'd rather earn my way out of debt, thank you."
Edith looked as if she wanted to explode.
"You know," Charlotte whispered devilishly to James, "if you'd stayed with me, this never would have happened."
James opened his mouth to reply, but she silenced him with a dramatic finger to the lips.
"No, James. I'm sorry. I've moved on," she said endearingly, the most piteous look upon her face. She immediately whirled to face the Potters. "But you all should be ashamed of yourselves, treating Lily like an inmate—she's the best, most loyal, brightest witch I know, and you're all a lot of sods if you can't see it." She grabbed Lily by the wrist and hauled her off. "Come on, I'm getting you out of here."
"But—"
"Relax," Charlotte whispered softly, something sympathetic in her voice, "there's nothing more you can do right now."
"This is unacceptable," Mr. Baldric raged, snatching Edith by the wrist roughly. She winced but said nothing. "We're leaving immediately."
Lily turned to catch a glimpse of Mrs. Baldric slapping Edith in the face. "You foul girl," she hissed, "How dare you betray this family?" Charlotte was still dragging her away from the crowd, but as Eamon Baldric raised his daughter's arm to haul her away, Lily noticed thick scars on the underside of her forearm.
Just then, Edith broke free from her parents' grasps while they argued with the Potters, Lily watching as she fled out the side door.
Lily grabbed Charlotte, forcing her to stop. "Wait—" she said, pulling her sleeve free, "I just have to—" Lily turned and ran back, following Edith's trail.
"Lily!" Charlotte called after her.
Outside the dining room, everything was dimly lit, and the corridors, as Lily remembered, were like a maze. She treaded cautiously, checking every corner as she went, until she stumbled across a cracked door, soft voices emanating from within the room. Quietly, she slipped forward to get a better view of the inside, her breath catching when she spotted Sirius and Edith embracing; Sirius was cradling Edith, a hand softly on her head.
"I've ruined…everything," she groaned, "I'm so sorry, Sirius."
He shushed her. "Don't worry about that now. Things are they way they are."
"I-I just thought, that if I could convince Thomas to send James away, we could have more time together—" she brought her tearstained eyes up to meet his. "I never thought they'd want to send me too—and then with Grimm—I was lonely—it was stupid—"
"I know."
"Will you forgive me?"
Sirius didn't say anything. He just hushed her again and held her silently.
Lily felt extremely uncomfortable as she stood there witnessing something so…private. They way they looked at each other—Lily wasn't sure if she should be appalled or touched. Trying to creep away, she began to back up slowly, but her foot caught a creaky floorboard, and the two of them immediately spotted her in the doorway.
"You!" Edith screeched, pulling out her wand. "You did this! You ruined everything!"
Sirius grabbed her wand arm and pulled her back, "Stop it, Edith."
"No," she said wildly, looking desperately at Sirius, "Punish her. Now. She's the reason we can't be together—"
Sirius was shaking his head slowly, his mouth set in a line.
"Sirius," she spat, "if you love me you will hurt her!"
He placed a hand calmly on her arm and looked her in the eye. "No. Edith, you are the reason we can't be together…you and a million other reasons. And you know that."
Edith stared at him a moment, her eyes wild, darting toward Lily as if she were contemplating a curse, but as the moment waned, she seemed to settle, and in a sudden swoop, fell into Sirius' arms, sobbing.
Lily looked over her shoulder to see Charlotte standing quietly behind her, realizing that Edith had been screaming at her, not Lily. Despite the satisfied look in her eye, Charlotte looked unusually solemn.
"We should go," she said to Lily, arms folded.
Lily nodded, thinking that she'd like to see James, just for a minute, but before she knew it, she and Charlotte were tumbling through the fire with a fistful of Floo, leaving it all behind.
---