Madam Pomfrey, eyes wide, stitched up Lily's wounds while she lay unconscious, and wrapped several rolls of bandages around her chest and abdomen. Both she and Harry were moved into Fred and George's old bedroom, so that the nurse could keep a better eye on the two.

While the other Order members continued on with their business, Remus, Sirius, Mrs. Weasley, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny, all stayed in the twins' old room.

"They aren't great company, are they?" Ron observed, looking from Harry to Lily.

"You wouldn't be either if you'd had their day, Ronald Weasley," Molly said firmly as she pressed a cool cloth to Harry's forehead.

"How is he doing?" Remus asked quietly to a very solemn-looking Sirius.

Immediately, his face brightened. "Madam Pomfrey says he'll be just fine. Just a concussion, and you know how young men can be."

Remus detected his friend's façade immediately. He gave his friend a warm smile. "You, Padfoot, who survived thirteen years in Azkaban, are frightened because Harry has a simple concussion? He's been through worse, and you know it," he said privately in his ear.

Sirius nodded, his face reddening. "Yes, but you can never be too careful in these times, Moony. Harry's a man now and I'm still worrying foolishly. I can't imagine having a small child these days," he said, shaking his head somberly.

Remus's smile dropped for a moment. "Luckily, your charisma toward the opposite sex has worn off, and we won't need to worry about that any more."

Sirius shoved him playfully, chuckling. "Not to mention that I'm far too old for any of that kid nonsense."

Remus smiled, glad to see his friend in better spirits. "We're both too old, Sirius, but that just leaves us free, you know," he said mischievously, making his friend's head turn toward him in surprise.

"Moony, I'm surprised at you. You're usually the more…conservative of us two."

Remus raised an eyebrow at his old friend. "You've lost it. You're calling a werewolf 'conservative,' old man."

Before Sirius could elicit a response, Ginny was suddenly exclaiming and jumping wildly about.

"He's waking up! Harry's waking up!" she cried excitedly.

"To wake up to a headake, Ginny," Ron scolded, though he too crowded around the bed.

Harry stirred, then blinked his eyes several times as he adjusted to the light. He seemed quite shocked to be surrounded by half a dozen people. His eyes were open wide, and he seemed incredibly alert. "It—she—saved me. She just sort of…swooped down a-and… Then we were being chased through trees, and even though she's smaller than me, she was carrying me. And—and…" Even though his voice trailed off into silence, Harry spoke very animatedly.

Madam Pomfrey came striding over quickly. "Mister Potter, you will notice that you have bandages on your head. Believe me, they are not there for decoration. You will do well to lie back and recollect at a later time, for I will not allow it now," she said sternly.

But Harry's eyes were still wide, even though his glasses had been set on the nightside table. "Where is she?" he asked noone in particular.

Sirius nodded off to his right, where the other bed was pressed up against the opposite wall. Harry's head spun toward his godfather's direction, and his eyes seemed to widen somehow further. "She isn't dead, is she?"

"Of course she isn't, Harry, dear," Molly said soothingly. "She's just got a few more injuries, dear, nothing to worry about. Now lie back, or else."

Harry did as he was told, though it was quite clear that his mind remained racing. After about an hour of comforting and quiet conversation (none of which could include any exciting events, for Madam Pomfrey would not allow it), the large party was kicked out so that Harry could rest.



Later in the day, after Harry had fallen back to sleep, and when Madam Pomfrey was quite assured that there was not an imminent amount of danger to either of them, she left the Weasley home. As she slipped through the fireplace again, she said, "Potter should be able to get up once he wakes. The girl, though, won't be waking until tomorrow. When she does regain consciousness, she is not to get up for any circumstance less than imminent death."

Remus had been surprised at the nurse's grave demeanor, but it did not stay with him long after she left. And just as she did, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny raced back upstairs, Molly's warning voice trailing after them. While the others departed, speaking in quiet tones about an Order meeting that evening, Remus opted for a comfortable chair and a Muggle mystery novel.

He immersed himself in his reading for hours. It was dinner in the Weasley home before Remus set his novel down. As he sat down to dinner beside Sirius, Hermione and Ron came bouncing into the kitchen, both fawning after Harry.

Harry looked a bit peaky, but beside the bandages around his head and the couple scratches on his face, he appeared to be unharmed. Harry sat between Ron and Sirius, flashing a quick smile to Remus, which he returned.

"Good morning, sunshine," Molly said brightly, setting a plate of food in front of him, while the other plates floated magically toward the others. "Now, Harry, we don't want to put any strain on you, so there will be no talk of anything that happened beginning around yesterday. Not yet, at least. Now, tuck in."

Harry nodded, eyeing the food hungrily. "Thanks, Mrs. Weasley," he said quietly before diving into his mashed potatoes.

Dinner seemed to end faster than normal, perhaps because an Order meeting was to follow directly after. Only Hermione, Ron, and Ginny retired upstairs. Just as they did, the fireplace seemed to stream with Order members filing out. The kitchen was magically enlarged to fit all of the assembled, though it still was a tight fit.

Finally, all from the Order of the Phoenix had been seated. Dumbledore stood, and any chatter ceased. "First of all, I'd like to make an inquiry as to Lily's state," he calmly addressed them, the usual twinkle in his eye faded.

Molly chose to answer. "Poppy said that she won't regain consciousness until some time tomorrow, and that she won't be able to get up for quite a while," she said, biting her lower lip.

Dumbledore frowned. "Well, at least she will live. After a night like hers, I couldn't hope for a better prospect."

It was silent for a moment, and Remus understood why immediately. Nobody really knew the girl who had saved Harry's life, and not much could be said for her. Just as Remus was about to open his mouth to break the uncomfortable silence, something else did.

A quiet cough came from the doorway, and then an even quieter knock. Looks were exchanged around the table, and Dumbledore flicked his wand once, making the door swing open.

To Remus's great shock, there stood a bandaged-up Lily Malfoy, looking just as miserable as before, with one hand holding her head, the other leaning against the door frame. The over-sized dressing gown that Madam Pomfrey had donned her in hung loosely from her frame.

She looked quite startled at finding a room full of people. "I-I didn't mean to interrupt, I'm sorry. I've just been looking for a bathroom, is all," she said, flushing a deep shade of scarlet.

Almost immediately, Snape was on his feet, heading toward her. "Lily, you shouldn't be standing, let alone walking, for God's sake. To bed, immediately," he said sternly, looking her over.



None of the Order was accustomed to seeing Snape's paternal side, and Remus noticed that most of them were suddenly looking away, flicking something off their shoe, or finding some speck on the floor that was particularly interesting. They were obviously embarrassed in seeing Snape behave so differently, and Remus shared the feeling of walking in on something private. The only one of the group that didn't look uncomfortable was Dumbledore.

Molly stood and strode over to the two. "Here, Severus. I'll help her to bed," she offered quickly.

"I'm fine. Just someone point me to a loo," Lily replied, looking nearly annoyed.

Before Snape started arguing again, Remus said quickly, "Back down the way you came and to the right," and took a sip of his tea.

Lily flashed a smile in his direction. "Thank you, Mister Lupin. Always a helpful person, you are. Severus, Mrs. Weasley, if you'll excuse me," she said, smiling softly. She looked down for a moment and her smile dropped. "Oh, I'm sorry, Mrs. Weasley, I think I'm bleeding on your carpet."

"That's it," Snape said, having had quite enough. He started a levitation enchantment, but Molly stopped him before he could finish. Snape was pushed back into the kitchen as Molly closed the door behind Lily and herself.

Snape looked somehow furious and relieved at the same time. He looked at Dumbledore and pointed back toward the door. "She's going to kill herself, you realize. She's going to be so foolishly stubborn that she accidentally kills herself, and you encourage it, Dumbledore," he said, not accusingly, but in an exhausted sort of tone.

Dumbledore simply smiled, though the smile was brighter in his eyes. "Of course I do, Uncle Sevvie. Now, please, if we can continue with the meeting."

Snape returned to his seat, taking each step very deliberately. "Yes… Well, I haven't any abundance of information, I'm afraid to say. The Dark Lord has been quite mysterious these days, as I had no idea of Potter's predicament," he said slowly.

"Fat lot of good you're doing, Snivellus," grumbled Sirius.

"And your assistance is of priceless value, especially since we can't use your parents house as headquarters any more," he snapped back quietly.

Remus sighed loudly. "Do we have any inkling as to what he's up to? Harry, do you remember anything that might be important?" he said, softening his voice as he directed his tone to Harry.

His brow furrowed as he tried to remember. "It was really weird, now that I think of it. I was Crucio'd a couple times, but Voldemort never tried to kill me. He just sort of kept me there, waiting for something. Then Lily showed up and him and all the other Death Eaters started attacking her," he said thoughtfully. "But they never shot any killing curse at her, either."

"He was using bait," Dumbledore mused in almost a whisper.

Tonks scrunched up her nose in confusion. "But why would he use Harry as bait? Lily had almost no connection with Harry."

Snape shook his head. "Because that girl is as stupidly kind as she is stubborn, and Voldemort is quite aware of that," he muttered. "She would have gone after them no matter who it was. Well, save for maybe her father."

"So, Voldemort dragged Harry here around close enough to that girl so she could smell him, but didn't kill her when he had the chance?" Kingsley questioned incredulously.

"He may have other plans for her," Remus voiced. "We all know very well that Voldemort has done much more horrible things than kill people."

"Torture? She most likely has a good deal of information on them, and if she were to spill any of it, they'd find a need either to kill her or to torture her until…well, until noone would believe a word of what she said," Elphias Doge wheezed, running a hand through his silver hair.



"Whatever he wants with her, he's obviously going to try to take her back. I'd say that makes her quite the liability," Sirius said, looking severely around him. "It would be too great a danger to keep her around, wouldn't it? With her around, Voldemort can keep baiting her by using any one of us to toy around with until she comes along."

"Sirius, how can you say that?!" Tonks demanded, looking disbelievingly at him. While Remus was stricken by the audacity of his statement, he couldn't help but see his point. "She's your niece, and she's even got your hair!"

"Poor girl, head like a mop," mumbled Snape.

Sirius shot Snape a dangerous glare.

"She isn't any harm to anyone right now," interjected Arthur. "Everyone saw the state she's in. And I doubt that the Dark Lord will find it wise to lure her out again so soon. Besides, it isn't like this house is not accustomed to a wealth of people," he said with a smile.

"Dad, this isn't a thing to gamble on," Charlie said suddenly. "She might not technically be a demon, but she's capable of the same things. You know better than us all that these are not times to be guessing."

Mundungus belched and agreed obnoxiously. "'E's right. 'Sides, she's not quite right, is she? Dang'rous, you ask me. Most like a"—

"Werewolf," Remus said, trying to hide the bitterness in his voice. Almost every eye was on him now. He cleared his throat. "Arthur's right. I'm more dangerous than Lily is, and Voldemort will not be too keen on another attack this early. I refuse to have her persecuted for something she has no control over."

"Always a helpful person, Remus Lupin," came a soft voice, accompanied by her scent. Lily stood in the doorway once more, leaning heavily against the wall. She appeared as though merely standing exhausted her, but her face was clean of any dried mud or blood, and save for a few light scratches, her complexion was flawless.

Molly was standing near her, looking worrisome as ever, as though fearful that Lily would fall over at any second. "Here, dear. Come sit in the kitchen—we'll find you a place, don't worry—and I'll get you a nice bit of something to eat." As she escorted Lily from behind, Molly was making wild gestures that Remus understood to mean that the young woman was very susceptible to dropping flat on the floor.

However, Lily did not falter in her stride, and sat, very slowly, with a grimace on her face, between Remus and Severus. She looked down the table and smiled. "All right, Harry?"

"Better than you, at least," Harry said, returning the smile.

She shrugged and fiddled with her hands nervously, much like a child would. "I understand that these are very risky times, with hopes and prospects much too great to lose." She spoke slowly and deliberately, making sure she made eye contact with everyone. "I also understand that a good number of you are frightened of me, and I don't blame you. After all, who wouldn't be afraid of a young, five-and-a-half-foot-tall girl?" She smiled to herself. "I guarantee you that I don't take this lightly. My life is just as much in danger as any of yours are. Besides, like Mister Doge mentioned, I have a good amount of information for you," she said softly.

Molly set a plate of that evening's dinner in front of her and smiled, saying, "Here, dear. You look like you haven't eaten for days."

Lily looked gratefully at the food, her eyes widened, and mumbled meekly, "I haven't."

She made no haste in attacking her mashed potatoes, eyes huge.

Kingsley looked at the girl curiously. "What kind of information do you offer?"

Lily swallowed hastily and neatly dabbed at her mouth with her napkin. She folded her hands on the table. "Voldemort's most recent plans. The plans that are so secret that not even his beloved spy Severus Snape know them," she said simply.

"And what would they be?" Dumbledore inquired, though not too eagerly.



Lily bit her lower lip, looking suddenly fearful. "If any one of you is a traitor and runs off to Voldemort with this, I promise to kill you before he kills me," she said, looking at each of them to assure that she was not joking. She took as deep a breath that her broken ribs would allow, then continued. "He's looking for an heir."

Remus squinted in disbelief. "Voldemort? Why would he want an heir if he's so convinced that he's going to vanquish death?"

"That old thing? How's he ever going to get an heir?" Tonks intoned skeptically.

Lily took a deep draught of her tea and swallowed. "Oh, he still believes whole-heartedly that he'll end up conquering death. He just wants an heir when he tires of ruling the Wizarding world, you know. Voldemort intends to change the child into something of a weapon, like he'd done to me. And, as much as Aunt Bellatrix would love the chance, Voldemort has found that it would be far easier to create a weapon and an heir by choosing the only one that could produce him both of those aspects without inflicting pain on his child…" She took another long drink of her tea as this idea sank in.

Snape looked like he had swallowed his tongue. "Y-you?" He blinked several times in disbelief and horror, and seemed unable to speak. "You're not…" he said, his attention changing to her abdomen.

"Of course not," she shot back immediately. "You don't think I'd let him near me, do you?" As her sole parental figure held his face in his hands, she continued. "That's why he lured me out. That's why he didn't kill me. But, as he found out yesterday, I'm too powerful for him," she said, smirking softly. That characteristic smirk was the only indication of Lily's heritage.

"As such, my dear, there are still two other ways in which Voldemort can impregnate you. There is the Ingravesco Charm, as well as the Engorgement potion," Dumbledore said calmly, as Snape shook his head, his face still in his hand.

"What if he asks me to make it?" Snape muttered to himself. "He'll know I'm able to, the Dark Lord always knows… And should I refuse, I'll blow my cover as a spy."

"Calm down, Severus," Sirius said, with something similar to pity in his eyes. "Lily obviously isn't knocked up now. There's no need to worry yet."

Lily furrowed her brow. "I'm not a child, you realize. I'm very capable of taking care of myself, as I have been."

"Oh yes, you're doing a bang up job now, aren't you? Look at yourself, Lily. May I remind you that merely hours ago you were screaming in pain? Absolute disregard for your own well-being," Snape shot.

Before Lily could retaliate, Molly cut in. "Nobody doubts that you can take care of yourself, Lily dear. You brought Harry and yourself back in one piece. There's just a certain amount of concern regarding what could happen, you see," she said kindly. "Now, come on, dear, we need to get you back to bed before you exhaust yourself."

"But"—

"Ooh, I'll help!" Tonks volunteered cheerfully. She stood, nearly knocking over a cup of tea, beaming. "Wotcher, Lily. I'll borrow you some pajamas so we can get you out of that old thing," she said brightly as she helped pull Lily to her feet. She seemed much less sure of herself this time, and her legs seemed barely able to support her own weight.

"Whoopsie, Lils, here we are. It's so nice having someone around who's so close to my age. Oh, clumsy Tonks, navigate around the broom…"

Remus noticed, as Lily was led away by her new clutzy friend, that a trace of a smile flecked her face. Her face brightened and her eyes twinkled, and Remus suddenly realized that he'd forgotten to release his breath, and gasped for air.