A/N: Yay! For the win Chapter Three! I don't really know what to say about it... so yay

It is unfair to place our future in such small hands,

Yet we do anyway.

It is unfair to expect such innocence to fight,

And come home unscathed, and still pure.

It is unfair,

But it is necessary.

"Unfairness" Albus Dumbledore

Lily was sitting quietly at the table staring at her oatmeal, lost in thought. She was tired and definitely did not want to get out of bed that morning. Uncle Moony and Aunt Tonks had found out about their little excursion (or at least the part that didn't include stealing from a shop in Knockturn Alley). Lily sighed as she remembered the encounter when they got home.

Flashback

Lily awoke just as they arrived at Number Twelve Grimmaud Place. She looked blearily around. A voice above her chuckled and she looked up.

"Looks like sleeping beauty decided to wake up," taunted James. Lily glared at him and opened her mouth to give an angry retort, but was stopped when she saw Matt put a finger to his lips signaling for quiet, Lily settled for smacking her brother lightly in the chest, promising more pain later with her eyes. James rolled his eyes and gently put Lily down. She wobbled a bit, but managed to stay upright. He handed the small box to Lily and she slipped it in her robes.

Matt took a deep breath and opened the door. He peered in and grinned back at Lily and James. They weren't going to get caught.

"I think we made it!" he whispered, cheerfully. They crept into the hall, turned to the stairs. Matt stopped suddenly and his eyes widened in fear.

"Oh, shit…" he whispered. Lily was behind him and bumped into his back.

"Matt what- "she leaned her head and peered over his shoulder, "Oh…dear…"

James shifted uncomfortably behind her and laughed a little nervously.

"Heh…hello, Aunt Tonks." He said, looking more than a little scared. Lily slapped her forehead in exasperation. Then, looking up at her almost Aunt, she gave a weak wave and a smile that she hoped defused her anger instead of adding to it. Matt was still stiff with fear.

"You, three," started Nymphadora "Tonks" Lupin in a dangerous whisper that was gradually growing louder (apparently the smile didn't work), "have, no idea how much trouble you are in!"

All three teenagers cringed.

"At least she hasn't done the full name thing…" mumbled James under his breath.

"Matthias John Lupin! You get your arse into the drawing room right now before I hex you into the next century! You, too, James, Lily!" shrieked Mrs. Lupin .

"You were saying?" mumbled Matt dejectedly as they walked to drawing room to face what would be a very long shouting match.

End Flashback

Needless to say, their welcome home hadn't been very pretty.

At least the box they had stolen was hidden upstairs in her room. If her Aunt and Uncle found out about that, well, she really wouldn't know what their reaction would be. She gave another long sigh.

It was entirely the stupid letter's fault. Honestly, who would entrust a teenage girl with a letter that could save the fate of the Wizarding World and expect her to believe a word in it? Apparently this person would, which lead her to believe that this person was incredibly insane... which lead her to believe she was losing her mind for actually going along with it.

She should have burned the damned thing, and she would have, if James and Matt hadn't found it before she could. She couldn't say no to Matt and James. Anyway, if it was a letter from the deceased Albus Dumbledore (and yes it really was from him; she used a charm to check its validity… multiple times), she had to do what he said. Why? Because the old goat was a master manipulator, and even in his death he has felt the need to meddle. Not to mention she had a great respect for him, and she felt indebted to him.

The only thing that confused her was why her? Why not her father, or someone in the Order? It just didn't make any sense. Sure, she could see magic, but only when she wanted to drain herself. She barely even knew how to use it herself. Other than that ability, she was just your average sixteen year old girl.

She stirred her oatmeal around, absently. Maybe it was because her father was the great Harry Potter. Maybe, because she would be the least likely candidate for such a mission. Who would expect an innocent girl to hold the salvation of the world in her hands? Surely, not she and definitely not Sir Noir and his followers.

Or maybe Albus Dumbledore was insane.

Lily wouldn't be surprised. When Lily first met him, she was four. He was nice enough and Dad was…civil to him. He seemed very interested in her abilities, and she almost could have liked him, but there was always something nagging at the back of her mind. She found out what that something was later, after he asked Dad to lead an almost suicidal mission. It was obvious that the former leader of the Order, though kind, was, indeed, a puppet master. How else could he get Dad to risk his life like that, in spite of his family's wishes? At least he wasn't a corrupt puppet master, like Sir Noir was. But, there was one thing about puppet masters that she had learned in her years at Hogwarts. Either they were corrupt and powerful or insane and powerful. She was hoping that Dumbledore was the latter and not the former.

Not that she didn't trust the man. She did. He was the reason why most of her family was still alive. She just wasn't sure WHY he trusted her so much. She was only a teenager for Merlin's sake. She also didn't know why she was following through with what was said in the letter. It annoyed her that she would rush into something on blind faith.

"Lily," said a calm voice to her left. She blinked as the voice dispersed her thoughts. Uncle Moony was staring at her searchingly.

"You've been staring into space for well over ten minutes," he said, looking a little worried.

Lily gave him a sheepish smile, "Sorry, just a little tired, I guess." Yes, she was lying through her teeth, but Uncle Moony didn't need to know where her thoughts were at the moment.

"I'm not surprised, you were up until three in the morning if I recall," he said, nonchalantly, returning to the paper in his hand.

Lily cringed at the reminder of her night. She was about to open her mouth to defend herself (most likely with a weak argument), when her brother and his best friend walked in and saved her from embarrassment. She smirked at their disheveled state.

"Morning, you two," she started cheerfully, "rough night?"

They glared at her, but she really had the right to mock them. They shouldn't have dragged her out in the middle of the night on half planed scheme in the first place. Anyways, it was her duty as a little sister and morning person to annoy them.

She smiled brightly at the glares and Uncle Moony chuckled at her antics. James grunted as sat down heavily at the table and placed his head in his arms. Matt gave a huge yawn and was blindly reaching for his daily cup of tea. Lily sighed and shook her head at the two as she pushed Matt's teacup in his hand. She guessed after the shouting his mother gave him and the stern reprimand he received from his father he deserved a break. Luckily, his father wasn't one to hold grudges and he usually never shouted. Unluckily, his mother was. Thankfully, she wasn't up at the moment, so the gates of hell hadn't opened quite yet.

Matt and James were slowly starting to awaken completely, when Uncle Remus heard a tapping at the window. He looked over to see a snowy white owl pecking insistently on the glass. Lily noticed it a few seconds later and sighed for what seemed to be the thousandth time this morning (her father swore it was a phase).

Uncle Moony calmly walked over to the window and opened it for the owl, which immediately dropped a letter in Lily's plate and a red envelope on James head, before settling on the back of Uncle Moony's chair. Lily opened her letter and began to read it as James reached up and grabbed the envelope on his head. When he looked to see what it was he paled dramatically.

"Oh bloody hell," he cursed as the letter started to smoke slightly. He quickly held it arms length from him and ripped it open, then ducked under the table as the Howler exploded.

"JAMES SIRIUS POTTER, WHAT ON EARTH WERE YOU THINKING WHEN YOU LEFT THE HOUSE? YOU COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED! YOU COULD HAVE BEEN KISSED! YOUR SISTER COULD HAVE BEEN HURT! I DON'T SUPPOSE YOU THOUGHT OF WHAT YOUR FATHER AND I HAVE BEEN THROUGH SINCE WE HEARD YOU WERE MISSING. YOU WAIT UNTIL I GET A HOLD OF YOU! YOU'RE GROUNDED UNTIL WE COME BACK AND FIND A SUITABLE PUNISHMENT FOR YOUR APPALING LACK OF JUDGEMENT!"

Lily blinked a few times once it was done, before moving her eyes back to her own letter. There was a moment of silence as James and Matt tried to regain their sense of hearing. Uncle Remus was looking very amused. Lily broke the silence with another sigh.

"At least Dad was a bit more subtle about it," she muttered, passing the letter to James, "But he still resorted to capital letters in the end." She shared a look with her brother that seemed to be almost mournful. Uncle Moony began to chuckle at their misery.

"Sadist," muttered Lily under her breath, which caused Uncle Remus to laugh even more. Lily was glaring at her Uncle, when she noticed the front page of the paper.

"Isn't that the Dark Mark?" she asked looking confused. She remembered reading about it in The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts, a book Aunt Hermione recommended. Uncle Remus stopped laughing abruptly and looked at Lily.

"How did you know about the Dark Mark?" he asked.

Lily shrugged. "Read about it."

Uncle Moony still kept frowning, but said, "It isn't. More like a modified version of it. Most likely Sir Noir thought it would cause chaos and terror."

"Are you sure it's Noir's idea?" asked James, peering curiously at the picture.

Lily frowned. Sir Noir, a megalomaniac that nearly rivaled Voldemort, had been terrorizing the country for the past three years. Lily's best friend, Lucy White, had died right in front of her eyes two years ago in an attack on Hogsmead. Lily was reminded of the attack every time she saw a dementor.

"Who else could it be, James? It's not like we need another madman to terrorize the countryside," asked Lily, still frowning. James shrugged.

"Some practical jokers?"

"Some joke…" muttered Matt.

"Chances are it was Noir. Many still shudder at Voldemort's name, so there is no way people could use this as a practical joke," stated Lily matter-of-factorily.

"The question is," said Matt, "is what does Noir gain from shooting the Dark Mark in the sky?"

"Widespread panic and fear, of course," said Uncle Moony, "It reminds people of darkness of Voldemort's time. Noir could also start recruiting old Death Eaters as well. Or, so I assume was his objective."

The table lapsed into a heavy silence, each person pondering his or her own thoughts. James broke it with a sigh.

"Come on! It's too early to be thinking about war," he said, cheerfully, "It's been ages since we been outside and I, for one, need to get Quidditch practice before we get back to school."

Matt grinned at his friend. "I'll get the brooms." They both began to walk out of the kitchen, while Lily rolled her eyes and counted backwards from five.

Four…Three...Two...

"Boys, I hope you realize you're both grounded, in both meanings of the word," Uncle Moony shouted, "You are to degnome the garden and help your mother clean out the attic, as punishment for your little stunt last night." Lily heard simultaneous groans and she let out a giggle.

"Lily, I hope you know that your joining them." Lily's amusement disappeared off her face as she sighed resignedly and stood to walk out to the garden. She really should have stayed in bed.

A/N: I guess this story is kind of back in business. Don't look for frequent updates though... I'm really, really busy now that we are so close to Spring Break (woot!). It may be a while before I get back to this story.

Anyways, hoped you enjoyed it. R&R