Quick update: Lily buys a wand from Diagon Alley, which turns out to be made of the same core as the wand that the girl from James' dream, had. Sirius explains that the girl from James' dream was actually the daughter of the last surviving royal family of wizarding England. She died, along with her family on Riddle's orders.
"But I have a wand now!" Lily cried out as Mrs Danvers marched Lily back to the scene of the crime. There had been a leakage in the kitchen and everything from the food to the worktops to the kitchen maids was thoroughly wet. "We don't ever use magic in the kitchen!" Mrs Danvers hissed at Lily. Lily sighed, everyone else was mopping away using Muggle tools but Lily wanted to use her new wand. "But when do I get to use it?" she asked morosely. And she must have looked so sad that Mrs Danvers finally gave up trying to persuade Lily to put her wand back in.
"Goodness, girl! Fine. Use your wand. If you have a spell misfiring because of all the fumes in the kitchen, then you shall have no one to blame but yourself."
Mrs Danvers shook her head at Lily's gleeful expression and marched out the best she could whilst wading through water and wearing soggy work robes.
As soon as she was gone, there were delighted yells and everyone who owned a wand had extracted theirs. Clearly the old rule about not using magic in the kitchens had just been abolished. Lily, enthusiastic with her little victory, cried the vanishing charming with too much vigour. The pots she had been trying to dry off, shattered all over Daisy and Marlene, who were drying off the kitchen linen just underneath the pots.
Mixed in with the water, the blood looked a lot worse than it was but in the end, Lily, Marlene, Daisy and a rather irritated Mrs Danvers, who had returned from whatever she was doing before, made their way up to the main part of the manor.
"Oh it really hurts, ma'am" Daisy softly spoke.
"Sorry," Lily murmured for the tenth time.
"It's not that bad, I'm sure Evangeline can fix it." Marlene told both Daisy and Lily, reassuringly.
"That's Lady Potter or ma'am to you, Cullen." Mrs Danvers told Marlene sharply and raised her hand to knock on Evangeline Potter's bedroom door.
It opened before she knocked and looking as immaculate as ever was the lady of the house.
"Oh, what's happened!" she spoke looking at the cuts on Daisy and Marlene's arms.
"A kitchen mishap, my lady," Mrs Danvers spoke and glared at all three girls who hastily curtseyed.
Evangeline covered her mouth to hide a smile and quickly corrected the girls when they addressed her as Lady Potter. "Its Evangeline, girls. And you too, Mrs Danvers."
They nodded and Marlene caught Mrs Danver's eyes, giving her a wide grin. Mrs Danvers gave her another glare.
"Well come in girls, lets have a look at these cuts. I'm sure we can get some ointment onto these. Would you like to stay Lily? I was just about to have some tea." She turned back into her room and everyone followed her in.
"Ah, actually ma'am Lily has quite a bit of work to finish, so if you'll excuse her."
Lily scowled at the words but quietly returned to Mrs Danver's side.
"Of course, well good day to both of you. I will have your girls mended and feeling better in no time."
"Shall I go back to the kitchen?" Lily asked her slightly coolly. Mrs Danvers raised her eyes. "No, I've got another task for you."
"Of course you do." Lily quipped.
"You've got a sharp tongue on you today." Mrs Danvers noted.
"Happens when people don't think you can do chores."
"I thought you'd enjoy something that involved a bit of complex charm work," Mrs Danvers said raising her eyebrows even further and leading her into a room along the same corridor as Evangeline Potter's.
The room was full of strange objects, either floating around or trying to escape from their bindings.
"What is this?" Lily asked curiously, her previous annoyance with Madam Danvers all gone.
"It's the Potter collection of charmed objects. But they've been badly charmed. They seem to not function properly anymore. We used to have a charms specialist to come and do this but he retired."
"You think I can do this?" Lily asked, itching to get started.
Madam Danvers smiled. "Oh yes, my dear. I've had a personal recommendation from a member of the society about your charms skill."
"Really? Who?"
"The headmaster at Hogwarts. Now come along, I'm giving you two hours and then you are to come down to the kitchens and prepare the lunch for James."
Lily stared after her. Professor Dumbledore had recommended her to Madam Danvers? With pride and a lot of gratitude to her old headmaster, Lily set to work.
…
Marlene was holding the large ointment jar while Evangeline crouched over Daisy, dabbing over shallow cuts on Daisy's arms.
"How is it feeling, Daisy?" she asked smiling at her, kindly.
"The pain is all gone," she replied in wonderment. "Where did you buy the ointment?"
Evangeline laughed regally as she carefully shut the ointment jar and beckoned Marlene up onto the stool next to Daisy.
"I made this ointment, its something of a speciality. With a son like James, one cannot rely on simple potions for cuts and bruises."
"But I thought you had to gain a healer's licence to brew healing potions and ointments," Marlene hedged furrowing her eyebrows as Evangeline spread ointment on her arms.
"And I have one." Evangeline spoke. Both girls stared in awe at Evangeline.
"You're a healer?" Daisy finally voiced the question.
"Indeed. Though I rarely go in now. You see I gave up regular work a while back. Now I am only called in if there is an emergency."
"I always thought I'd be a healer." Marlene softly said.
"What stopped you?" Daisy asked and was completely oblivious when Marlene and Evangeline shared a strained smile. The truth was of course that very few Muggle-born wizards and witches were admitted into prestigious programmes such as healing or Aurory. If it was competitive to enter these programmes for ordinary half bloods or purebloods, then it was ten times as competitive for muggleborns.
"I didn't get an offer," Marlene answered quietly and looked down, struggling to overcome the gut wrenching feeling of failure again.
"Well, having you amongst us is a privilege. I, for one, am grateful to your contribution to our household," Evangeline smiled up at the girl and patted her knee, gently.
The door opened just then and all three looked up as Mr Potter staggered in, clutching his chest.
"Thomas!" Evangeline yelped in alarm and hastily got to her feet. Marlene and Daisy clambered up as well.
"I'm fine…just…got into a tiff at work," Mr Potter wheezed.
"With whom?" Evangeline asked in a steady voice, but clearly the news had upset her. Thomas only gave her a look filled with warning. Not in front of the servants. He shuffled forward, sweat forming on his forehead. Marlene tried to help him move towards the bed but Thomas Potter was quite an independent man who hated any fuss. He held up his hand, refusing even his wife from helping him.
"Sir, shall I owl for the family healer?" Daisy asked, her concern filled voice brining a rare smile on Mr Potter's face.
"I thank you for your aid but no. I will be quite all right. What happened here? Why the cuts?" he asked nodding towards the freshly healed cuts.
"Kitchen mishap," Evangeline answered distractedly. "I really think we should send for a healer," she continued.
Mr Potter sat down gingerly on the bed and supressed a groan at the obvious pain radiating through his body. "Stress making it worse. Stop fussing, Eva." He grit out to his wife. Evangeline pursed her lips and wrapped her robes around her more firmly.
"The girls are going back to the kitchen now, do you want anything brought to you?" she asked her husband. Mr Potter shook his head and Evangeline dismissed the girls. Marlene and Daisy, giving one last worried look in his direction, left the room.
"What is the matter with him?" Marlene asked Daisy. "He looks almost crippled and only one month back he was in perfect health.
They were walking back towards the kitchen now and discussing the ill health of Thomas Potter. Daisy shrugged her shoulders. "Stress, it seems. His job is getting more hectic day by day." Daisy mused.
"That's true. Riddle is trying to pass new rules for muggleborns." Marlene added.
Daisy snorted, "as if the cabinet will ever let Riddle get away with half the rules."
"I don't know Daisy, just last week the entrance test to magical schools for muggleborns was finally approved. It's going to be in place next academic year."
"Are you serious?"
"Would I lie about such a thing?" Marlene said grimly.
"Its just a little shocking," Daisy opened the door to the kitchen.
"Still, at least we don't have to go around with badges or marks, proving our blood status!" Marlene said nudging Daisy who smiled, albeit a small one.
"Ever the optimist, eh?" Daisy grinned back.
…
Lily was having a hard time. She had tried various spells. Countless charms and even tried to channel her frustration into her magical core and into the wand. But nothing seemed to work. The multitude of malfunctioning pens, hairclips and other objects stubbornly remained cursed. The kettle in the corner wouldn't stop hissing and when Lily had performed the quietening charm on it, it had spat out boiling water at her.
The crayons on the 3-legged table in front of her were fighting. The blue crayon had managed to wedge itself the pastels and the pastels were fighting over which space in the box was theirs.
Lily swung out a slashing hex at a box full of paper, which was refusing to be put in the shredder. The entire stack of paper moved out of the reach of the hex and then came crashing down, right on Lily's left toe. She howled with pain and blindly shoved a broken toy broomstick off the sofa and sat down.
"You don't seem to be having much fun," a baritone voice rang through.
Lily's eyes snapped up and narrowed as she observed the stupidly grinning face of Sirius Black.
"Thank you, Captain Obvious." She snapped.
Sirius' grin grew wider. "You got it all wrong, actually. Its Lord Black."
"Go away." Lily snapped again, trying to get up again but immediately sitting down with a shout as a tiny snitch managed to snap its wings against her bruised toe. Sirius sniggered.
"Thought you were the best in charms, at Hogwarts."
Lily glared at him. It was true though, and for the life of her she couldn't understand why she was failing so epically.
"I can help you out, if you want. I don't mind sharing my expertise."
"I can manage." Lily told him hotly. Sirius shrugged and came right up to the sofa. He reached out a hand and very easily, much to Lily's chagrin, pushed her off. Sitting down on the sofa he faced a hissing Lily. "Get to work then, Miss Evans. Your chores are calling." Seething at his callous remarks, Lily swiftly turned round and tried to focus.
Sirius already teased her; she didn't want to give the Auror another reason and excuse for him to tease her more. If she couldn't even de-curse a room half-full with cursed objects then Sirius would never let her live it down.
For a good twenty minutes Lily tried valiantly to preform her charms. But with Sirius sitting there like a silent and predatory vulture, Lily was having a hard time concentrating. Lily kept trying and Sirius, as unhelpful as ever, kept making unimpressed noises. Finally after another snort from Sirius and another whack from an errant flying object, Lily lost her cool.
"What the hell is your problem!" she screamed. A few spiders fell of the ceiling. Blood was pounding in her ears, and she was so very angry with Sirius at this moment. Her wand hand was shaking.
"You are the most disgusting, vile and uncultured wizard I have had the disgust to meet." Every word was dripping with animosity. Yet Sirius just sat there, his right leg crossed over his knee and one arm hanging off the back of the sofa.
His lack of reaction was enough to egg Lily on even more.
As angry as she was, she didn't even realise as she thundered down her wand on the poor crayons, which had been fighting again.
The crayons stopped at once. There seemed to be a strange grey mist around them and finally something clicked in Lily's mind.
Power.
Power and anger were two things, which created, cursed objects. Cured objects fed on people's emotions. Lily had been happy, so of course the objects had become even more animated. When she was frustrated and feeling hopeless, the objects were worse than ever.
It was only when Sirius had made her so angry that she was finally able to de curse the crayons.
Testing her theory, she tentatively raised her wand again. She focussed and brought forward the emotions she was feeling only moments ago. "Unlasheo," she spoke determinedly and lo behold, the pack of cards that were bouncing on a spring lay down harmlessly in one neat pack.
"You were helping me?" Lily softly asked Sirius.
Sirius winked at her and slowly got up. "I promise to not make a habit of it," he replied.
"That was kind of mean, you could have just told me," Lily huffed, starting to de-curse more objects and smiling with satisfaction as the objects obeyed her magic.
Sirius began rolling up his own sleeves and brought out his hand. "Where's the fun in that?" he asked as he suspended a toy-soldier in mid leap. Lily rolled her eyes.
"Its how we were trained as Aurors." He continued.
"Negative motivation. Interesting concept." Lily muttered, separating two sharpeners and a pencil.
"It works though. All that adrenaline rush in the middle of fight. There's nothing like it."
"You've been in many fights?"
Sirius shook his head. "Just petty crimes and drunks brawling each other."
Lily smiled at the image.
"But you're trained for it, should there ever be a war or battle." She pointed out.
"So are you, apparently," Sirius smirked. "The way you responded to all my taunts." His voice held awe. "You'd make an excellent Auror."
"Shut up, you'll make me blush." Her voice was irritated but she was smiling. Suddenly a packed of pins exploded from a drawer and for a moment both Lily and Sirius stood still. Then, as if they had rehearsed it before, they simultaneously shouted out a string of counter-curses. In seconds all the pins had been dealt with.
They both stood there, proudly with pleased expressions on their faces.
"Well that was fun." Sirius said, swiping at his forehead and wrinkling his nose at the sweat.
"I should head back though, lunch duties start soon." Lily sighed.
"I should get back too."
"See you then." Lily said side stepping Sirius.
"Actually Lily, wait. I have a question."
"Yes?"
"James and I wanted to show you around the ministry, next week maybe?"
"Sure, I think I'd like that." She said genuinely happy.
Sirius winked once more and then a second later he had apparated away. The loud crack of the apparition made the de-cursed crayons tremble and whine. Lily glared at the pack of still crayons and swiftly left the room.
She had a wand. She had proven that she could still do advanced level magic and she was visiting the ministry of magic next week. Life wasn't half bad for Lily. At least for now.
AN: That is all for now! Hope you enjoyed it and I look forward to your comments.
-Vitzy-