Chapter Four
Through all that had happened that afternoon Ava forgot that she was wearing clothes that were rain soaked and she didn't even want to imagine what her hair and sunken face looked like right now, there were more pressing matters.
"Oh Godric Ava, what happened to you? What's going on? It's a mess, your house. You're a mess too!" Lily fired at once at Ava without pausing to breath. She took a few steps forward to close the gap between the two girls, however James was rather reluctant to let her go any further. Lily stood to the front of the two tall boys, her green eyes were wide and sympathetic. All three of them were wearing light clothes for a hot summer and not a single one of them had a drop of rainwater on them. Ava concluded that they had apparated over to her house and had caused the three loud cracks that had startled her moments ago. They had all passed their apparation tests last year with out major splinching injuries.
"Lils, careful" Lily shot him a look of confusion.
"James have you looked at her? Something's wrong. Ava wouldn't hurt me. She needs my help."
"Lily's right, James. Ava wouldn't hurt her. But Lil, is she Ava? You have to be careful. Times are different now, just look around you. This. This could all be just some trick she needs to prove she is Ava." Sirius said seriously and without an ounce of his usual mirth.
"What are you talking about? This is not some trick. Why would someone fake something like this? Well? They wouldn't." Lily shot back at the two dark haired boys, who stood looking rather defensive.
"It's only fair Lily. She made you prove your identity, right? Now she can prove hers, right Ava?" James said slowly.
Through out their conversation Ava stood with her shoulders slumped and wide eyed but she was not at all relaxed. She was still on edge.
"Fine, but all this "proving who you are' is a load of dragon dung. It's just wasting time!" Lily's voice was rising the more she became worked up about it all. "Lily?" Ava croaked out, her voice was still hoarse from sobbing.
"Shh, it's okay Av. It's okay. I just need to answer a question for me, okay? Can you do that for me?" Lily spoke to her as if Ava was on the edge of another breakdown. Ava realised that she must have looked fragile. Although she knew she wouldn't cry now, as she had no tears left. She just nodded her head and looked at her.
"Good. Now..." Lily paused and thought hard about this for a moment. "Okay, I know." she sighed. "What did I fear the most about starting at Hogwarts?" Lily asked.
Ava's first thought was of Lily's fear was that she would be rejected from the magical world or that it would be too much for her and she'd find herself drowning in it all. Ava had felt the same way too. This is what brought the two girls together on their very first train ride to Hogwarts together. Their fear and determination to not let it control them. But something stopped her from saying this. What she did say to Lily was:
"You were scared that you would lose your sister forever." Lily winced at the thought and nodded her head. That told the two Marauders that she right and she was indeed Ava. James looked at her with clear pain across his face and Sirius looked shocked. They all knew of how horrid Lily's sister-Petunia- was to her and did not expect Lily to be scared of losing her.
"Lily. They're gone. All of them. Gone." Ava said in a flat monotone.
Lily gasped at that, ran to her and pulled her into her arms.
"All of them. My mum, dad and Cassy too. They're just gone."