Chapter 2

"This is fascinating, indeed" Dumbledore examined the girl sat in front of him. From her words, taken under Veritaserum of course, she was the daughter of the boy who would one day kill Voldemort. But, not without severe casualties. His face grew sorrowful. "But, deeply saddening to hear of what has been sacrificed" He could not fathom the loss of so many of his students who still lived and breathed in this very castle. And, for Harry Potter of course. The boy whose story was one of sacrifice until the very end. He had chosen to die for the Wizarding World.

Lily Luna knew all too well of the sacrifices that had been made by her family but in particular by her dad. Teddy was left without his parents just like her dad. Her dad lost his godfather too, the enigmatic Sirius Black that she had heard so much about. But, he was here. He was alive in front of her very eyes along with her grandparents and the man who should have been her Uncle Remus. And, she could only offer up one consolation to the distraught wizard sat in front of her. "Dad always says it was worth it to have a future free of prejudice for all. There's no Pureblood elitism, no discrimination against werewolves, freedom for House Elves if they choose"

"He sounds like a truly great human and I only regret that I do not live to see him free of worries" Dumbledore could not imagine his death. Could not imagine using a boy to fight the war against Voldemort and yet that is precisely what he did. He employed a child in the fight against the Darkest Wizard of their age and it disgusted him. That boy should have grown up happy and free from the tensions that adults must bear. His expression changed slightly. It did not do to dwell on that which he could change. Rather, his time would be better served helping the girl sat in front of him return to the future. "I am of the mind to place you in Gryffindor until a solution can be found" He privately admitted that he did not have a ready solution and it could be years before she could be returned but it was better not to alarm her. "If that is agreeable with you?"

Lily allowed herself time to think about Dumbledore's proposal. She had already completed her schooling at Hogwarts but then again she was no longer in her twenty-two year old body. She now appeared to be sixteen and so it did make sense to remain in Hogwarts. But, it would require caution on her part. She would have to be very careful with what she said and did. "I'll stay in Hogwarts" Her mind was torn. She wanted to join the Order and help in the fight against Voldemort especially since she knew what was going to happen. But, she also remembered her Aunt Hermione's warnings about meddling with time. If she changed anything, then she might not even be born. But, her dad might get to grow up with his family. Her mind blocked those thoughts immediately. She couldn't change anything no matter how much she wanted.

"Very well. An appropriate backstory must be created and a different name must be utilised so as not to arouse suspicion" Dumbledore peered at her. He did not think anyone would recognise her given her dark red hair that was much darker than Miss Evan's but her hazel eyes did look rather like James. However, he was aware that James and his friends had already seen her and so her appearance couldn't be altered too much. He decided against any changes in her appearance. "Do you have any preference for your new name and story?"

Lily was momentarily thrown off. Of course, she had to change her name. There was already a James Potter and a Lily Evans. A Lily Potter would attract suspicion. And, she needed a backstory that didn't involve being a Harry Potter's daughter. She couldn't be a Weasley either. An idea sprung into her mind. "I'll be Luna Granger" She thought Granger was suitably common and then she could claim to be a half blood of distant relation to Hector Dagworth-Granger. And, her Aunt Hermione had always been her favourite. She knew she wasn't supposed to have favourites but Aunt Hermione was hers. Though, Aunt Luna came a very close second. "And, I'm a half blood of some distant relation to Hector Dagworth-Granger who was home-schooled until my aunt was killed in an attack by Voldemort" Lily quickly spun the story and fixed it within her mind. It would work especially given that the only living known relation of Hector Dagworth-Granger was a witch who died in this very year.

"Sirius?" Hermione asked delicately. They had just informed him of everything that happened since he fell through the Veil and it had brought up painful memories for all in that room. She opened the bottle of Firewhiskey that Ron had brought over after hearing the news. Her hands were shaking but she poured it out in the mugs for all of them. "Here. Drink this" She passed him the mug and one for Harry before sipping her own.

Sirius felt like he had been ripped apart several times and each time was more and more agonising than the last. He hadn't moved since Hermione had delivered the news except to pull Harry into a hug. He could feel wet splashes on his face but he didn't care. His best friend was dead. Dora was dead. Fred was dead. So many people had been sacrificed and Harry had been left alone. Again. He had failed in his duties. And, his godson had to deal with everything alone. His godson who was currently older than him with three children and who had helped to bring up little Teddy. Teddy Lupin. The last remnant of Remus and Dora. "I'm sorry, Harry" His voice was laden with sorrow. "I let you down"

"Take that back, Sirius. You gave your life for me" Harry looked at his godfather angrily. Sirius had done everything to protect him. It wasn't his fault. "You did everything right. You gave up everything for me. To save the World" Harry felt a tear splash his cheek. His godfather was safe. Sirius had returned. But, his daughter was missing.

Hermione felt Ron rub her back as she prepared herself to tell Sirius about Lily. They had agreed to wait until he had been caught up but they needed his help. Padma had already gone down to run some tests on the Veil. "That's not all, unfortunately" Her voice shook slightly. Ron squeezed her hand and urged her to go on. "Harry's daughter is missing" Her voice choked up.

"What do you mean, missing?" It was like a switch flipped in his head. Harry had given up everything. Harry had died for Merlin's sake and his daughter was missing. Sirius wouldn't let anything bad happen to Harry now he was back. No one was touching his godson and his family. He lifted his head and met Hermione's eyes. There would be time to mourn his best friend and cousin but it wasn't now. Not if Harry was in trouble. Though, he wanted nothing more to drink himself into oblivion. He pushed the Firewhiskey away.

Hermione spurred on by Sirius's attention continued though she wanted nothing more to bury herself in Ron's shoulder. "She-she, erm." She saw Harry's face fall as she struggled to spit it out. He thought he would have to tell Sirius. But, he had already told him about Remus and Tonks. She needed to do this. For Harry. "She was pulled into the Veil and afterwards we found you" She finally got the words out of her mouth. She normally had no problems with speaking but today her mouth felt like it had dried up. Lily was gone. The little girl who used to follow her around begging for Hermione to read her one of those Muggle fairy tales. She quickly wiped a tear away. "We're trying to work out what happened but, well, no one has ever returned from the Veil"

"I'll go back" Sirius impulsively opened his mouth. He loved his godson and he wanted to stay so badly but not at the cost of Harry's daughter. If he had to go back through that godforsaken Veil he would. "If it will bring Lily back, I'd go back with a smile on my face" And, he was sincere. Lily Luna Potter deserved to live a full life and Harry most definitely deserved to have his daughter back.

Harry shook his head. He couldn't make that decision. How could he force Sirius back to save his daughter? "No. I've got you back and I doubt it's as simple as that. Hermione?" He looked pleadingly towards his best friend. There was no way it was that simple. Call him selfish but he wasn't giving up his godfather and his daughter.

"Harry's right, mate" Ron looked at Sirius Black. He hadn't aged and now Ron himself was older but the man in front of him looked so weary. "Hermione says that the Veil is unstable but more than that my best friend just got his godfather back. We're going to bring Lily back but we're not losing you" Ron placed his hand on Harry's shoulder reassuringly. They were not sacrificing anymore.

Lily Potter was sat upon her bed. She needed to go to sleep so she would wake up on time tomorrow but she wasn't sleepy. Her mind was whirring with thoughts. She wondered whether her dad knew. Whether, her family knew. What would they think of her? She had so stupidly touched the Veil. And, now she had to acclimatise back to being in Hogwarts. But, it was good in a way. She could get to know her grandparents and their best friends. She had to be careful of course and not give herself away but it was the opportunity of a lifetime. But, did she really want to befriend them when she might be leaving soon? She looked wistful. She wouldn't be leaving soon. No one had ever fallen through the Veil and come back. No one had ever travelled through time this far back and returned. Realistically, she knew that the chances of returning were minute. Her eyes welled up with tears. She shoved her duvet in her mouth to muffle the cries that were definitely coming out. She had managed to suppress them so far but the dam had broken and they were flooding out. She would never go home. Never get to see her parents again. Never get to see Jamie pull another of his pranks or Al beat her at wizard chess again. She bit down furiously on the duvet.

"Are you alright?" Lily heard a voice ask her as footsteps approached. She pulled the duvet out of her mouth and looked up. "I'm Alice. Alice Fortescue" Lily quickly examined the witch stood before her. She was her Uncle Neville's mother. She knew that instantly from Alice's welcoming, slightly nervous smile which was the same that Neville had.

Lily sat up hastily and rubbed her eyes. She didn't want to look like she had been crying though her red eyes were a tell-tale sign. "I'm fine, thank you. Erm, I'm Luna Granger. I'm new and I don't normally cry into my pillow at night" She tried to smile.

"Don't worry about it. No one in this dormitory will care" Alice smiled reassuringly at the new girl. Professor McGonagall had told them about Luna and how she was alone in the world now. Alice could relate after losing her dad when she was only seven so she had instantly decided to be a friend to Luna. It must be pretty tough to suddenly be dumped into a school that you barely knew with people you barely knew. "And, if anyone gives you any trouble send them my way" She winked mischievously. "But, you better get some sleep and the tomorrow I'll show you around and introduce you to everyone else" She began moving back to her own bed.

Lily felt a smile spread across her face. "See you tomorrow" She whispered as Alice crawled back into her bed. She had only ever seen Alice Longbottom once in a photo of the Order and it did not do her justice. The girl standing in front of her had curly brown hair and a wicked smile. She was so welcoming.

Lily could make this work. Especially, if everyone was as nice as Alice though she doubted it. But, at least she would have a friend in the morning. A thought flashed through her mind and nearly caused her to sit upright. She would have to pretend she knew nothing about Hogwarts. She couldn't go through the tunnels that she had learnt from the Map or to the Room of Requirement. The Map. A wave of shock swept through her. The Marauders would know her true name instantly because they had the Map.

A/N Thank you for reading! I appreciate all feedback!