A/N: There was an extremely unpleasant and rude anonymous review left for the last chapter. I have purposefully left it so that everyone can see how sad this individual is, however I have a message for him/her to read.

To that person,

If you had offered constructive criticism I would have thanked you. I can understand and accept that you did not like the story but your rudeness is uncalled for. I would like to remind you that if you hated the story so much you could have easily stopped reading after the first chapter and needn't have waited until the fiftieth chapter to swear and complain that you have had to read it.

If you cannot accept that you will come across many stories that you will either love or hate then you should really stick to your toilet graffiti reading.

To everyone else!

BIG HUG to those who have read and enjoyed this story and big THANK YOU to all those who have read and disliked it without being rude. Lastly, very special HUGS to CherryWolf7, Qwen, piptook and taiyourshoes because you guys do wonders for self-esteem! xxx

Now, onto another chapter!

TROLLISH

James and Lily sneaked down the corridor hand in hand. James was glad that it was a Saturday morning so therefore the majority of people or all the students at least, were still in bed. They were on Dumbledore's corridor at the moment and they had to get past it to get to get to the stairs that led to their Common Room. This unfortunate arrangement had happened as a result of misjudgment on James behalf. Not really wanting to be out and exposed for longer than necessary he'd chosen the closest secret entrance but he'd inconveniently forgotten that it led them to that particular risky part of Hogwarts.

Both held their breaths and tiptoed because they would pass directly in front of the door that led up to the Headmaster's office. Just as they thought they were going to pass it successfully the stone gargoyle shifted out of place and Dumbledore's musical voice carried down the stairs.

"Mr. Potter and Miss Evans, I would be delighted if you could please join us in my office."

James winced. Dammnit! He should have taken the longer route around the castle and avoided this corridor like the plague. Dumbledore seemed to know everything that went on in his school.

"'Us'?" Lily whispered with a tone of dread. How many people were waiting for them up there?

James pulled off his hood and ran a hand through his hair. "Don't worry, it's going to be all right." He reassured.

They ascended the stairs and entered Dumbledore's circular office and were greeted by a stony judgmental silence. The Headmasters and Headmistresses where crowded around in their portraits peering down with open interest. Dumbledore sat at his wide desk surrounded by his unusual collection of trinkets but what alarmed him most was the two that sat in front. James recognized both immediately. The man was the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Bartemius Crouch and the woman was none other than the Minister of Magic, Millicent Bagnold.

Oh Lord. What a very bad time to be caught doing something that rules deemed as wrong.

Dumbledore greeted them warmly as he stood up. He waved a wand and three squishy armchairs appeared forming a rough circle with the Minister and Head. He swept round his desk giving Fawkes a quick pet as he did.

"Here, let me help you with that." He said kindly and with another wave Lily's Disillusion charm was taken off leaving her feeling exposed. James also followed suit and took off his Invisibility cloak so that the rest of his body could be seen. "Please, sit." The headmaster said and plonked himself down on one of the comfy chairs with James and Lily following suit. "Would you like prefer these chairs Millie and Barty?" He offered. "They are much more comfortable."

"No thank you Albus." The Minister replied.

"Bartemius, please." The Head corrected coldly. "I'm fine with this chair."

Lily kept her eyes averted from Crouch because he unnerved her but then she found herself staring at the Minister. She was a very old woman, her face was so lined and her hair so white that she did not quite look human; more like a relic. Her robes were such a rich shade of turquoise that was almost blinding. Not wanting to stare, Lily looked past both and at Fawkes who ruffled his beautiful plumage and hiccuped a flame every now again showing that he was probably ready for rebirth any second.

"Now that they're here, I'm sure it is suitable to discuss suitable punishments." Crouch started, his voice clipped and hard as if he were harassed for time. With all the recent disappearances and killings lately there was no doubt that he would be harassed but neither James nor Lily could feel sympathy for him at that moment. Quite the opposite, at the mention of 'punishments' their stomachs lurched and they felt nothing but dislike for the man.

Dumbledore looked mildly surprised. "Punishments, Bartemius?" he queried politely.

"Yes, Albus! For your students, who have been out of school without permission!" he said with exasperation and pointed vaguely at Lily although he probably meant the both of them. Lily opened her mouth to speak but the tiniest of looks from Dumbledore out of the corner of his eye told her to keep quiet and she complied.

"I'm sure there has been some mistakes made, Bartemius. Miss Evans had my full permission to leave the school to attend to personal matters."

"Yes, but she was supposed to return straight away. We have the escorting Officer as witness that she ran away and deliberately evaded her return." He insisted.

Dumbledore smiled sadly. "That is true, but given the unfortunate circumstances and the nature of her leave, surely it is not wrong that one would want, need time to themselves. Shouldn't we be understanding and able to show a little compassion towards her actions?" The last part he addressed to the Minster who in turn studied Lily.

Lily's breath caught under the scrutiny. She knew she looked bad with her eyes swollen and it did not take much to encourage enough tears to moisten her eyes. Even she couldn't tell whether she truly wanted to cry or wanted to make the minister believe that she wanted to cry. Anyhow, the old woman studied her a few seconds more before she spoke her voice surprisingly soft and unscratched by age.

"I believe Albus is right. As part of the Ministry of Magic we should be ashamed that such a thing has happened yet again. Your actions were understandable and will be pardoned. We can only offer our condolences."

"Thank you." Lily said her hands strangely trembling on her lap. She didn't want their condolences! She wanted them to swear that they would catch all Death Eaters and put an end to Voldemort's terror!

"Fine. What about the boy then?"

James grew a little annoyed at this and frowned at the man, he was physically bigger than the older man and surely he was old enough to not be referred to as a boy.

"He had no reason to be out of school. And he's stirred up quite a big mess in the Muggle world hasn't he, Minister Bagnold?" Bartemius said seemingly determined to get at least one of them in trouble.

Bagnold nodded slowly and Lily's heart skipped a beat. He was only out of school because of her! She was about to speak but another subtle eye contact with the Headmaster made her hold her tongue.

"Yes," Bagnold said, "Reports have been flying in detailing of a person and a broom flying around London and then out into the countryside. Muggles have gotten excited about these sightings and we're having quite a bit of trouble controlling the matter."

Dumbledore sat back looking relaxed, he rested his elbows on the chair with his fingertips brought together and touching at the tips. "Mr. Potter had my full permission."

James cringed inwardly but kept his face as neutral as possible. That was a straight out lie of course. He'd made Dumbledore lie for him. If or when he got out of this mess he would willingly kiss the ground the Headmaster walked on.

Crouch 's voice grew crafty. "Oh? And what would merit such a special permission. Students are only allowed to leave the school during term time under extreme circumstances. What could possibly give the boy a legitimate reason to be given permission to be out of school?"

Dumbledore smiled, "If the Head Girl has gone astray, who better to find her than the Head Boy?" He said, his tone as polite as ever but even then it sounded like he was offering a patient answer to a stupid question.

Crouch looked dumbstruck. "On a broom? He had permission for him to ride his broom with no discretion? Highly unlikely Headmaster."

"No, that part was my fault." James interrupted. "I didn't think things through properly. I'm sorry Professor Dumbledore."

Unperturbed Dumbledore said, "Apology accepted. We all make silly mistakes at some point or another-"

"But surely he should be severely punished for this!" Crouch cut in.

Bagnold sighed. "I agree with Bartemius, Albus. Such foolishness should be punished to make this lesson well learnt."

James' heart dropped but he lowered his head. "I know. I'm very sorry and will take whatever punishment that I am given." Lily's guilt flared but yet again Dumbledore was watching her with an expression that made her feel it was inappropriate for her to speak her mind.

"Good." Crouch said with satisfaction. "I shall arrange for a Hearing when I return to the Headquarters."

"A Hearing? Goodness! A detention or two is enough for such a small matter. There's no need to bother the Ministry with such trivial matters!"

"But we've agreed that he will be suitably punished."

"And suitably punished he will be, at Hogwarts." Dumbledore said firmly.

"How am I supposed to uphold magical law enforcement when students are breaking out of school and flying their brooms everywhere? And they're not getting punished for it!" Crouch said his voice raising.

"I'm sure everyone has had mischievous experiences during their schooling years, Barty. Even you and I. Why, I remember the time when I was young James' age and I happened to have a bag of dungbombs which I had thoughtfully put under-"

"That's quite enough Headmaster!" Crouch almost yelled, his face growing red with anger.

"Bartemius!" Bagnold waved a placating hand and he lowered his head.

As non-plussed as ever Dumbledore continued his voice as pleasant as before. "You're right, that's a story best saved for parties. But what I would like to say is that we all make mistakes and what better time to make them than during our schooling times when we have teachers to correct them?"

Bagnold cleared her throat. "A Hearing will not be necessary, in such times I think our resources are best used elsewhere." Crouch crossed his arms and went quiet, his mood glowering. "But what I am concerned is that your students went messing for several days."

Lily took a deep breath, this, she decided, was the right time to speak. She told them about her escape from the Officer and then recounted what she had overheard and then the events from then on. James listened for the majority and only spoke to fill in his sections.

"David Tether? That is quite impossible!" Crouch cried at the end. "He is a well respected individual-"

"Who happened to kidnap Lily because she overheard their plans to storm Hogwarts! Oh, and did I forget to mention that he tried to get information out of us?" James replied heatedly.

"You do know that David Tether holds a high rank within the Ministry?" Crouch replied just as hotly.

"Which makes him a perfect candidate for the Imperious Curse!"

"Mr. Potter, may I remind you that these are serious accusations that you are making!"

James almost stood up but Lily held onto his arm. "These are not accusations! These are facts!"

"Do you think that as a student you would know better than an experienced Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement? There are tests that every high ranked individual must go through which I don't need to explain to you, but the bottom line is that it is almost impossible for a cursed person to slip through our system."

"Almost." James pointed out with his arms crossed.

"I agree with Bartimus on this account. Our tests and checks are rigorous and I have faith in them." Bagnold interjected.

Unconvinced and put out James could see no way of convincing them that he at least had a valid point. "Fine, but you cannot ignore that it all seems dodgy."

Crouch wasn't sure if he understood the overly arrogant and presumptuous Potter boy. He was just like his parents. "It seems what?"

"He means it seems 'fishy'." Dumbledore explained quietly.

Deciding to plainly ignore the last comment Crouch said "David Tether is well respected and I have faith that he is under no influence."

"What so he decided to kidnap Lily and attack the school on his own accord?" James snapped. " 'Respect' my bloody as-"

Bagnold tapped Dumbledore's desk with her wand sharply "That is enough!"

Rankled, Crouch glared at James. "So far we have no evidence that he was even there in your so called kidnap! There is nothing to say that this is nothing more than your fabrication to get you out of detention."

James let out an audible hmph, he'd spent much of his Hogwarts life in detention; did this guy seriously think that a few more was going to upset him?

Crouch, having heard the sound straight away said, "I see Potter is displeased with the direction that this discussion is going."

James glared at Crouch. "Damn right I am! It's not bloody going anywhere!"

"That's quite enough with the curses James. Calm yourself down." Millicent Bagnold warned but it seemed that being reprimanded by the Minster herself had little effect on quenching James' anger.

"What part of it didn't you understand? It's not as if I'm not speaking in English! Or would you prefer it if I repeated it all in another language?" James rallied, his temper boiling just below the surface of his skin. "Give me a translator and I'll repeat everything in as many languages as you want: French, Parseltongue, Chinese, how about Trollish? I can do Trollish, give me a translator spell and I'll gladly have a go until you do understand!" If Lily hadn't been tugging persistently at his sleeve he would have followed up his argument with a series of inarticulate grunts to attempt Trollish.

Crouch and Bagnold were stunned speechless and Dumbledore cleared his throat covering what might have been a quiet laugh before he spoke. "As unlikely as you may find James' and Lily's explanation, Barty, I must add that neither are known for dishonesty and even so, they gain nothing in making such allegations."

The Minister appeared thoughtful. "If those are your thoughts, Albus then I will look into it. However, nothing is set in stone. I will try my best." Bagnold stood apparently having heard enough and ready to leave. Crouch also stood up stiffly and everyone else rose from their seats. "I shall speak with you again soon." She promised to Dumbledore as she headed for the door with Crouch close behind.

"I look forward to hearing from you." The Headmaster replied politely. "Goodbye." The Minister nodded to Dumbledore, Lily and James before sweeping out in a swirl of turquoise. Crouch ignored everyone and also left.

Once James could no longer hear their footsteps on the stairs he turned to face the Headmaster who was busying himself with pouring a glass of Mead.

"Sir…I…"

Dumbledore looked up. "Would you both like a glass?" Being still somewhat wound up over the exchange both of them declined.

"Sir, I'm sorry I made you lie." James kept his head lowered since he couldn't quite meet his gaze.

"A little white lie used at the right time never hurts." Dumbledore replied with a smile and settled back into his comfy chair.

"Professor?"

"Yes, James?"

"You believe me, right?" he asked quietly.

"Would I otherwise?" Dumbledore returned, his eyes twinkling. Relief washed over James and for the first time since he'd stepped foot into the office he grinned. Lily stood awkwardly beside him. Taking in her drawn and pasty face the Headmaster said kindly, "I think it would do you both some good to have a nice mug of hot chocolate and to spend the rest of the day in bed. But before you go I would like a word with you Lily if that is okay?"

She nodded and James gave her comforting pat on the shoulder before he headed for the door.

"One more thing James."

"Yes?"

"Thank you."

Confused at why he was being thanked James muttered an inaudible reply and left.

Lily fidgeted under Dumbledore's intense blue eyes and no words passed between them until she actually looked up to meet his stare. "The only thing you can ever blame yourself for is if you do not look after yourself Lily. They brought you into this world and have given you many years of happiness. Cherish those memories and repay them by living fully." She blinked. Tears that she thought had dried drowned her eyes once more and slipped from her lashes.

"Yes sir."

Dumbledore nodded with full understanding that she still needed time to grieve. He reached into his drawer and pulled out an object. "I believe that you will be needing this." He said holding it out. Lily took the long narrow box gingerly from the Headmaster. Her fingers felt suddenly heavy as she lifted the lid and her heart dropped. Within the padded box lay a familiar object.

"My wand." She stared at the polished wood with disbelief. "But I threw it away!"

Dumbledore smiled sadly. "There are some parts of ourselves that can never be thrown away. Do not fight it. Keep it and use it to your advantage."

Lily nodded mutely and left the office. James stood waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs leaning casually against of the gargoyles.

"You 'kay?" He asked noting her tear-streaked face. She was still crying but to his surprise she looked up at him with a wide smile. "No, but I will be. I know I will be." She melted into his arms and dissolved into quiet tears.

"I know you will be too." James whispered and held her tighter.