Lily Potter walked into McGonagall's office, and looked around.

"Where's Max?" She asked, looking around for Max. "I thought…."

"I had to tell them that." McGonagall smiled, "People can't know that I am favoring you."

"Thank you, Professor." She smiled.

"I'll give you some spells." She told him, "Some spells to protect you, but not any others."

"Thank you," She smiled, gratefully, "Thank you, Professor!"

She didn't know how to thank her, though she was surprised how the Professor was cheating. What she didn't know was that the Professor was extremely worried about Lily.

Lily had passed the first two tests with a little bit of talent, and a lot of dumb luck. Professor McGonagall knew she had to appear in the third task. She just wanted Lily to be safe, she didn't want Lily to win. All she wanted was to keep the daughter of Harry Potter safe and sound.

The day of the last task came sooner than Lily wanted it to. She was woken up by Rose who had snuck into the rooms at six am.

"Hey….." She hissed.

"What….?" Lily rolled around in her bed.

"Wake up." She shook her. "Lily! Wake up now."

"Why?" Lily sat up, rubbing her eyes. "The thing isn't like until midday. The least everyone can let me do is sleep in."

"Just…."

"What is happening?" Melissa woke up.

Her phone dropped to the floor.

"Stupid phone." She said angrily. She had invited Mavis to the school for the last task but she hadn't gotten a reply yet. Maybe, Aunt Ginny would bring her when she came from her practice in a few hours. The screen went blank.

Melissa groaned, "I have to replace my phone….."

"The year is almost out." Lily said, sympathetically. "Maybe, next year we can get phones too….and you and Mavis can teach us to use them in the summer,"

She nodded.

"You too." Rose ignored them, "Melissa….you can help."

"Help?"

"I have a spell for you, Lily." She whispered. "Something that will win you this game."

"Really?" Lily's eyes shone.

"Yeah…" Rose told her, "I've been reading in the restricted section."

"And….?"

"Come on!!" Rose said, impatiently.

"Okay, okay…" Lily told her. "Give me twenty."

"Ten." Rose countered.

"Fifteen."

"Deal." Rose headed out.

She had an empty classroom, all ready for Lily to practice this spell she had found in an old book. It was probably a spell that was dangerous and not registered at the ministry. She felt a dangerous feeling of excitement run through her body. If she had inherited Hermione's intelligence, she had also inherited Ron's recklessness.

Lily and Melissa came down in almost twenty minutes and Rose shook her head, disapprovingly.

"Alright, alright…." Lily said, before Rose could say anything. "Only six minutes late…You don't need to go all Rose on me."

"Did you just use my name as a verb?" Rose asked, horrified.

"Just?" Lily laughed, "We have been doing it for years."

Rose couldn't say anything for a minute. Then, she shrugged. This family had had worse nicknames for each other.

"Now, ready??"

"Ready." Lily replied, brightly. "Now, show me the spell."

Rose pulled out a book out of thin air and Melissa gaped, admiringly.

"That was amazing, Rose!"

"Yeah, yeah…..Rose is the queen of magic," Lily said, jealousy. "Let's get this started."

Rose opened the book. It was an old Potions's book for the sixth year.

"Rose, this is a potions' book." She shook her head. "Have you been burning the midnight oil again?"

It had happened before when Rose started to talk about weird things. It caught Ron's eye when she admitted she was wrong. It was something that never happened. It was then they knew that Rose hadn't been sleeping.

"No…" Rose shook her head angrily. "You don't sleep for a week at a time! One time."

Melissa listened the cousins talk in awe. She never had history like these two did. She wished that one day she would be a part of them. They had been welcoming and accepting, sure…..but…..what they had. She never did.

"It is this spell written by a student." Rose explained. "Some student wrote it and rumors are that it was used in the the first Great War."

"The World War?" Melissa asked, feeling left out.

"What?"

"Never mind!" Melissa shook her head.

"It's the war….pre-Uncle Harry war." Rose explained. "Where Voldemort tried to kill Uncle Harry."

"Which time?" Melissa asked,

"The first time." Lily and Rose said together.

"So, did you use it?" Lily turned towards Rose. "Did you try?"

"No. I was hoping you would start." Hermione's careful spirit was alive in Rose. She was ready to do something reckless and sneak into the restricted section of the library but that was it.

"Okay, here goes." Lily read the spell a few times. "Who should I try it on?"

"Oh, me! Me!!" Melissa said, excitedly.

"Okay!" Lily pointed her wand at Melissa and said the words no one who had lived through the wars at Hogwarts wanted to ever hear again. "Sectumsempra."

The ray hit Melissa on the chest and her skin split open in a thousand cuts.

"No…" Lily froze.

"What did you do?" Rose asked.

"What did I do?" Lily retorted. "You are the one…….It's not important! Go find Madam Pomfrey! Now!"

She almost screamed at her. Had it been any other occasion Rose would have put Lily in her place. But, now was neither the time or the place.

"Okay…" She ran.

"I am sorry, Mel." Lily came near her. "I didn't….I swear I didn't know…"

"I know." Melissa's voice was low, "I know…"

"HEY!" Lily snapped her fingers, "Stay with me! Don't close your eyes. We just found her cousin, Mel….I am not letting you go so easily."

Melissa smiled softly as she lay in the pool of her own blood. Maybe, that was exactly was what she wanted to hear from one of her cousins. That she was one of them.