Chapter 15: What Clue?

December 2nd, 1976.

"Hey Marls?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you have a date today?" I asked her innocently.

"What do you think?" She said, adjusting her scarf.

"I would like to think that you don't. You know, because maybe, just maybe you're still – you know – kind of hung up on Sirius?" My voice got higher and higher as finished the sentence.

"Hey – I am not hung up on Black," she snapped, "Just because we've been arguing a bit does not mean I'm still into him. Merlin, I thought you were the smart one."

"Okay, but you still haven't answered my question."

"Yes, I do have a date. It's Amos Diggory."

Mary gasped from where she was curling her hair. "The hot Amos Diggory? Amos 'I-have-a-jawline-that-could-cut-through-diamond' Diggory?"

Marlene grinned and nodded.

"How'd you do that?" Mary's jaw seemed to have him the floor.

"Oh, you know, I have my ways," she smiled mysteriously. "Come on, now, I'm in desperate need of a drink."

"It's 9 in the morning!" I reminded her as we walked down the dormitory stairs into the Common Room.

"Hey Lily!" Sirius called out to me, "Can you please tell Prongs that he is being a complete arse?" The boys and Alice were sitting around the dead fire.

"Potty, you're being a complete arse!" I gladly obliged. Remus let out a snort of laughter, but quickly disguised it as a cough after seeing the look on James's face.

"You don't even know why he's calling me one!" James exclaimed.

"Oh, you know she doesn't need a reason to call you names," Alice commented.

I glared at her, "Anyway, what are we arguing about here?"

Sirius frowned. "Well, Robbins, you know, the Goddess from Ravenclaw, asked this idiot," he pointed to James, "to the Yule Ball."

Oh.

Oh.

"Ooh, really?" Marlene said, "She's a nice girl."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Sirius said offhandedly, "and this bastard said 'no'!"

"What?" I said, "Why?"

"Because I don't want to go with her!" James replied.

Marlene's jaw dropped open. "Now I think Lily's justified in calling you an arse."

"Hey – I just like keeping my options open!" James argued.

"You are being an idiot, Prongs," Peter sang.

"See! Even Wormy thinks so!" Sirius screamed.

James yawned. "Ugh, will you people just let it go? It's just a girl."

"Fine," Sirius said, affronted, "But only because I have a date in," he checked his watch, "2 minutes. Got to run!"

Sirius ran out of the Portrait Hole with the rest of us following closely. We made it to the Entrance Hall in record time. Filch was busy checking the list for those who were allowed to go to Hogsmeade near the giant oak doors. There were couples meeting all over the Hall. Sirius stopped by a blonde but we couldn't tell who it was because her back was towards us.

Diggory came towards us and kissed Marlene on her cheek, "Hey, Marlene."

"Hello, Amos," she said.

He smiled at her and turned to us, "Hey, guys."

We all wished him a good morning. He really was good looking – nice brown hair, black eyes. Apparently Mary was right – his jawline was sharp!

Sirius started making a beeline for us with the blonde. Who turned out to be – guess who – Jennifer Williams from Ilvermorny. How did they even meet? The week after the First Task had been so cold that the students from the other schools had been locked up in their own designated 'homes'.

"Diggory?" Sirius raised his eyebrows at him, "What are you doing here?"

"We have a date, Black," Marlene said, loftily. She seemed to be enjoying making Sirius uneasy. Honestly, why can't those two just snog it out. It's better than all these competitive dates.

He blinked, "Oh. Oh, uh, well, let's get going then." His shoulders slumped noticeably but I decided not to call him out on it because he would deny it profusely – he was stubborn in ways that beat even me.

The 11 of us walked to the village together, laughing and talking animatedly about the Yule Ball. I still hadn't told anyone about Alek asking me – the girls would drive me crazy about having 'nothing to wear'. Plus, I don't think James likes Alek too much.

"Brr… it's cold," Remus shivered as we entered The Three Broomsticks.

"Well, it's December, so yeah," Jennifer commented.

"So, Jen," I started, "where in the US are you from?" She and I had become fast friends at the party after the First Task for the Wizarding Tournament. She seemed congenial for someone who was from a big Wizarding Family – but so were James and Sirius.

"Umm, so my house is this a state called Tennessee, which is in the south of the US, but my parents only go there when I come home for the holidays. They're usually travelling all over the country so the house is always empty."

"Interesting," I said, "what do your parents do?"

"They were for the MACUSA."

"What's that?" Frank asked, suddenly interested.

"It stands for Magical Congress of the United States of America, it's like the British Ministry of Magic."

Huh. Who knew there were things like that? I'd always been so spellbound with Hogwarts and the Ministry itself that I had never thought about Magical Folk in other countries.

"So, does the Grindelwald thing still affect the MACUSA?" Remus asked.

"Not really, the security and identification has been very strict since that mishap. Only known families are allowed to work there now."

"By known families, you mean Purebloods?" asked Sirius, looking a bit annoyed.

"Not exactly, but yes, I guess you can say that," Jennifer said somewhat uncomfortably.

We entered an uneasy silence after that. Everyone seemed to contemplate what was going to happen in the future. Developed and apparently 'unorthodox' countries like the United States were discriminating based on blood purity. What does that mean for the rest of the world? What does that mean for me?

Now, with the dawn of Voldemort's reign, where he was turning influential people to his side, I didn't know what lay ahead of me. Hogwarts is so protected, it's like a safe haven for everyone – all we have to really worry about are late essays and who's dating whom. But how long will that last? How long until Voldy and his Death Eater cronies start attacking – killing – our families? How long until the Slytherins start attacking Muggleborns – attacking me?

Mary coughed awkwardly, "I'm going to meet my date at the Hog's Head in 5 minutes, but we will probably come back here. Why don't you guys order some drinks while I'm gone?"

"You have a date too?" I asked her, snapping out of my thoughts.

"Yes. Edgar Bones asked me last night," she grinned.

"Oh, okay," I replied, my smile flickering.

Great, now everyone had their own dates to deal with but me - and James, Remus and Peter. Frank and Alice aren't 'officially' on a date but seeing them converse silently in their own little corner on the table proves that Alice was going to be busy the entire day – well, at least I won't have to shop for dress gowns with them.

Remus and Peter volunteered to get everyone Butterbeers. Sirius, having turned of age last month, wanted something stronger but we bluntly refused – bad things can happen when he gets drunk.

The other couples got busy with their own conversations, except for Sirius and Jennifer. Sirius seemed to be glaring something fierce at Amos Diggory who was busy fawning over Marlene. Marlene kept glancing at Sirius and then pretended not to see his expression.

"Lily," Jennifer called, "what are your plans after Hogwarts?" The question caught me off-guard. Hmm, my plans after Hogwarts? I didn't have plans for tonight and she was asking me about 2 years later.

James seemed to like the question, he put his chin in his hand and coaxed, "Yes, Lily, what are your plans after Hogwarts?"

I tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear. "I don't know yet, actually. I have been thinking about Healing, but I also like DADA so becoming an Auror would be nice. But I also do love Potions, so, well, I haven't decided," I said uncertainly.

"It is a bit early asking about such stuff, but I'm only a 5th year and I know that I will be a Press Correspondent for the American Wizarding World newspaper," she declared.

Remus and Peter returned with our drinks and we got engaged in sipping the warm drinks. Just then, the door opened bringing with it the chilly December air and Mary with Edgar Bones. Edgar is a Hufflepuff 6th year Prefect, so Remus and I have become good friends with him.

"Yum, I needed me a drink," Edgar announced as he took the empty seat next to Peter.

"Hey, Bones," James greeted. They had been enemies on the Quidditch Pitch for the past 3 years but luckily, there were no matches this year, so they were civil.

"Hello, Potter, everyone," he nodded to each of us, "Lily, how's the clue for the Second Task going?"

Clue?

"What clue?" I asked him, puzzled.

"You don't know?" he said, bewildered, "the squid egg that you collected during the First Task is actually a clue. It's how the Tournament works."

Jennifer was looking at me like I had grown a pair of horns, "You seriously did not know that?"

Sirius seemed to have been activated like an enzyme on the use of the word 'seriously.' He stopped glowering at Diggory and turned to us, "What are you people talking about?"

"The fact that none of you dunce-like zebras thought to tell me that the egg had a clue! How could you do that to me? Remus, did you know?" I demanded.

"Of course I knew, everyone knew. We just thought that you knew, too. No wonder it wasn't brought up in conversation," he said, abashed.

"MARLENE!" I shouted, "Did you know that the egg had a clue?" She and Diggory turned to look at me. My face must have been red because they instantly recoiled.

"Umm, yes?" she said, uncertainly.

"THEN WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME? Ugh!" I got up and stormed out of the pub, leaving everyone looking after me uncertainly.

As soon as I opened the door, the wind attacked me with its nasty crisp bows shooting arrows into my chest.

"Merlin, I hate December!" I grumbled to myself, starting to walk towards the castle.

The heard door to the Three Broomsticks open, heavy footsteps headed towards me. I instantly knew who it was, and I did not want to talk to them right now.

"Hey, Evans, wait up," James shouted.

"Not in the mood, Potter," I said, without turning around. He ran and caught up with me but I kept walking, determined not to look at him. He grabbed my wrist and I said, "Just leave me alone, will you?"

"What's the matter, Lils?" he asked, softly. His tone caught me off-guard and I finally looked up at him. His hazel eyes were bearing into mine, concerned.

"Nothing, it doesn't even matter."

"Come one, you know you can talk to me, right?"

"Seriously, I don't want to talk about it."

"Fine, then, can we at least sit down?"

I sighed, succumbing to his ask. I pointed at a nearby bench and we sat down. I started playing with my hands, staring straight ahead at the Three Broomsticks' door.

"James?" I asked quietly after a few minutes, looking down at my tangled fingers.

"Hmm?"

"Do you ever feel out of place?"

He looked at me, "What do you mean?"

"I mean, do you ever feel out of place here?" I raised my head to look at him.

"Here, you mean, Hogwarts?"

I looked back down at my hands and thought about what I'd said, of course he didn't feel out of place, he was a star – an only son to loving, alive, parents; Quidditch God; top of the class in most lessons; Pureblood – what did he have to worry about?

I shook my head, "It doesn't matter."

"Come on, Lily, talk to me," his voice taking that soft tone again.

Ugh, I have started hating that voice of his. It's so comforting; it's like a large hug that will make you give away all your darkest secrets.

"I'm scared, James," I closed my eyes.

"Of what?"

"Of this, of life, of the future, of the Second Task, of dying!"

"Lily, I've told you before – you are not going to die in this tournament!"

"No, but can't you see? I didn't even know there was a clue! I don't even know half of what I'm doing!" I practically shouted.

"You know that's not true, you will be fine."

"We don't know that."

"Lily, I know there's more to this that you're not telling me. Please, I want to know what's bothering you."

I shook my head. "You wouldn't understand."

"Try me," he smiled.

"But, I know you won't, so there's no point trying."

He gave me a stern look, "Lils. I know that you are a big stubborn niffler and guarded as a fortress, but I think I can help you."

"I know you can. But – but I just don't like talking about it."

"Perhaps it's time you do."

I sighed in resignation. "It's not just this tournament. It's everything that's happening - Voldemort, tortured Muggleborns, dying Muggles – I don't even have a family to go to, James. It's just me. And that's the way it's going to be."

"Come on, Lily, you know that's not true –"

"I don't even know how I'm going to survive an inter-school competition and in 2 years we're supposed to be on our own. There won't be a castle protecting us, there won't be Professors fighting our battles – we're going to be alone, I am going to be alone."

"Lily, we're not just going to abandon you."

"It's not like you're going to have a choice – it's inevitable, after school, we're hardly ever going to meet. Plus, I'm Muggleborn, that's an even worse situation to be in. I'm not looking for a pity party, it's just –"

"Hey, hey, don't you ever think you're a pity party. Don't you ever think we're going to forget about you – that I'm going to forget about you. You, Lily Elizabeth Evans, are one of the thickest people I've ever met – and I'm best friends with Padfoot."

"James. You don't know the real situation. Heck, I don't know the real situation. All I know right now is that me being a Muggleborn does not help me."

We entered an uncomfortable silence, it seemed like James was thinking over what I'd said. It was true – I have no family, the only family I have hates me, my friends are all going to be busy with their own families, all I will have left would be myself. And a gazillion cats. Of all the things I'd thought of myself, I never imagined I would think of myself as a cat lady.

"Lils?"

"Yeah?" I said looking up at him.

"I didn't know you had no family," he said sadly.

I shifted uneasily and looked at my intertwined fingers, "I didn't want you to know. The truth is no one outside of my closest friends knows that my parents had died."

I guess he was right, perhaps it is time I started talking about such things. Even though I hadn't told him much yet, it felt better to have my fears out in the open.

"It happened in 3rd year," I started, "during Christmas break. I was visiting Marlene that day. Mum and Dad had to pick me up from the closest Floo Network enabled fire place – at the Ministry of Magic in London.

"I sat on the bench near the Telephone Booth for hours waiting for them to come. I called home, but no one answered the phone. Later, I decided to go back to Marlene's to see if they knew anything. I Apparated - side-along, obviously - for the first time that day. It turned out Mum and Dad had left hours ago to pick me up.

My voice wavered, "Then, the phone call came – they had had a terrible accident on the motorway connecting Cokeworth and London, they were no more."

I paused, biting my tongue. I hoped James couldn't see the tears welling up in my eyes. But, I hadn't spoken about it ever, and it seemed that one of my fortress walls had decided to go crashing down.

"Petunia, of course, blamed me and my freakish abilities and my nasty friends. And, to some point, I blamed myself, too…" I drifted off. I hadn't told anyone this story, not even Sev, he had come to know from the neighbours. Marlene had told Mary and Alice. But, for some reason, saying it out loud felt good, saying it to James felt good.

"It's not your fault, Lily," James started, "I've always believed that whatever happens is for a reason. And I'm sure, if they were here right now, they'd be so proud of you."

I gave him a small smile.

He suddenly engulfed me in a tight embrace and said, "Lily, don't ever, ever think that you are alone. You are not alone – I am right here. And as for this Tournament, we're going to crack that clue, and you're going to win because if you can survive everything you have, then you can survive that stupid competition. Also, because you're a badass ninja hunter."

I snorted at that, pulling back, "A ninja hunter?"

He seemed to mull over his words and crinkled his nose in realization, "That was a bad one, wasn't it?"

That earned a hearty laugh from me, "You think?"

He stuck his tongue out like a 5 year old.

"Come on, let's go inside, I need a drink."

My heart felt significantly lighter as we both, once again, entered the Three Broomsticks.

A/N: All you readers are badass ninja hunters.

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