Hey everyone... I'm back with Chapter 88... This is 2nd part of the 3-parter I promised... Enjoy!

It was early in the morning and John was still fast asleep. And then his phone rang.

"Wakey-wakey! Johnny boy," exclaimed Rose the moment John picked up the call.

"Rose," called out John, in a deep raspy voice.

"Good morning, sleepy head... Don't you have a flight to catch?" chuckled Rose.

"Yeah... yeah... I'm up now," replied John as he adjusted his voice and sat up straight on his bed.

"Rafe and I will be there at the airport, alright?" remarked Rose.

"Okay," replied John.

"Great!" retorted Rose.

After a few seconds of silence, she continued, "How excited are you to visit Paris with Lily?" she asked, excitedly. "I can't wait to see you two," she added, giggling.

"Rose... It's not like that... I'm coming there for official Ministry business... not... what you're thinking," retorted John, unamused.

"Yeah, right, lover boy... You are bringing your muggle friend, who lives with you, to Paris... for official Ministry of Magic business..." chuckled Rose, sarcastically.

But before he could respond, John heard Rose speaking with Raphael, away from the speaker. After a few seconds, Rose came back.

"We will talk when you come here... Now go on, or you'll be late..." she remarked, smiling.

"Bye, Rose," smiled John in response.

"Bye," retorted Rose and the call got disconnected.

Soon, John got ready and went to the hall to find Lily and Jane having a cup of tea.

"Right on time... I made you a cup," remarked Jane.

"Lovely," exclaimed John as he went to the kitchen. "Rose called me a while back," began John a moment later as he came back to sit down beside Jane. "She's going to pick us up from the airport," informed John as he looked at Lily. Lily nodded in response.

"You are taking your wand with you, right?" asked Jane.

"Yes, of course," replied Lily as she showed her the wand.

"You should be careful," remarked Jane.

"This is a perfectly normal trip, Jane... Nobody who knows us is going to suspect that she's a witch," remarked John.

"She's going to an entirely different country, John... In the 3rd decade of the 21st century," retorted back Jane.

"I'll be fine, Jane... you don't have to worry about me," reassured Lily.

"Don't shy away from using your wand if the need comes," suggested Jane.

"I won't be," replied Lily.

"We've been invited for dinner tonight," said John, diverting the discussion. "By Raphael's parents," he added. Lily stared at John, hesitantly.

"Is that necessary?" asked Jane.

"It's Mr Diggory... You know how much he helped us in trying to find Dad when he disappeared... They were at school together, Jane. How was I supposed to refuse an invite?" retorted John, calmly. "Lily, I hope you don't mind..." he remarked and looked at her hopefully.

"Dinner's fine... shouldn't be a problem," replied Lily.

"You and your diplomacy... You couldn't have given an excuse?" retorted back Jane.

"Why are you behaving like we are going to do something dangerous or ridiculous... We are going to France... I'm going to be busy with work... Lily's going to be at libraries and museums... This is supposed to be a fun trip. Don't worry, nothing bad is going to happen," exclaimed John, annoyed.

"I'm surprised that you aren't as nervous as I am about this whole thing," smirked Jane.

"Because there is nothing to be worried about," smiled John, confidently.

A few minutes passed by just like that.

"Excited for your first-ever flight travel?" asked John, glancing at Lily.

"I'm not sure what to expect," chuckled Lily.

"You'll like it," replied John, grinning wide.

"Here," remarked Jane as she fed him a piece of chocolate. "Lily," called out Jane and fed her another piece of the chocolate she was holding.

"Thank you..." smiled John as he gave Jane a hug. "I'll be back in no time," he whispered in her ear.

"Travel safe," remarked Jane to the both of them. And with that, Lily and John left for France.

"John... John..." called out Rose. John and Lily turned their heads and saw Rose and Raphael waving at them.

"Bienvenue à Paris, Johnny boy," exclaimed Rose, excitedly and dove at him for a hug, which he accepted enthusiastically.

"Bonjour Mademoiselle," greeted Raphael with a smile as he glanced at Lily.

"Hello," greeted back Lily.

"Hi, Lily... It's good to see you," greeted Rose as she gave her a hug as well.

"Hey," greeted John as he glanced at Raphael.

"Welcome to Paris, John," remarked Raphael in response, in a thick French accent.

"How was your flight?" asked Rose as the group made their way to the car.

"It was nice," replied Lily.

"It was alright," replied John.

The hotel where John and Lily were staying was just a quick drive away from the airport. The group boarded the car and within a few minutes, they reached the hotel.

"I'll pick you two up around 7, That works right?" asked Rose.

John and Lily glanced at each other momentarily before John replied, "Yeah, that sounds good."

"Great... See you then," remarked Rose.

"Bye," greeted Raphael.

John and Lily waved at them and with that, they entered the hotel. They had their own rooms booked and the receptionist was quite cordial and quick with the process. Lily needed some help from John for some of the things she was seeing for the first time. But, everything went smoothly and the pair found themselves in their rooms, comfortably.

A while later, John knocked on the door of Lily's room.

"Do you want to grab some lunch?" asked John the moment Lily opened the door.

"Yeah, let us... Come in," replied Lily and John walked in. "Give me a few minutes," she added.

John had found a nice chic restaurant just a couple of minutes away and once Lily was ready, the pair made their way out of the hotel.

It was in the middle of their lunch that John brought up the topic of their plans.

"You haven't met Raphael before, have you?" asked John.

"No, I hadn't," replied Lily. "He seems nice," she remarked.

"Yeah, he's cool... I have just met him a couple of times, myself..." retorted John. "Last time, I met him, was in London... He and his sister were there for a tournament," he added.

"Oh, so they play Chess professionally as well?" asked Lily.

"Yeah..." nodded John. "So, just a small family tree for you..." he began. "Raphael is the younger of the 2 siblings, he's I think the same age as Rose... Natalie is the older sister, older by just a couple of years, I believe," he continued. "Both of them have been playing Chess professionally all their life... Pretty much, just like Rose. They both went to the French wizarding school, Beauxbatons Academy of Magic," he added.

"Oh, okay..." nodded along Lily.

"So, Rose has been with Raphael for quite a while now... They are closing in on 4 years," remarked John.

"Oh, wow... I didn't realise they had been together for so long," remarked Lily, surprised.

"Yeah... they have been a bit on and off, had their ups and downs... but they have been going strong for a couple of years now..." sighed John. "Now, on to the parents," he continued. "I don't know much about their mother, Fleur Delacour... I just know that she works with the French Ministry in some administrative position. I haven't met her before," he cited and continued. "Their father, Cedric Diggory, is quite a popular man in our circle. He went to school with my father, Aunt Hermione... Harry, of course. He helped us a lot after our father's disappearance... He works with our Ministry of Magic... He's the Head of the Department of International Magical Co-operation," finished John.

"Oh!" sighed Lily, in response. After a few moments, she spoke up, "Is it possible that he'd recognize me?" she asked. "Should we be worried?" she added.

"No... No, there's no way," reassured John as he shook his head vigorously. "It wouldn't even enter people's minds to think about you. You are 4 decades in the future, Lily," he added. Lily nodded in acknowledgement, feeling a little reassured.

"Now that that's out of the way, I wanted to talk to you about the rest of the week," began John. Lily glanced at John earnestly. "I have 2 meetings set up, one tomorrow, and one on Wednesday... I will be free for the rest of the week," he continued.

"I will be visiting the Bibliothèque Nationale de France... I will need at least 5 days at the library," remarked Lily. "And I will need a couple of days at the Chateau de la Villette," she added. "There are supposed to be some sacred texts at this ancient castle," she remarked.

"And you need my name and card for both places, right?" asked John.

"I would need to access the restricted section in both places," replied Lily, apologetically. "I really didn't want to trouble you... But, I'd need your help," she added.

"That's quite alright, Lily. I am here with you, aren't I? Besides, I'd love to snoop around the national library, myself..." replied John, chuckling.

"So, what are you looking for exactly?" asked John after a few minutes.

Lily remained silent for a few seconds and then replied. "Time travel is such a delicate thing. I can't imagine secrets of such a powerful magic would be available just anywhere," she began. "I am searching for traces of time travel," she added.

"Have you found something from back home?" asked John, curiously.

"Not much... Just that, there are rumours of a secret... A secret so powerful, it can't be guarded in one place," replied Lily.

John gave a sigh of realisation. "So, you think you will find the first piece of the secret here, in Paris?" he asked.

"One of the pieces, yes," replied Lily.

"Damn!" exclaimed John. "You really believe in this? It could very well be an old wives' tale," he remarked.

"It could be... But I'm here, aren't I?" retorted Lily and gave a big smile after a few seconds.

John shook his head with a smile on his face. "Yes, you are," he sighed.

John and Lily went to have dinner at the Diggory-Delacour household and it turned out to be an enjoyable night out. It was a grand affair for it included Fleur, Cedric, Natalie and her fiancé, Raphael, Rose, John and Lily.

The hosts for the evening, Cedric and Fleur were a fun couple who seemed to share a nice banter with their kids. Natalie's fiancé was a quiet man, but Rose matched the banter with the others. John seemed uneasy throughout the evening, but he had his moments with Rose, Lily and Cedric, who spent an hour talking to John about his work at the Ministry. Lily, was the odd woman out, or so everyone treated her like. She was to them, the only muggle or non-magique in the group. However, the highlight of the evening for her was the moment Rose requested Cedric to share some stories from his younger days spent at Hogwarts. And Cedric seemed game for it. He shared many stories which included his quidditch games and consequently, Harry. When Harry came up in the conversation, Cedric seemed shaken for a moment, but he went along talking about his rival at Quidditch. It was, however, when Ron's name came up that there was a collective silence at the table. But, when John seemed cheerful enough, things moved on smoothly.

It was late in the evening when Rose dropped John and Lily back to their hotel.

However, the evening was too draining and the night was still young enough for either of them to get any sleep. A while after they returned, Lily knocked on the door of John's room.

"Hey... what happened?" asked John, surprised.

"Did I disturb you, were you working on something?" asked Lily as she saw the giant book that John was holding.

"Oh, no, absolutely not... I couldn't get any sleep. Hence this," replied John pointing to the book. "Come on in," he added.

"I couldn't get any sleep either," remarked Lily as she entered his room.

"What happened?" asked John as Lily sat down beside him. "Thinking about Harry?" he wondered out loud.

"Harry... what I'm doing here... many things," replied Lily. "What about you?" she asked.

"I... uh... Well, I was thinking about Jane, actually," replied John. "And how we fought with each other every chance we got when we were young," he added, with a chuckle.

"How do you mean?" asked Lily, with a smile.

"You have only seen the two of us being nice to each other..." chuckled John, in reply. "When we were kids... and I mean, before she went to Hogwarts... we used to hate each other like anything. She was annoying, often acted like a brat, violent and used to be really mean to me," he remarked, with a smile on his face. "And I'm sure she'd have similar phrases for the way I acted as well," he added, grinning as Lily smiled in return. "And then she went to Hogwarts... And I hated her for that, with a passion. It stings me to this day, that I didn't receive my letter," he added.

"Why didn't you get a letter?" asked Lily, curiously, hoping he might have some insights on the matter.

"It was a matter of technicality... Dad fought with so many people... But, he couldn't do anything," replied John.

And a silence lasted between the pair for a few seconds.

"Anyway," continued John. "Once Jane went to Hogwarts, I saw very little of her. Even when she used to come back during breaks, I spent very little time with her," he remarked. "It was only a couple of years later, that I realised, how much I missed her..." he added, with a smile.

"So, when Natalie and Raphael were retelling stories from their childhood, how they always played together in chess tournaments, you thought about Jane..." remarked Lily.

"Right... They were so very different from us..." chuckled John, though there was a pain behind his smile.

After a few seconds, Lily spoke up. "Did I ever tell you about how Petunia and I were as kids?" she asked.

John shook his head, curiously.

"Tuney and I were not particularly close with each other," began Lily as John stared at her surprised. "I don't remember much from my early years... but I'm sure Petunia wasn't particularly a fan of how much attention I got as a kid," she added and John gave a smile in response.

"But, the downfall began when I started showing signs of magic," continued Lily. "I was afraid and excited by the things I could do... My parents were confused... and Tuney was jealous. She was not happy that I could move things with my mind," added Lily, with a chuckle.

"I can relate to that," remarked John, laughing. "Jane showed magic well before I did... and I hated it," he said.

"In my case, Petunia could never perform any magic. She was a muggle..." retorted Lily and John nodded. "It was then that I met Severus. He and I were similar... while very different from everyone around us," she added.

"Do you know what happened to Severus Snape? Have you tried finding him here?" asked John, concerned.

"I did... I asked Sirius and Remus... Severus died during the war," replied Lily, sulking.

"Oh... I'm so sorry," remarked John. After a few seconds, he continued, "So, when did Aunt Petunia and you make up with each other?" he asked.

Lily gave a smile and replied, "I don't know," she remarked. John stared at her, confused. "We never really got along... She invited me to her wedding... and I invited her to mine... But those were about the only memories we shared with each other," replied Lily as John stared at her, shocked. "Her husband wasn't a fan of wizards... The times were very different back then," she added, looking at John's expression.

"I don't understand... Aunt Petunia never got over the fact that you were a witch and she wasn't?" he asked, still with a shocked expression.

"She did... Eventually, she did... But I was not around when that happened. You wouldn't believe the look I had on my face when Sirius and Remus took me to meet with her... I was dreading to see her, what if she still hated me?" remarked Lily, in response. "Petunia was in tears when she saw me... I had never seen her that happy to see me, ever," remarked Lily, laughing. John smiled in response.

"Dad grew up with many brothers and a sister... I can only imagine what that would have been like," remarked John, though his expression seemed sullen.

After a few moments of silence, Lily spoke up, "Hey, John," she called out.

"Hmm?"

"I have never really asked you or Jane about this..." she began. "Why do both of you have this... uh... a bitter reaction whenever someone praises your father?" she asked. "Even today, when Mr Diggory was talking about your father, you seemed... indifferent," she remarked.

"You mean, besides the fact that he disappeared without telling anybody anything?" retorted John. "He left a text message to Mom, Jane and me, Lily... a fucking text message before disappearing from our lives," he added, angrily.

"Don't hate me for saying this... But, maybe it was difficult for him... Or, maybe, things didn't turn out the way he thought it'd..." suggested Lily.

John smiled at the response from Lily. "I like that you want to see the best in people... I often do the same... But, his disappearance isn't really why Jane and I feel the way we do," he remarked. Lily stared at him, curiously.

"Jane would tell you her side of the story... But, to me, it's not just one thing... To me, he was a different man before Jane went to Hogwarts, and a different one after," began John. "He just didn't see me the same way after I failed to get the letter... He was Ronald Weasley, the most famous wizard in England. And his son couldn't get into Hogwarts... I can see why he disliked me," remarked John.

"John... don't say that," whispered Lily.

However, John continued. "I can name many people off the top of my head, who were always there for me... who taught me everything about wizardry... Aunt Hermione, Luna... Uncle Remus, Sirius... Rose, Edward... Uncle Charlie... the list goes on and on..." he remarked, frustrated. "You know who didn't?" asked John, after a pause. Lily stared at John, cheerlessly.

"He used to tell us stories... all the time... when we were kids... About his time at Hogwarts... all the fun things they did there... Countless stories... And then he suddenly stopped..." continued John. And almost instantly, he remarked, "The sad thing is, he wasn't particularly being nice to Jane either... She has received countless scoldings from him," he added. "I used to ignore it initially... But looking back, he was really mean to Jane, all the time," continued John.

"Your mother didn't say or do anything about all of this?" asked Lily.

"She was my best friend... I don't know if she ever asked Dad, why he was being this way with us... But, she kinda filled the void, dad left..." replied John. "It's a pity that Jane blames her for dad's disappearance... I have tried speaking with Jane about it. But, she wouldn't budge..." he added. "If Mom hadn't divorced Dad, he'd still be with us..." said John imitating Jane.

"I'm so sorry, John... I shouldn't have brought this topic up, not tonight..." muttered Lily, after a few seconds.

"It's alright... It's all in the past now, isn't it?" sighed John, with a brief smile.

John and Lily woke up the following morning, beside each other, and with a hangover headache.

"Good morning, John," whispered Lily, the moment she woke up. It took him a few minutes to wake up.

"We were up extremely late last night," muttered John as he came to his senses.

"I think I had too much wine last night," sighed Lily.

"I have had it worse..." sighed John in response.

Soon, the pair woke up for real and got ready for the day ahead.

The following few days went by in a flash. Lily spent a great deal of her time at the library, going through different books, texts, stories, etc. while John accompanied her whenever he could.

To Lily's initial delight, she found quite a few texts that spoke of time manipulation. While it promised to be fruitful, it ended up being just another set of works that never really talked about the existence of time travel.

However, Lily didn't lose hope so easily. She recorded everything she read, every tiny bit of information whether or not it seemed important at the time.

When Lily got tired of reading about time manipulation, she along with John's help researched the different kinds of magic that the ancient French wizards performed. It was during one of these readings that she came across the famous alchemist, Nicolas Flamel and his death.

"Nicolas Flamel was perhaps the greatest alchemist the world had ever seen, being the only known person to successfully create a Philosopher's Stone, the ultimate goal of alchemy. With this, Flamel was able to render himself and his wife Perenelle immortal for centuries, until he was killed by the Dark Lord, Voldemort, in 1993," read Lily.

"He was a menace, wasn't he," sighed John, disgusted.

"You-know-who was the worst thing that happened to the wizard kind..." remarked Lily as she moved on to the next page.

However, their most important finding of the trip came in the Chateau de la Villette.

The pair were in the dark dungeons of the castle, looking at some wall paintings and carvings when they were interrupted.

"Monsieur Weasley," called out the caretaker of the castle. John and Lily turned around to glance at the man.

The caretaker went on to say something completely in French that Lily understood very little of. At the end of it, John glanced at Lily.

"The old priest wants to see you..." he said, looking concerned.

"He wants to see me?" asked Lily, taken aback.

"Yeah... that's what the caretaker said," replied John, hesitantly. "I have a bad feeling about this," he sighed.

"Why does he want to see me?" asked Lily, worried.

"I don't know... Keep your wand at the ready," suggested John and took out his wand.

John and Lily slowly followed the caretaker and made their way to the priest.

The moment the pair walked into the room, the priest glanced at them and his eyes seemed to light up instantly. He got up frantically and made his way towards Lily and cupped her face, to the shock of both Lily and John.

"Laisse-la partir," screamed John, angrily but he got pushed back to the wall, by an invisible force.

"John," exclaimed Lily, as she saw him hit the wall with a thud. "Let go of me," she screamed as she tried to push the priest away.

"Il ne veut aucun mal," remarked the caretaker from outside the room. "He doesn't mean harm, miss," he added, in a thick French accent. "Pardon, Monsieur," he exclaimed as he helped John to his feet.

"Demandez-lui de retirer ses mains d'elle," exclaimed John as he rushed towards Lily.

The old priest removed his hands from Lily's face instantly. He had a wonder-struck look on his face like he had just been visited by the Gods.

"Are you alright?" asked Lily as she held John's hand.

"I'm alright," whispered John.

Meanwhile, the old priest started muttering something in French and Lily glanced at him, anxiously. After a moment, he came to a pause and stared at John.

John stared back at the priest and after a few seconds, he glanced at Lily to translate the priest's words.

"He says that you have come from far away," said John, a shiver in his voice. Lily stared at the priest, shocked.

The priest continued muttering in French. And John, taking the cue, translated it to Lily.

"He says, he has never met anyone like you before, in his life."

After a moment, John remarked, "He thanks you for visiting him."

"He says that you won't find what you are looking for here," continued John.

"He says you have to go to Kemet," said John, shocked.

John glanced at the priest and asked, "Qu'est-ce qui est censé être là?"

But that's all the priest said. He pushed the pair away from him and the caretaker, promptly, guided Lily and John out of the room.

"What did you say to him?" asked Lily, surprised.

"I just asked him, what's supposed to be in Kemet," replied John, flabbergasted.

"What is Kemet? Where is it?" asked Lily.

"Kemet is what Egypt was used to be known by... centuries ago," replied John.

"Egypt?" gasped Lily and John nodded in response.

"But he didn't say where in Egypt," sighed John, disappointed.

As Lily stood in shock, an idea struck her. "John... The paintings... Do they remind you of something?" asked Lily as she stared at the walls.

"The great pyramid," exclaimed John and Lily nodded in acknowledgement.

Well... Hope you enjoyed this one! Let me know in the reviews how you liked John-Lily, as well as what little of John-Rose's scenes there were, or anything else you want to comment about...

PS - Blame Google Translate if you have problems with my French... I wouldn't be able to save my own life if I had to utter a word in French, lol...

Anyway, Ciao! The next one will be out on Thursday!