When she reached the front doors, she stopped, staring at the sky again. It still looked as clear as a dormant crystal ball. Why had Rabastan been so convinced a storm was imminent? Was he really that bad at predicting the weather? She thought back to what he said. He said a storm was coming, and she needed to get back to Hogwarts where it was warm.
What if he didn't mean storm in the traditional sense? As a purveyor of both modern and historical fiction, she knew storm was often meant figuratively. It meant dark days were coming. Change. Even war.
That thought sent shivers down her body despite the uncharacteristically warm day. Rodolphus and Bella needn't have traveled all the way to Hogsmeade for a simple date. Especially not one that coincided with the Hogwarts' visit. They would have only made the trip if they had a reason for being here.
And Rabastan. He hadn't said as much, but it was clear he was just as loyal to his brother as he had always been. She knew what Rodolphus and Bella were capable of, and who they had chosen to serve. She loathed to believe Rabastan had chosen the same fate, but he must have known something. That was why he wanted to warn her. He wanted to make sure she was safely tucked inside Hogwarts, as far away from the darkness as possible.
She took another step toward the castle, then stopped, glancing back behind her. If Rodolphus and Bella were truly planning something, and if they were doing it for their new master, then it would be something truly horrific. Even deadly. And nobody knew it was coming except for Meda.
Her breath came in short gasps. She was no match for them, and she didn't even know what they were planning. But she had to do something. Warn someone. And she knew just the person. Without allowing herself to logic herself out of her next course of action she took off running toward Hogsmeade.
She was out of breath by the time she reached the village again. Because of the sunshine, more and more of the students spilled out onto the streets, making it almost impossible for her to find anyone. Usually Lily's ginger hair was easy to spot in a crowd, but she feared by the time she found her, it would be too late.
And then she saw someone else. A pallid, greasy-haired boy whose gangly walk was almost impossible to miss. Like always, he trailed behind a group of older Slytherins. This one included the Carrows—and the other dullest minds on their grade— Crabbe and Goyle. Dull, but sadistic, which was Andromeda preferred to get only Snape's attention.
Not knowing what else to do, she made a snowball, and then whispered, "Locomotor Snowball." She didn't trust her aim with something so important. She tried to gently nudge the snowball against his body, but at the last second he whirled around, like he sensed something. She tried to stop it, but it was too late. The snowball collided with his face.
He wiped the snow off his face as he whipped his wand out, angrily scanning the crowd for the perpetrator. His flustered anger froze on his face when he caught sight of Andromeda staring at him from across the way. She gave him a weak smile, and sheepish wave. His eyes narrowed, as he glanced back at the group of Slytherins.
She feared he would ignore her ill-fated summon, but his "friends" hadn't even noticed his absence. He stared after them, looking crestfallen before reluctantly making his way over to Andromeda. The angry fluster had returned to his face, and she braced herself, just in case.
"Have you adopted your cousin's deformed sense of humor as well as his deformed standards?" Severus hissed as he reached her.
"What?" Andromeda said, before catching on. "No, I mean. I wasn't . . . I just wanted your attention. I wasn't trying too . . ."
Severus raised an eyebrow, and Andromeda flushed. Her sisters never had this problem. They were pictures of poise and grace, or in Bella's case power and control, in every aspect of their life. Somehow Andromeda had missed that boat. She'd been the black sheep of the Black family from the start.
She sighed. "I need to find Lily Evans."
At the mention of her name, Severus' entire demeanor changed. He went from snide and superior to cold and guarded in seconds.
"What makes you think I know?" he sneered.
"You always know," Andromeda said, and Severus flushed. She hadn't meant to offend him, but it was the truth. His eyes still followed Lily Evans everywhere, even though he pretended otherwise.
"Why do you want Evans?" he asked,
"She might be in danger," Andromeda said. She had no idea if this would work, but she knew if it had been Ted she would have done anything to save him, even in some hypothetical world where he hated her.
Snape's eyes darkened, but then he looked away before she could read into them. Except, his response had given away one thing. "You know what's happening, don't you?" she said.
"No, I don't," he said coldly. She might have believed him, but she was running out of time and he was still her best shot.
"Severus, please," she said, but she might as well be pleading to a stone. She was about to turn away in defeat when he asked:
"What's in it for me?"
"What?" she asked, startled.
"I did you a favor once before," he said, his voice as low and cold as ever, "and I got nothing out of it. No more. You want something you have to give something in return."
She gaped. It was true he'd done her a favor for nothing, but all he'd done was give her an idea. At no risk to himself. She thought when the shoe was on the other foot, and Lily was the one in danger, he'd be quicker to help. Clearly, she'd misjudged him.
"What do you want?" she asked.
"I want you to arrange a meeting between me and Lily."
If she was gaping before it was nothing compared to her gaping now. "I can't," she said quickly.
"If you want to know where she is, then you will."
He was asking the impossible. He and Lily may have been friends once, but that had ended last year. Now she made her utter contempt for him as obvious as every other pureblood Slytherin. Lily and Andromeda may have improved their relationship, but Andromeda was under no delusions that she could persuade the fiery girl to do anything she didn't want to. But at this point she would have agreed to give Snape the moon if it would get him to help her.
"Fine. I'll try," she said. When he remained as cold and unmoved as ever, she added, "I'll try really hard, now tell me where she is."
Severus continued to stare at her, his grey eyes unreadable, before he said, "She's in Madame Puddifoot's." He sounded loath to admit it, and she didn't blame him. Students only set foot in that place if they were looking for a romantic atmosphere.
However, she didn't have time to sympathize. "Thank you," she said, before turning to go.
"Remember your promise," Snape said behind her, "Or our next encounter will not be so pleasant." She didn't doubt it, but she fret about that later. She needed to focus on the task at hand.
By the time she reached Madame Puddifoot's she was panting again. She didn't usually run this much. She also realized someone was already stalking outside. She feared she was too late, and the purebloods were coming after Lily already. Except, she would recognize that messy jet-black hair anywhere.
"Potter?" she said behind him. He swore and whirled around.
Relief filled his eyes when he realized it was her and he laughed. "Merlin's pants, you startled me."
"What are you doing here?" she asked.
He didn't answer, but a sheepish grin filled his face. She glanced down at his palm. He quickly hid it in his pocket, but she'd already seen.
"Is that itching powder?" she asked.
"No."
She made a face at him. "really?"
"It won't hurt him," James said, "It'll just force them to end their date early."
"Won't this only make her hate you more?"
"Not possible," James said darkly, before forcing another cheeky grin that didn't meet his eyes. "We can't all be as lucky as you and Ted. Speaking of which, where is Romeo?"
"Hospital Wing," Andromeda said. "Maybe the Black Cat flu. But Listen," Somehow, she'd allowed James to sidetrack her, and they didn't have time for that. "I think . . . I think Rodolphus and my sister and planning something."
James' eyes narrowed. "What kind of something?"
"I don't know," Andromeda said, "but we need to warn people, and Lily and Gideon can help." Seeing the face James made when she mentioned Gideon, she added, "It'll end their date."
That seemed to win James over, though he didn't look happy about it. "Fine."
He trudged after Andromeda as she made her way inside, though she really couldn't blame him. Gideon and Lily were so absorbed with each other they didn't notice Andromeda until she stood right in front of them.
"Andromeda?" Lily said. She glanced behind Andromeda at James, and her eyes narrowed.
"You guys all right?" Gideon asked. He seemed more confused that they'd shown up together than anything.
"We need to speak with you, outside," Andromeda said, ignoring the dagger looks Lily and James were giving each other. With some insistence, Andromeda and Gideon managed to usher both Lily and James outside.
"What's going on?" Gideon asked.
"Rodolphus Lestrange and Bellatrix Black, apparently," James said, not taking his eyes off Lily. "They're here. In Hogsmeade."
"So we heard," Lily said, who finally turned away from James in disgust.
"I think they're planning something," Andromeda said, "An attack."
"Why do you think that?" Lily asked.
Andromeda faltered, before admitting, "Rabastan insinuated as much."
"Wait, Rabastan?" James said, forgetting his glaring match with Lily and Gideon in light of this new information. "That's your source?"
Andromeda flushed. She hadn't planned on telling anyone about Rabastan, not even Ted, especially not Ted. She'd just have to hope James could keep his mouth shut.
"He wouldn't lie to me," Andromeda said, her voice firm.
James didn't look convinced, but Lily asked, "What did he tell you?"
"He told me to get back to Hogwarts because a storm was coming."
"That's it?" Lily said. Andromeda flushed again, but nodded. Lily sighed, then said, "All right, Gideon, spread the word. Tell them to be on alert for—"
They broke off at the sound of thunder, except, there wasn't a cloud in sight. Instead, dark smoke sprang into the sky, the smoke was obviously of magical origins, because it moved and twisted in unnatural patterns. A shape took form. Andromeda gasped when she realized it was a skull. And what was more, a snake crawled out of its mouth.
"What's that?" James asked.
"A storm," Lily said, as shouts and screams echoed from the town square. They were too late. Rodolphus and Bellatrix had already begun their attack.