Halloween.

LILY IX

The two spells met with a deafening power. One was made of flames, consuming everything in its path, while Lily's was made of water, the source of life. Though fire was also considered as the source of life in ancient cultures, where fire warmed and preserved from cold.

This one was hard to extinguish. It was magical fire, one that was produced by a wand in the hands of a powerful witch, and Lily's job was to counter it. She directed all her energies, all her attention to fighting this burning hell that someone unleashed upon her. First a powerful and big ball of fire, it had exploded against Lily's own ball of water. Then the spells had both turned into streams, both trying to dominate and annihilate the other. The strength of these streams varied, which resulted in the point of contact between the two spells going back and forth between the two witches who maintained them, none conceding victory to the other.

Lily focused on maintaining the main stream of water while also creating smaller, secondary streams to weaken the main stream of fire by the side or at the origin. But her opponent tried the same tactic by creating other streams of fire, and these smaller streams ended up fighting each other as well.

Lily had to solicit her whole attention to not let fire dominate her. She had to extinguish this fire, by all means possible. Her opponent had to make sure she was burned, by all means possible as well. This was going nowhere. They couldn't remain there with their respective spells fighting off each other. Lily prepared herself, and she broke the duel. She stopped her water-producing spell and dodged the stream of fire. Then she cast a spell that conjured a heavy cloud of rain over her opponent. And Lily returned to her previous spell.

Aqua Eructo!

She cast the spell without pronouncing the incantation out loud. It gave her an advantage over her opponent, as she didn't know what spell she would cast, and had a shorter time to react. The fire-producing spell had never stopped, but Lily cast her water spell just at the right position to intercept the fire at reasonable distance. She then kept on fighting it, and slowly she began to gain some ground.

The cloud of rain she created weakened the fire spell at the source, while bothering her opponent who lost some of her focus. It was sad to say, but Tonks could be easily distracted, and their instructors said they shouldn't have any qualm about using their comrades' weaknesses, because they shouldn't have any using those of the dark wizards they would hunt. For Lily, who had done just that, fighting dark wizards, for years, it was easy. For Nymphadora, who was out of Hogwarts for only a single year, it was different.

She struggled to fight off Lily's spells. She moved out of the cloud, but Lily had foreseen this eventuality. The cloud followed Tonks as she tried moving out of him. She ended up redirecting part of her fire at it, consuming the cloud and turning it into harmless steam. But this redirection gave way to Lily to push her stream of water further and to weaken Tonk's fire. The point of contact between the fire and the water spells was now only five feet away from Tonk's wand, by Lily's own estimates. She decided now was the time to use her secret tactic, before Tonks found a way to take back the advantage.

Lily let some of her water fall to the floor, in enough quantity to not be vaporized by the fire's heat and to reach Tonks' feet. She pushed her spell a little, provoking a bigger amount of water to go under Tonk's feet. Lily then moved herself very quickly, almost running towards her left while still casting the spell, getting closer to Tonks. Nymphadora reacted by moving as well, backing down. She moved too quickly, and slid on the water.

Her focus lost, Lily's finished what remained of the fire, and Tonks was sprinkled by the equivalent of many buckets of cold water. Lily stopped her spell after a few seconds, to discover a Tonks who was wet to the bone, and clearly unhappy about the outcome of their duel.

"Next time, I take the water," was the first thing she said.

"Be careful about what you wish for, Tonks," Lily warned her. "I don't think you would enjoy being burned more than being wet."

"At least, I would be warm," Tonks said as she dried up her clothes with her wand. As usual, for anything that involved cleaning, there was place for improvement with Tonks.

"Let me help you." Lily dried Tonks as well, and there was almost no water left after that.

"Thank, Lily. Well, you can tell your son tonight that you humiliated a young woman today."

There was no trace of resentment in Tonks' voice. That was one of things Lily liked with her. She didn't take defeat too seriously. Andromeda's daughter was not the best student among future Aurors who were trained at the Ministry, but she was hard-working, always trying to get better in order to succeed in her evaluations. She was also enthusiastic and of good spirit, ready to laugh after a hard day of work, something Lily could really benefit from. Lily always had a good sense of humor, which she shared with her son as he grew up, but it was hard to use it when Harry was far away. This night, however, she would see him. They were on October 31, 1992, and Harry had obtained an authorization to accompany her to Godric's Hollow once again this year, despite the detention he got during his first week for breaking the nose of another student.

"A young woman who will soon be an Auror," Lily specified. "I'm quite sure he'll like the story."

"If I ever manage to become an Auror," Tonks replied as they headed out of the training room. It was one of the many that Auror apprentices could use to train. This was what Lily and Tonks just did.

"You'll succeed, Tonks," Lily tried to reassure and encourage her at the same time.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll succeed. That's what my mother says all the time. Please, Lily. You're my friend. I don't need a second mother."

"I wasn't trying to be, Tonks. I'm just telling you what I think."

"Thanks. But for now, I think I'll just go and grab myself a Butterbeer. Want to share one?"

"Not tonight, Tonks. You know I have something to do with my son."

"Okay. If you ever need some company after that, you know how to join me, Lily."

"Yes, thank you."

They went separate ways after that. Tonks had some administrative papers to fill before she left. Lily couldn't wait to see Harry. They were late in the afternoon, and she was already afraid to be late. She just had enough time to go home and change before heading to Hogwarts.

She used the Floo Network to get home. It warmed her. She had been sprinkled with some water as well during her practice with Tonks. However, it also dirtied her. She headed for the shower the moment she arrived in her living room. Lily undid her ponytail as she entered the bathroom. She had taken the habit of arranging her hair into one when she had to do practical training, which happened more often as days went by. She always had very long hair, and preferred to keep them free, falling both on her back and in front of each of her shoulders, but it wasn't very practical when the time to fight came. This night, she wouldn't fight. She would just spend some time with her son.

The shower did her some good. She had been occupied for the whole day, training, working, studying. It was probably a good thing. It kept her mind occupied. This day of the year was always very difficult. This morning, like every year before, she had woken up after dreaming about that night her husband died. At least, she had so many things to do today that she was left with few time to think about it. But now that the day was over, her memories came back to haunt her mind. She let the hot water fall on her head, running through her hair that fell in front of her eyes.

James.

She remembered the day she had accepted for the first time to go on a date with him. It was during the first month of their seventh year. They had both been named Head Boy and Head Girl. Lily had been very surprised to discover that James Potter received that title, even though he had changed during his sixth year, becoming more mature. When he asked her to go out with him only one week after they returned to Hogwarts, she finally said yes. Their date went so well. She could see that there was still something left of the immature boy she had met in her first year abord the Hogwarts Express, but she could also tell that he had changed, and that he was making efforts to further change as well. For her. It touched her more than he could imagine.

They had gone on another date the next week-end, then again on the week-end that followed. And on the day of Halloween, in 1977, she and James officially began their relationship, which would lead to their marriage and their son later. This was what made the day of Halloween so difficult for Lily. Not only was it the day she lost her husband, it was also the day when she officially began dating him. For four years, they were together. Lily wished it had lasted longer. She wished James matured sooner, or that she accepted to date him before, even when he still behaved like an idiot. Although she still disapproved of what he did back then, she understood with the years that one of the reasons why he did so was to attract her attention. It was stupid, and he made people suffer for this, but he didn't behave in this way out of pure evil, or hatred. James had always been someone good. He just didn't show it, or people failed to see it, hidden behind his arrogant demeanour.

She remained under the shower for quite some time, ruminating about the past. She shed some tears, which were lost in the torrent of water falling upon her. And then she left the shower, put on a set of clean clothes for the occasion. When she felt ready, she Apparated.

Lily arrived in the outskirts of Hogsmeade. And just like last year, the village was in the middle of huge celebrations for Halloween, visitors from all across the magical world gathered in one of the few places where they could freely celebrate this day. As Lily walked through the streets of the village, she saw vampires and other creatures who usually remained in the dark wandering innocently across the streets. This was their day as much as it was the day for wizards and witches. Skeletons were putting on shows all across the village, with small crowd assembled to look at them. There were even a few ghosts wandering around. Bats flew everywhere, and huge lanterns made of real pumpkins were hovering over the streets and houses everywhere. Lily thought nostalgically about how she enjoyed those visits to Hogsmeade back when she was a student. She and her friends would go to the Three Boomsticks to drink a Butterbeer, or visit Honeydukes to buy as many sweets as they could, or taking a look at the Shrieking Shack and hearing the terrible sounds coming out of it. It would only be after she and James started dating that he would tell her it was in fact Remus who made the noises when he transformed into a werewolf. Learning how he remained a friend of Remus even after learning who he was and even helping him through his hardship had made Lily realize how little she knew about James back then, and her love for him only increased afterwards.

She watched the festivities going on as she travelled through the village. She remembered as well the great feasts that happened in Hogwarts in the evening. She was sad to deprive Harry of that. She almost wished his request this year to accompany her at Godric's Hollow had been refused because of the altercation between him and Malfoy. He had earned a whole week of detention for this, though he wasn't the only one. The whole teams of Slytherin and Gryffindor earned the same punishment, plus losing fifty points for their respective houses. The teams were also prohibited from using the Quidditch pitch to practice during the two weeks that followed. Knowing how James was when he was deprived of the right to play Quidditch, Lily had no difficulty imagining how both teams would feel punished only by this latest sanction.

She wished she could bring Harry to Hogsmeade after they went to Godric's Hollow, at least give him some joy and good time in this day, but the conditions of his leaving Hogwarts for the evening were very clear, and Lily was not to bring him anywhere else than Godric's Hollow. Hogsmeade was forbidden to students under their third year, anyway.

Lily followed the path leading from the village to the castle. She knew that somewhere behind her, she must have left Tonks, who probably was busy drinking Butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks, like she said she would. But Lily didn't have the heart for this today. For Halloween, she was afraid that it would always be the same. She would spend the day thinking about James, and that was it.

"Lumos."

Her wand cast a powerful light, strong enough to illuminate the road ahead of her. She kept walking, her thoughts drifting to the memory of a carriage that led her up this road in the very beginning of her seventh year. She had shared this carriage with James and his friends, Remus, Sirius and Peter, along with another one of her own friends, Mary. Little did she know that only a few years later, one of them would turn out to be a traitor. She wasn't dating James yet, but she had come to appreciate him enough to be in the same carriage as he was.

Lily felt a single tear come out of her left eye. She wiped it immediately with the sleeve of her robe. She was nearing the castle's gates, and she could guess how both students and professors were feasting behind those walls, celebrations she was depriving her son of. She wished he had a more normal childhood, without being marked as the Boy Who Lived, the boy whose father died trying to protect him when he was only one-year-old.

She waited at the gates. It was already completely dark. She hoped that her son wouldn't be late because of a troll like last year. This new year was already marked by the detachment of the wagon he was in when the Hogwarts Express travelled to Hogwarts, and Lily considered it was already more than enough for this year. Her son was lucky to have escaped detention back then. Dumbledore and the other professors came to the conclusion that it was useless to blame students for coming to Hogwarts flying on broomsticks given the circumstances, even though a dozen Muggles thought they spotted something looking like flying broomsticks because of their actions. They had all been lucky. Still, she thought it was nothing compared to the troubles of last year so far. A wagon separated from the Hogwarts Express was nothing when compared to fighting a troll, a cursed broomstick, Hagrid raising a dragon in his hut, and confronting Voldemort himself. Their fight still gave her nightmares from time to time.

There was only one good thing that had come out of Harry's encounter with the troll : his friendship with Hermione. Lily had wondered for a moment if there wasn't something more between her son and the girl. But after Hermione spent a week in their home during summer, she had to acknowledge that whatever there was between her son and the girl, it didn't go farther than friendship, for now. Harry was only twelve-years-old, after all. Having a girlfriend was probably not on his list of priorities. Personally, Lily liked Hermione very much. She looked way more serious than Ronald Weasley, and probably had a better influence on her son than his red-headed friend. She could also understand Harry in ways Ronald never could, considering both Harry and Hermione grew up among Muggles for years, and with little contact with the wizarding world before they came to Hogwarts. Hermione seemed like a very good friend to her son, and she hoped it would remain that way.

It seemed a troll invading the corridors of Hogwarts was finally not part of this year's festivities, for Lily soon spotted two silhouettes coming her way from the other side of the gates. One was very tall and big, holding a large lantern over his head. It was impossible to mistake Hagrid for someone else. The smaller person walking next to him was undoubtedly Harry, which was only confirmed when they reached the gates.

"Hello, Lily. It's good to see you here," the voice of the half-giant told her when they neared the school's limits.

"Hi, Hagrid. It's a pleasure to see you," she replied, but she looked at her son all the time. Hagrid opened the gates and Harry came to her. She hugged him, getting on her knees to do that, though she felt this time would soon come to an end. Harry was growing up, after all.

"Don't forget," Hagrid said, "you must be back here by midnight."

"Yes, Hagrid. We'll be back. Happy Halloween."

Hagrid nodded, his eyes communicating what he didn't dare to say, that he was sorry for James. Lily nodded in acknowledgement, thanking him silently, then turned her heels and started walking down the path with Harry.

"So, no troll this year?" she asked, trying to be cheerful.

"No, Mom. I think this Halloween is going to be normal."

"I hope so. Anyway, we won't be there, so there's nothing to worry about if vampires suddenly invade the castle."

"Or if one of Hagrid's giant pumpkins explodes to everyone's face."

That managed to make her laugh a little. Harry had told her in his letters how Hagrid had pumpkins grow to the size of his own hut with an Engorgement Charm.

"Let's hope your friend Seamus doesn't try to turn them from orange to green," she added, which elicited small laughs from them both.

It was then that she heard something on her left. Lily stopped and raised her wand to enlighten the row of trees that stood on this side of the road.

"What is it, Mom?" her son asked.

Lily was certain that she had heard something, and seen something too. A movement, like a shadow moving into the forest.

"I thought I..." Maybe she was getting paranoid around Hogwarts after the events of last year. "Forget about it. It must be my imagination. But I think we are far enough to Apparate. Are you ready?"

Harry gripped her arm, and Lily transferred them within seconds to the cemetery of Godric's Hollow. Rows of tombstones stood ahead of them. They had apparated right at the same place than last year.

"Are you alright, my dear?" Lily asked her son, making sure he was fine after the Apparition.

"Yes, Mom," he said, panting a little.

She conducted him to the place where they went every year. James' grave remained the same throughout the years. There were some flowers already there. Slowly, Lily made another bouquet appear. She designed it as slowly as she could, thinking about James the whole time. It seemed to take eternity, but it resulted in a complex mosaic of flowers of all colours that covered the whole of the tomb, up to where her husband's name was written.

James Potter, born 27 March 1960, died 31 October 1981

The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

She had this written herself after the funerals. They happened over a month after her husband's death, after she recovered enough forces in the hospital wing of Hogwarts, and after Sirius was finally released from Azkaban. She was present, holding Harry in her arms. Sirius and Remus were there too, along with Dumbledore, several Hogwarts teachers including Minerva McGonagall and Horace Slughorn, and most of the members of the Order of the Phoenix who survived through the war. Were also present Milicent Bagnold, the then Minister of Magic, and many representatives of the Ministry, such as Cornelius Fudge, who was then at the head of the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes, Bartemius Crouch, at the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Many people who had known James and Lily during their scholarship or after, friends both old and new, simple acquaintances, and perfect strangers who just wanted to pay their respects came. There were also journalists, of course, taking all photos they could of Lily and her son, and who would hunt them for the two years that would follow until Lily finally decided to go back and live in the world of Muggles.

A lot was said, and little was done. Mostly, James' body was buried. Lily had struggled to stand on her feet for the whole duration of the ceremony. Only the fact that she was holding Harry in her arms kept her from falling apart. After everybody was gone, and the others made sure she had a moment alone in front of her husband's grave, she wrote the sentence below his name. James had given his life for Lily, and for their son. As long as she was alive, and that Harry was alive, she thought that James would live through them, hence the reason why she wrote that down. James had cheated death by saving them. At least, that's what she told herself back then.

Today, sometimes, it was hard to convince herself about that. She had her son, who each passing day looked a little more like his deceased father. The only thing Harry physically shared with her were his eyes, the same green as hers. She was proud of her son, proud of who Harry became, even though he made her worry so much that by times she thought it would kill her someday. But she no longer felt that James had defeated death. He sacrificed himself, and sometimes she wished she was the one who died in his place. Harry reminded her that she had a son who didn't get to know his father, who didn't get the chance to grow with him. James was dead, and nothing would bring him back.

"Mom?"

Her son's voice resonated next to her. She felt his hand sliding into hers. She gripped it as she closed her eyes and let the tears come down. Harry was the only who could offer her some comfort on those days, and she hated herself for dragging him into this. He should be partying with his friends in the Great Hall right now, enjoying the festivities of Halloween, not keeping company to his mother on the worst day of her life. And yet here he was, and she could do nothing but take what solace he could offer her.

She didn't know how long they remained there, but after a moment she felt she had no more tears to shed. She dried and washed them away, and brought her son to the village so they could eat something. Since this was Halloween night, no one looked strangely at a mother walking with her son in the streets, dressed as wizards. They might have found it strange that Harry had no bag or plastic cauldron to collect chocolate bars and candies, but Lily doubted people would pay any real attention to that detail. She and Harry ended up eating hamburgers on a bench of the park, outside.

"So, tell me, how is your Quidditch season looking this year?" she asked her son, trying to think about something else than James.

"I'm not sure. The Slytherins have brand new broomsticks. Lucius Malfoy bought a Nimbus Two Thousand and One to each of their players so Draco could get into the team."

Lucius Malfoy. One of Voldemort's old servants, who managed to not get sent to Azkaban by swearing he was under the Imperius Curse, and certainly by distributing some of his gold to those who then became his friends after his master's fall.

"Don't bother too much about it. If Draco Malfoy needed his father in order to become Seeker, he will not be a match for you when you'll play against him," she said.

"Perhaps." Harry didn't seem convinced by her reasoning. "Only, all the other players have broomsticks that far surpass ours. Fred and George spied on the training of the Slytherins, and they say that they are so fast that they can barely see them move over the pitch."

"The broomstick doesn't make the player, Harry. If your team plays as well as she did the last time, all the odds are on your side."

Harry nodded. He then looked more directly at her. "I'm sorry, Mom. I mean, about what happened during the first week-end. I was just..."

"Trying to defend your friend," she completed. She already knew everything about what happened. McGonagall told her everything, and Harry had also told her how things happened in a letter. While reading it, she wondered for a moment whether it was her son or her late husband who did this. Breaking somebody's nose for calling a girl a Mudblood was more in James' style than Harry's. At the same time, having been the target of that particular insult, she could understand her son's reaction, as much as she disapproved it.

"Look, Harry," she said. "It's in the past. It's been done. You've been punished, all of you, for what you did that day. I just don't expect you to repeat this. The next time, it will not only be detention for you. That kind of violence can get you out of school. And this is just a word, anyway. The best thing to do in those cases is just to try and ignore these people. The only reason why they're using it is only because it makes them feel superior, when in fact they bury themselves deep into the ground by saying it."

"I heard Voldemort was targeting people like you and Hermione during the last war," Harry said.

Lily sighed. "It's true. Words can hurt. But you won't stop Malfoy from using them by punching him in the face every time he utters them. I already told you, I don't want that to happen again."

She was firm but tried to speak in the kindest way she could. And in some way, she did hope that the lesson Malfoy got would make him think twice before calling another student a Mudblood.

"I promise," Harry said. For Lily, it was enough. The accident was already two months old, and it would be useless to dwell on it. Anyway, from what she knew of Hermione, she could handle herself.

The evening went on quite well. She probably should have brought Harry back to Hogwarts sooner, but she cherished the moments she spent with him on that day. It helped her to get through it.

It was past eleven and thirty when they finally Apparated on the track leading from Hogsmeade to the castle. The night had been good. Nothing horrible had happened. Lily felt that finally, this year would be eventless for her son. As eventless as it could be, in any case.

They arrived in front of the gates. Lily expected Hagrid to be there, already waiting. That was what happened last year. Hagrid had been waiting for half an hour until they finally arrived. This time, however, Hagrid was nowhere to be seen, nor was anyone else waiting for them. Lily hit the gates to announce their presence. They waited, but no one came. Lily rang again. After fifteen minutes, no one had come yet.

"What's going on?" Harry asked.

Lily wished she could tell. That wasn't normal. "Someone will come soon."

"You think?"

Her son wasn't an idiot. She should have thought better than believing such a lie would be enough for him. "Maybe they are delayed, or Hagrid is busy with something else."

"Perhaps," Harry conceded.

It was only around midnight, as both Lily and her son began to find the air much too cold, that Hagrid finally came, running.

"Lily! Harry! By the dragon, you're here, and safe."

"We've been waiting for over half an hour," Lily said, not trying to hide the impatience in her voice.

"I'm sorry." Hagrid was panting, and his eyes looked everywhere very quickly. "Harry, you got to come with me, quickly! All the other students are already in their dormitories."

"Hagrid, what's going on?" Harry asked. Lily wanted to ask the same question. Hagrid truly seemed panicked, and she didn't think it was only because he was late.

"Look, your friends in the Gryffindor Tower should be able to explain to you. You must come with me, quickly!"

"Hagrid!" Lily positioned herself between the half-giant and her son. "What is going on?"

Hagrid looked at her. Finally, he gave in. "Something terrible happened during the Halloween feast."

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