A new chapter where we see the parents' reaction to the events taking place at Hogwarts.

LILY XIII

Dear Mom,

There has been a new attack this evening. Hermione was Petrified. I found her in a corridor, unmoving like a statue. There is also a student from Ravenclaw, Randolph Burrow, who was Petrified at the same time.

Mom, everyone is afraid at Hogwarts, even the professors. I don't know what to do anymore.

There are things I didn't tell you. Since the beginning of the year, I've started to hear voices. I don't know where they're from or who is speaking, and I'm the only one who seems to hear them. They seem to be coming from inside the walls. The voice keeps speaking about killing someone. I heard it before I found Colin Creevey when he was Petrified, and I also heard it before Hermione was found. I didn't tell Dumbledore or any professor or even you because I was afraid you might think I was insane, but I don't know what else to do now.

I also learned recently that Hagrid was expelled from Hogwarts fifty years ago because he was accused of opening the Chamber of Secrets, and of freeing the monster who killed a student back then. I don't believe it was him, but if there's even a little chance that Hagrid might know about it... I wish I knew what to do.

The professors have put new rules into place. We cannot leave the common rooms except for going into class, and we are escorted by a teacher between two courses. Even Quidditch was cancelled.

Those who were Petrified are going to be brought back soon. The Mandrakes are almost ready. We are safe.

I love you, Mom.

Harry

Lily read this letter at the light of her electric lamp on the evening of Sunday. She was away from home during the whole day to train with Nymphadora and the others. They were about to reach a crucial step in their training, and future Aurors couldn't waste any time for anything else than practicing their defensive and offensive capacities. When she arrived home late this evening and found Hedwig waiting for her, Lily couldn't have been happier. Receiving news from her son, only a day after she saw him win another Quidditch game, was heartwarming. She quickly disillusioned when she read the letter.

She lingered on the last few words of the letter. We are safe. I love you, Mom. She closed her eyes. Harry was a sweet boy. She felt he wrote the entire last paragraph and those words to reassure her, but they were only proof that things were indeed going very bad. She had hoped that the rest of the year would go on without further accidents. It had been months since an attack took place, and Harry's letters showed he was getting happier and that his fellow students were progressively stopping to suspect him. Now what would happen? Would they point him as the one responsible once again?

And then, there was Hermione. The girl spent an entire week in their home last summer. Lily had taken quite a liking to her. Hermione was smart, with a good judgment, and a very good friend of Harry. Lily could see it while she stayed at their home. While Lily saw that Harry considered Ronald as a friend, he felt his friendship with Hermione went deeper. Perhaps it was more than friendship, Lily thought. Lily saw some of herself into Hermione. To learn that she was Petrified was simply... horrifying. And to think that Harry, her Harry, found her in this state... It was just too horrible to imagine how he must have felt, finding his best friend in such a state.

Lily let a small hiccup escape from her mouth. There were all these things Harry said he didn't tell her before. He was hearing voices? And right before the attacks? What could it mean? First, he could speak Parseltongue, then he was hearing voices coming through the walls. And Hagrid? Who would have been expelled from Hogwarts because he opened the Chamber of Secrets? How could that be?

Lily was worried. She really was worried. It was the same kind of worry than last year. Last year was made up of isolated accidents. And when her son got the brilliant idea of stopping Voldemort by his own means, adrenaline kicked in and she just rushed to his rescue. This time, things were different. Lily felt like she was forced to stay away from Hogwarts while her son was at risk of being attacked by a monster at every turn, and that there was nothing she could do about it.

Lily remained sitting in her couch for quite some time, fingers crossed, pondering about what to do. She thought about removing Harry from Hogwarts. He would be safer here. But it wasn't the first time she thought about it, and like previous times, she came to the conclusion that this wasn't the solution. Harry had other friends at Hogwarts. He liked it there. Despite the tone of his letter, she could feel he still loved it there. He needed to learn magic and to master his wizardry skills. Anyway, he wasn't Muggle-born, and these attacks were clearly directed at them. She didn't think that Harry would want to abandon Hermione either. He wouldn't forgive Lily if she took him out of school.

She thought very hard about what she should do. She took a piece of parchment in the end. She wouldn't write back to Harry. It was to Hogwarts' Headmaster that she addressed her message. Mostly, she demanded answers. Why the attacks continued, and was there any truth to the story that Hagrid was expelled for opening the Chamber of Secrets fifty years ago? That was what she asked of Dumbledore.

As Hedwig left, she realized that she needed to talk to someone. However, there was no one who was available right now. It was too late to bother Minerva again. There was a limit to the number of times Lily could appear through her fireplace. Remus and Sirius were far away, working for Dumbledore. They kept their movements and their missions secret.

Lily felt alone. So alone. Out of her training to become an Auror, she had no opportunity, aside from her rare reunions with her son, to be in someone else's company. She felt the heavy weight on that solitude wearing down on her shoulders. Usually, she could ignore it, or managed to not feel it, but tonight, as she worried about her son like never before, she felt it very acutely.

She heard something tapping against her window. Another owl had arrived. She took the letter he carried, to find the usual green writing of Hogwarts' mail. She opened it. It was a letter from McGonagall, informing on what had happened yesterday and of the measures they had taken to protect their children. The letter also stated that if the culprit was not found soon, Hogwarts would close in the interest of the children's safety. How strange that Harry got her the news first. She already knew everything that was being told in that letter thanks to her son. She put it aside.

Lily would usually study in the evening, even on Sundays, when Harry wasn't there. She didn't really have much else to do. This time, however, her heart wasn't there. She just prepared herself a cup of tea and went to bed early.

The next morning, Lily had trouble focusing during the day. At least, it wasn't noticed too much by their instructors who spent the day teaching them the intricacies of the magical law and jurisprudence, and also techniques of investigation and interrogation. Aurors were like elite policemen and policewomen, and as such, they required to be as good at duelling dark wizards than at finding clues to apprehend them, and more importantly to get them convicted at their trial. Lily copied everything the speakers told them. They included Amelia Bones, the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Lily would usually have found her presentation very interesting, but today words only entered one ear to leave the other. The notes she took before the words left her mind were the only thing that would prevent her from forgetting what was said today.

On lunch time, Nymphadora noticed how miserable Lily looked.

"Something wrong today?" she asked Lily.

"Yes," came the reply.

"Events at Hogwarts?" Tonks further inquired. Lily looked at her, puzzled. "I read the Daily Prophet," Tonks explained.

Lily must have forgotten to read it lately. The information it contained was not always the best, so she didn't read it all the time. She guessed that the Petrification of two students was an event major enough to interest the newspaper.

"It's hard," Lily shortly commented.

"I guess," the younger woman said empathetically. "But well, your son is not Muggle-born. So the risks are probably lower for him. I'm glad you're no longer a student there though."

Lily had a short laugh. "Be careful, Tonks. You're way closer to being a Hogwarts' student than I am."

Tonks shrugged. "Just saying. Though I wonder why they haven't found who did this yet. Do you think another professor could be behind this? Like last year?"

Lily had thought about this, of course. The first name that came to her mind when she thought of a professor at Hogwarts who could attack Muggle-born students was Severus Snape. He had the dislike and the hatred towards Muggle-born people that was necessary to go after them. However, it didn't really fit what she knew about him. Why would he start Petrifying students now? He had more than ten years to do it, and he would do it now? Anyway, she couldn't really accuse him without proof, and Harry himself never suspected Snape. If Harry, who spent his time with Snape around him, never suspected Snape, Lily highly doubted it could be him. Furthermore, Snape could not be the heir of Slytherin. She knew that his family had no ties with the founder of the house by the same name.

"Do you think they should get the Ministry to intervene?" Tonks asked. "I know Dumbledore usually doesn't want the Ministry to meddle in Hogwarts' business but given what's happening..."

Lily thought about it while looking at Madam Bones, who was talking with some trainees. She sighed. "If Dumbledore has not found who was behind those attacks, I'm not sure if there's anything the Ministry of Magic can do," she said reluctantly. For everything Dumbledore did that Lily did not necessarily agree, like keeping Snape as a professor, she couldn't deny the wisdom and genius of the man. No one could.

"Well, I guess it's no longer up to Dumbledore to find the person responsible for that, I guess," Tonks said on a resigned tone.

"What do you mean?"

Tonks looked at her queerly. "You really don't know?" Tonks sighed. She took something in her bag and dropped it in front of Lily. It was the last edition of the Daily Prophet. "It's probably better if you see it for yourself."

The front page displayed two huge photos, one of Hogwarts, and another one of Dumbledore. The titles couldn't have been more clear, and they surprised Lily.

PETRIFICATION AT HOGWARTS

NEW ATTACKS ON STUDENTS

ALBUS DUMBLEDORE SUSPENDED

Lily couldn't believe her own eyes. "Dumbledore? Suspended?" She looked at Nymphadora. She shrugged.

"Decision from the Board of Governors. I was just as surprised as you are. Until I saw who spoke in the name of the Board. Guess who?"

The name popped into Lily's mind right away. She didn't need to read the newspaper to know who was behind all this. "Lucius Malfoy."

"Yes. According to his own words, Dumbledore is no longer up to the task, and the Governors had to do something, or else there would be no Muggle-borns left in Hogwarts. He said that it would be an awful loss."

Tonks grimaced to show what she thought of Lucius Malfoy's words. She even widened her face to display her feelings. Lily understood what she meant. Lucius Malfoy was a pure-blood supremacist, a partisan of Voldemort who got away by pretending he was under the Imperius Curse. Lily had no doubt he rejoiced at the idea of Muggle-born students being wiped out of Hogwarts. Suspending Dumbledore would not help end the attacks, quite the opposite. Whoever did this would be emboldened by the fact the Headmaster was removed from his position, especially if this headmaster was Albus Dumbledore. Lily was more convinced than ever that Lucius Malfoy had a hand in all this. His elf warned her and Harry about the Chamber of Secrets and tried to harm Harry on several occasions, and now he was removing Dumbledore from Hogwarts, putting in further danger all students.

"As if my dearest uncle ever cared about anything but pure blood," Tonks said with disgust.

Indeed, Lucius Malfoy was Nymphadora's uncle by marriage. He was married to Narcissa Black, who happened to be the sister of Andromeda, Nymphadora's mother. But Tonks had no contact with Lucius, of course. Her mother married a Muggle-born wizard, and that was enough for her sisters to cut all ties with her. Not that Andromeda complained about it. She was in horrible terms with her sisters long before she married Edward Tonks.

"The deadliest of poisons are also the sweetest to the taste," Lily stated, quoting one of their instructors. "Lucius Malfoy is such a poison."

"Yes, that couldn't be any truer. What are you going to do about Harry? You're thinking about removing him from Hogwarts? I know some parents are already thinking about it."

Lily thought very carefully before she replied. "No. Whoever is attacking students is only targeting Muggle-borns. I think Harry can still be safe at Hogwarts, and he must not abandon his studies." She didn't know if she tried to convince Nymphadora or herself.

"Let's hope that whoever makes these attacks will not turn against half-bloods at some point," Tonks said.

"Indeed." Tonks was rather a positive and jovial person usually, but this time her words did not comfort Lily.

Nymphadora had to leave early. She realized she had forgotten something, yet again, and rushed back to her home to recover it before the training for the afternoon began. Lily read in her absence, waiting for the lunch time to be over. However, before this period, was over someone came to sit in front of her. Lily looked up to meet blue eyes that stared straight at her. They were part of a square-jawed face with close-cropped brown hair. The facial expression of that woman betrayed no feelings.

"We meet again at last, Lily Evans," she said.

"Madam Bones, a pleasure to meet you," Lily sincerely replied. "But I don't believe we have met before."

This woman, who spoke to them this morning, was Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and probably one of the most respected high-ranking official in the Ministry of Magic. Lily never met her, though she had known her brother very well. Edgar Bones was a powerful wizard, who was a member of the Order of the Phoenix. He had been murdered during the last war, along with his wife, their children and his parents, possibly by Voldemort's hand himself. His assassination was one of the many events that pushed Lily and James to consider hiding when she got pregnant. But she had never met his sister, who now sat in front of her, her expression even.

"I was attending the ceremony when you received the Order of Merlin First Class," Madam Bones said straight.

"Oh, I see. There were a lot of people there, and it's been a very long time. I guess I don't remember," Lily offered as an apology.

"Probably," the Head of the Department shortly replied. She spoke quickly, in short sentences. "I wanted to ask you something. Are you worried about the events taking place at Hogwarts right now?"

That wasn't a question Lily expected. She answered as honestly as she could all the same. She would be working for this woman one day, after all. "Yes, I am. Especially since Dumbledore was suspended."

"I agree. Students were much safer with him as headmaster. Your son is there, isn't he?"

"Yes," she replied. "His best friend just got Petrified."

Amelia Bones nodded slightly. Her lips formed into a thin line. Lily noticed that this woman looked concerned as well. "Make sure he is safe."

Madam Bones then stood up. A question came to Lily's lips before she left. "You have children there as well?"

"No. I have a niece. It was her friend too who got Petrified. Take care of yourself."

And Amelia Bones was gone with that. Lily had to recognize that parents were not the only ones who had to worry about the students. Everyone certainly had at least a sibling at Hogwarts. Except for pure-blood extremists like the Malfoys, Lily didn't see anyone who wouldn't be worried about the events taking place there.

The afternoon mostly went just like the morning. Lily mechanically took notes during the conferences she attended, but her thoughts remained on Harry and Hogwarts, and all the events taking place there. When the day was over, she decided to go back home by walking. She needed time to think, and a little walk from the Ministry of Magic to her apartment would help her clear her mind.

Her walk in the streets of London during the dark evening of March at least allowed her to get some fresh air. She spent most of her time studying and training, and as a result she didn't get many opportunities to go out. Lily walked into an alley next to the seemingly abandoned tower, then walked through the barrier that looked like a condemned door.

The entrance hall was usually quiet and empty. There were no guards, no staff to watch it. Sometimes, Lily crossed the path of another occupant, but it was rare. This time, however, when she walked in, she was met by a chorus of shouts, yells and indistinct conversations. The hall was filled to the brim with other adults who seemed to be all arguing. It was as if all the inhabitants in the building prepared an assembly without any organization, which seemed to be the case.

"LISTEN, EVERYONE! LISTEN!"

A woman with dark skin and very deep black hair brought into a bun was trying to calm the crowd. The yelling subsided a little, but not completely, as parents kept shouting. It appeared to Lily that this woman was the target of the complaints.

"Look, I know this is a very upsetting situation," the woman tried.

"Upsetting? Our children are getting Petrified!" another woman in the crowd shouted, resuming the ball of accusations.

"Only four students were Petrified so far, and everything indicates that they will wake up soon. The Mandrakes to reanimate them are almost ready," the woman who was the target of accusations tried to say over everyone else's voices.

"But why expel Dumbledore?" a man asked. Lily recognized him as the father of one of Harry's friends, a girl they crossed in a restaurant during his Easter vacations and that Harry hailed.

"We had no other choice. Two students were Petrified within a single day. We had to do something."

"What you should have done is to give him more powers and means to stop these attacks. The boy who was Petrified two days ago was a friend of my daughter," another man claimed.

"Tell us, Madhari Patil. You sit on the Board of Governors. How will Dumbledore's suspension help to protect our children?" another woman asked.

Madhari Patil, the woman who had been trying to calm down the people who Lily now understood were the parents of students at Hogwarts, seemed to be at a loss of words for a moment.

"Minerva McGonagall will be the headmistress by interim for now. She is very competent. We have all faith in her. Look, my two daughters are going to Hogwarts. Do you really think I would have supported Dumbledore's suspension if I didn't think there was someone competent to assume his functions in the meantime?" Madhari declared.

This did not calm down the other parents. It was quite the opposite, in fact. The shouting and yelling resumed, louder than before. Lily looked more attentively to that woman. She was sitting on the Board of Governors with Lucius Malfoy, but she looked quite overwhelmed by events.

"That's your solution to this? Suspending the headmaster, without any other safety measure?" one parent shouted.

"Evening activities were suspended," Mrs Patil explained. "Students are escorted between each class by a teacher. They remain in their common room at all other times. They are safe."

"This is Dumbledore himself who put these measures into place," a man with short brown hair shouted. "Can you tell how suspending Dumbledore makes our children safer?"

"We are doing out utmost to ensure their safety. And anyway, we are all wizards here. Our children are not targeted by these attacks. Only those from Muggle families are being attacked."

"Really? To me, it seems you're serving the interests of pure-blood supremacists. You have some on the Board. Was it their idea to suspend Dumbledore? You went along with this?"

Everyone looked at Mrs Patil, who was speechless. Lily herself looked very intently at her. Then their eyes met.

"I think the most important question for now would be to know who is behind these attacks. And Dumbledore failed to identify the culprit. That's why we suspended him," Mrs Patil argued.

"Will McGonagall be more able to arrest the person behind those attacks?"

"I think she will, if she is not as trusting as Dumbledore himself. The Headmaster gave too many free passes to some students. She should begin to look for students who obviously could have done these attacks. Parselmouths, for example?"

She looked at Lily again, who stood in shock as the whole hall slowly turned towards her. Of course, they all knew she was the mother of Harry Potter. Some had gone to school with her. However, right now, she was boiling from the inside.

"Are you seriously accusing my son of being behind those attacks?" Lily asked to Patil, an edge in her voice. "You're really accusing him of Petrifying all these children, a cat and a ghost?"

"He can speak Parseltongue," Mrs Patil simply stated. Lily saw that it had an effect on the others. "My daughters told me. They were there when he unleashed a snake on another student. And that student was found Petrified not long after."

"This is ridiculous! First, he didn't unleash any snake. If you asked your daughters, they would tell you that it was another student who made the snake appear." Lily knew how to turn the situation against this woman. "And this student happens to be the son of someone who sits on the Board of Governors. I'm sure you know his father. He goes by the name of Lucius Malfoy." Now everybody's gaze was on Mrs Patil, not on Lily. She didn't let the Board member speak up though, not yet. "He's a pure-blood supremacist. A former Death Eater." She turned to the other parents. "How many people here have lost family members in the last war because of Malfoy and his friends?"

"Mr Malfoy is a respected member of the wizarding community, the last of a very long and old line of wizards."

"He is a criminal, and a murderer, who managed to avoid Azkaban by pretending he was under the Imperius Curse."

"He was forgiven by the Ministry of Magic."

"And he is a pure-blood supremacist. Tell us. Was it his idea to suspend Dumbledore?"

Mrs Patil hesitated. "All members of the Board took that decision unanimously."

"Then that means yes." She turned to the other parents. "Ask your children who is the only student who looks happy about recent events. They'll tell you that it is Draco Malfoy, the son of Lucius." She turned back to Mrs Patil. "Did you verify to see if he had anything to do with these attacks?"

Mrs Patil opened her mouth in shock. "You dare... You dare to accuse... the son of a member of the Board?"

"You accused mine," Lily shot back. "And by the way, my son broke Draco Malfoy's nose at the beginning of the year, because Lucius' son insulted my son's best friend by calling her a Mudblood." The word had an instantaneous effect on the assembly. "And this poor girl was Petrified two days ago. You really think that my son would Petrify his best friend?" Mrs Patil was obviously at a loss of words. "And by the way, I'm Muggle-born, Mrs Patil. So you really think that my son would attack other Muggle-borns when his own grandparents are Muggles? Next time, before you throw baseless accusations at my son, do you work!"

Lily walked out of the entrance hall on those last words. She had enough of this. She was furious. She couldn't believe that she had to explain other parents how stupid the idea that her son Petrified other students was. She climbed the stairs to her apartment and closed the door behind her.

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Next chapter: Hannah