The end of the trial.

LILY XVI

The cold, cruel laugh resonated as Lily watched, powerless, the green streak journey across the room, coming right at her. She dodged it, then she cast a powerful curse that obliterated Voldemort's human host. She looked at the remains of the man who had given another chance to Voldemort to occupy a body. She had done it. But then, behind her, another kind of laugh, more akin to sniggering, was heard.

"Avada Kedavra!"

She jumped behind a column to avoid the other Killing Curse hitting her. But when she peered at the origin of the curse, it was to see Peter Pettigrew, Wormtail, standing tall, a satisfied smile on his face... with Harry's dead body at his feet.

"NOOOOOOOOOOO!"

"Mom! Mom!"

She found herself in her bed, breathing heavily and quickly, panting, sweating.

"Mom!"

She looked at the origin of the real voice. Harry was standing next to her, in his pyjamas. For a very short moment, a fraction of a second, she wanted to throw her arms around his neck and hug him very tightly. But she thought better of it. That would only make him worry more for her, and that was the last thing she wanted. She dropped her head against her pillow, sighed heavily, and rubbed her eyes.

"Having nightmares you too?" he asked her.

"Me too?" She looked at him. He seemed tired. "You're having nightmares as well?" He nodded. She sighed again. "I knew it was a bad idea, going to the trial."

"That's fine. Even without the trial, I have some, from time to time."

She shook her head. "Sorry to have woken you up, my dear."

"That's alright. I was already awakened. I heard you move like you were struggling."

"Did I scream?"

"No."

Good. That was good. She exhaled deeply again. "Well, I don't think neither of us will get any sleep anytime soon." She stood up from her bed and put on a dressing gown. "I'll prepare some hot chocolate." That's what she did when Harry woke up from a terrible nightmare.

"Already done," he said. "The mugs are waiting for us."

She had a quicky and inaudible laugh. Her son was really too sweet. And indeed, two large cups of hot chocolate were waiting for them in the dining room. It was as if her son guessed she would have nightmares as well. The hot and sweet liquid made her feel better.

"Do you think the trial is going to last much longer?" her son asked her.

"I don't know. I hope not, but with Fudge leading it, we never know. At least, the part that concerns us is over. I suppose the rest of the trial will be about the other murders Pettigrew helped to commit," she said.

"Like the Bones family?"

"Yes. And also the McKinnons. And Dorcas Meadowes."

These were the other murders Wormtail was accused of participating to. It was hard for Lily to think about these people. She knew them all during the last war. All of them, they joined the Order of the Phoenix to fight Voldemort and his disciples. Pure-blood, half-blood or Muggle-born, man or woman, barely out of school or elderly, single or married, with or without children, rich or poor, native or immigrant, white, black or yellow, European, American, Asian or African, it didn't matter. As long as you wanted to fight against Voldemort, you were welcomed into the Order. Lily and James joined it as soon as they graduated.

She remembered Edgar Bones very well. She also remembered his family. She had met his wife and their four children, three sons and a daughter, not long before they died. Despite the troubled times in which they lived, they looked so happy and alive when she met them, in stark contrast with Edgar who always looked so serious. When Lily left Hogwarts, she wasn't planning on having children right away. She and James had only been dating for a short time, and given they joined the Order as soon as they left school, she wanted to focus on their fight against Voldemort and his followers. She was also afraid of bringing a new life into a world that could end up being dominated by Voldemort. When she later asked Edgar how he did to live without fearing the worst for his family, how he could build a family in such times, he told her something that changed her life forever.

My family is the reason I fight for. What's the point in fighting for a better world if we don't have children or grandchildren who will live to enjoy what we fought for?

It had been strange for Lily to listen to this man, the strongest and most serious she ever met, while he looked so vulnerable. Not long after, she told James that she wanted to start a family. She got pregnant in no time. Sadly, Edgar, his parents, his wife and their children were all murdered before it happened. Lily and James mourned them, but they were not the last to die.

Dorcas Meadowes was a powerful American witch. In her seventies, she had fought against Gellert Grindelwald and his Acolytes during the Global Wizarding War. She had left the United States when Voldemort's threat became too great, and come to England in order to fight him, like she fought Grindelwald before. Lily didn't have much time to know her though. The woman was murdered by Voldemort himself early in 1981.

As for Marlene McKinnon, she was part of the Order from its very foundation, in 1971. Her husband had been amongst the first victims of the war, being killed by Death Eaters who were never identified. Marlene continued to fight, while taking care of her three children at the same time. Lily remembered how this woman always managed to smile or to find some amusing side to any situation. She brought some positivity to their meetings. She was killed along with all her children only a few days before Harry's first birthday. Lily had burst into tears when she heard the news.

"Do you think there are other people who Pettigrew helped to kill?" Harry asked.

"Yes," she answered after a moment. "Only, the Ministry probably can't prove it. They only put him on trial for the crimes they can prove that he committed."

This was no good discussing these things. It wouldn't help them get back to bed.

"Let's talk about something else. Are you looking forward to your third year at Hogwarts?" she asked her son.

"Well, yes. I... Well, I guess I mostly miss Ron and Hermione. It will be good to see them again. And to play Quidditch, too."

"You really missed them this summer?"

"Yes. I mean, with Ron in Egypt and Hermione in France... It was hard to see them."

"Well, you still have your other friends. Those two girls who came here."

Harry shrugged. "Hannah and Susan are nice, but... We mostly do our homework together. They're not friends like Ron and Hermione are."

"You don't have any other good friend?" Lily knew that Ron and Hermione were her son's closest friends, but still, she hoped he had other friends as well. "No other student who lives in our tower?"

"There's Parvati Patil, and her sister Padma, yes. I don't know Padma very much. Parvati is in the same year as us, and she's in Gryffindor, but I was never quite close to her."

Patil. They had to be the daughters of the woman who was a member of the Hogwarts Board of Governors. "Well, in two weeks, you'll back to Hogwarts. You'll have new classes this year, don't forget."

"No, I don't. I wonder what we're going to study in Care of Magical Creatures and Ancient Ruins. And I wonder who is going to be our new professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts, if Dumbledore has found one."

"I'm quite sure he's found one. He always finds one," she assured. In fact, she already knew who that professor would be, but she preferred to let it remain a surprise for Harry.

"What about you, Mom? It's going to be your last year of training. Is it going to be even harder than before?"

She took a generous gulp of hot chocolate before she answered. "I think... it's going to be demanding. But it's also the year when they are going to send us on the terrain for real missions. We will only follow fully graduated Aurors, but we will be out in the field."

Truth be told, Lily was eager to complete her training program. It had been one year and a half now that she followed the program. At her age, being on school benches just felt unnatural. And since she learned of Wormtail's capture, more than ever, she only wanted to get out in the field and actually chase after dark wizards and the other dangers that threatened the wizarding world.

"Don't worry, your old mother will have a life again soon," she told her son, earning a smile in the process.

They both went back to bed not long after. Lily watched her son as he climbed into his. Harry told her that she didn't need to make sure he went to sleep anymore. Maybe she didn't, but she did all the same. She went into her own bedroom not long after.

A few hours later, Lily and Harry were back in the courtroom in the Ministry of Magic. Wormtail sat, doubly chained to the chair like yesterday. Fudge, Umbridge and Crouch were still there to lead the trial, although Lily quite expected that Fudge and Crouch would do all the talking like yesterday. Dumbledore, Hagrid, Remus, Sirius, and several members of the former Order of the Phoenix were there as well. It was Fudge who opened the trial like last time.

"Fifteenth of August, in the year 1993. Continuation of the trial of Peter Pettigrew under charges of high treason, murder, complicity to murder, and complicity in attempted murder. Interrogators: Cornelius Oswald Fudge, Minister of Magic; Dolores Jane Umbridge, Senior Undersecretary to the Minister; Bartemius Joseph Crouch the First, Head of the Department of International Magical Co-operation. Court Scribe, Mafalda Jane Hopkirk. Let's resume."

The hammer pounded.

"The court calls forward Rosa Alexandra Johnson Bones," the Minister of Magic declared.

Lily looked at Edgar's sister-in-law walking down the stairs leading to the central circle of the courtroom, then sitting into a chair that the Ministry placed on purpose for witnesses this time. Lily knew her, though they had very few contacts ever since Edgar and his family died. When Voldemort and his supporters wiped out Edgar's family, they only left three of them alive, because they were not present during the attack. One of them was Amelia Bones, Edgar's sister, who was now Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. She continued to fight Voldemort as an employee for the Minister of Magic after her brother's death, but she never joined the Order of the Phoenix like he did. As for Edgar's brother, Aurelius, he went into hiding with his wife, Rosa, who was pregnant at the time. Lily supposed that the young girl sitting between Rosa's empty seat and Aurelius was their daughter.

"Are you Rosa Alexandra Johnson Bones, residing at Apartment 16, Abandoned Tower, London?" Fudge asked.

"Yes, I am," Rosa answered.

"Mrs Bones, we are sorry to ask this of you, but can you tell us what you witnessed during the evening of June 12, 1979?"

Rosa gulped. Lily suspected what was going to happen next. She had gone through the same ordeal, and although she managed to keep her testimony short and straight, she wasn't sure if Rosa would manage to do the same.

"I had gone to see my husband's family," she started. "I was in Edgar's home, with his wife Syvilia, their children, and my husband's parents. Aurelius had been working late, and he didn't want me to remain alone in our home. That's why I went to Edgar's home that night."

Rosa made a pause. Everyone in the courtroom was looking at her, waiting for her story to unfold.

"We had just finished dinner when the protection spells warned us that intruders had breached the perimeter. After we looked through the windows, it became clear who was attacking us. We had the children hide in the basement while Edgar, Syvilia, Brian, Evelyna and I added new protection spells all across the house, and then we prepared to fight. First, there were Inferi who came in waves. They destroyed all the traps and most protection spells we used, then many men and women started to throw curses at us from the outside. Syvilia was killed while she threw stupefying charms on our attackers from the second floor. I think she received a Killing Curse in the face. I saw the green light from the stairs."

She made another pause before she resumed.

"That's when Edgar stepped back from another window and closed all the others. He told us that he was there."

"Who was there?" Crouch asked.

"You-Know-Who."

Voldemort's name had been said many times yesterday, by Dumbledore, by Remus, by Sirius, by Lily, and although it caused some reactions among the other people who were afraid to pronounce the name, especially for the first times the name was said, the reaction there was quite noticeable as well.

"Edgar told us to run away. He told us to take the children and to leave the house from behind while he would hold him back. His parents dragged me in the other room, but some Death Eaters had already gotten in. We fought them, managed to stupefy a few. That's when we heard screams coming from the basement. And we heard men casting Killing Curses below our feet."

Rosa was crying now.

"Brian and Evelyna... They created a small space from where someone could Apparate. You-Know-Who and his people had cast spells preventing us from Apparating. They told me to use it to leave while it was still possible. The fight in the other room had stopped. We knew that Edgar was dead. I just... I just jumped into the area, and I disappeared... right when the door of the room was blown up... I was the only one to get out alive from this..."

Her voice broke up. Fudge spoke up immediately.

"Mrs Bones, we are going to show you some photos that were taken in the property of Edgar Bones the day following these events. Can you confirm that the people on these photos are your brother-in-law, his wife, their children, and his parents?"

Semi-transparent photos, some of them obviously taken from the Daily Prophet, appeared in the air for everyone to see. There were cries and gasps of horror as people took in the images that showed people lying on the floor. Lily recognized Edgar, his beard soaked in blood. The body of his wife, Syvilia, was at the bottom of stairs she probably tumbled down from after she was killed. Edgar's parents laid next to each other, their hands almost joined. But the worst photos were those of the children, who had obviously been tortured and toyed with before the Death Eaters killed them. She had seen those photos before, but it wasn't any easier to see them today than fifteen years ago.

"Yes."

Rosa burst into tears with that single word she said in a strangled voice. Lily looked at Harry, who looked horrified, but also furious at seeing such savagery.

"Bring the witness outside. I think we've already asked a lot from Mrs Bones," the Minister Fudge said.

Some clerks came to accompany Rosa out of the courtroom. Lily wondered why Fudge made her testify, and why he showed her photos of her slaughtered family. What was the point in all this? Scoring additional points with the public opinion? Reminding them of the horrors and how they managed to catch a dangerous criminal? People remembered very well how it was in the times when Voldemort was powerful. They didn't need to show this to a poor woman to remember it.

"Unless the accused has any question to ask the witness," Mr Crouch added. His voice was dry, cutting, even threatening. Wormtail didn't dare to ask anything from the woman who left the courtroom and was soon joined by both her husband and their daughter.

"The court calls forward Igor Karkaroff," Fudge announced as soon as the surviving Bones were outside the courtroom.

The name brought back Lily's attention. She saw a man wearing brown and heavy robes with furs coming from a side door. He had a small, grizzled goatee, was tall and thin, and his walk showed an easy demeanour, though Lily knew immediately that all this was only an act. Just like it was an act when he sat with dignity in the witness chair.

"Are you Igor Karkaroff, currently Headmaster of the Durmstrang Institute?" Crouch asked.

"I am," the man said with a thick Eastern Europe accent, on a very calm tone.

"You are also a former Death Eater, is that right?"

"To my greatest shame, yes, I happen to be."

"You were arrested and condemned to a life sentence in Azkaban, but were later pardoned and released for providing critical information that led to the imprisonment of several of your former comrades. Is it accurate?"

"It is."

"Back then, you provided us with all the information, to your knowledge, that could be of use to the Ministry of Magic in its efforts to track down all supporters of the Dark Lord. But today, you claim that you have other information to provide."

"I do." Karkaroff leaned forward in his chair. "I regret that I didn't speak about it before, but I didn't know that this information was relevant for the capture and the conviction of another Death Eater. In fact, I had no idea that this information was related to any Death Eater who was still alive or free."

"And today, you come forward with this information?"

"Yes. Representatives of the Ministry of Magic contacted me to know if I knew anything about this man." He pointed Wormtail. "I told them that I had no knowledge about a certain Peter Pettigrew being a Death Eater. But they gave me other names he went by, and one of them rang a bell. Wormtail."

"In what context did you hear it?"

"After the slaughter of Edgar Bones and his family. I... I am ashamed to admit it, but I was there. I was among the Death Eaters who took part in the assault on their property." Lily didn't believe he regretted it a single second.

"You participated to that slaughter?"

"No. Well, not directly. I was among the Death Eaters who took part in the attack, but I got stupefied early on, not long after we managed to break into the house. Mulciber and Rosier, on the other hand... They were the ones who slaughtered the children in the basement when they heard their cries. I don't know who killed Edgar Bones' wife. I didn't see who cast the Killing Curse that ended her days." He could well have killed her himself. "The fact is, after the Dark Lord defeated Edgar Bones, he killed his parents. And when he stood over their dead bodies... I was still stupefied at this moment... He must have thought that I couldn't hear... He said, finally, Wormtail proved he was useful."

There was a wave of shock around the courtroom. " And what is it that you understood from this?" Crouch asked.

"At the time, I didn't understand. The Dark Lord did everything he could so that Death Eaters didn't know each other's names, so that we couldn't turn on each other or provide valuable information if we fell into enemy hands. I had no idea who this Wormtail was. But I did hear his name another time, two years later. I kind of... surprised a conversation I wasn't meant to hear... or rather the end of such a conversation, between the He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and another one of his supporters back then. He said that it was thanks to Wormtail's information that he managed to find and to kill Dorcas Meadowes."

Fudge stepped in at this moment. "For the information of the Wizengamot, Wormtail is a nickname that was used by his friends to designate Peter Pettigrew, back when he was a student at Hogwarts. We got confirmation of this from Remus Lupin and Sirius Black. If the accused wishes to question the witness, now is the time."

As always, Wormtail seemed at a loss of words. Still, he managed to say something.

"Igor, did I participate to any of these murders? Did you see me raise my wand against anyone?"

"How could I have?" Karkaroff retorted. "You-Know-Who kept our identities hidden even among ourselves. I didn't know most of the people I went with on missions. As far as I know, you could well have been among the other Death Eaters who attacked the house of Edgar Bones."

"No. No. I did no such things. I wasn't even there!" Wormtail shouted, panicking again.

"Then prove it," Karkaroff shot back.

"This is not a question," Crouch declared. "I take that you have none other, Mr Pettigrew. Good. Then we can move on to the next witness."

Whether he wanted to ask other questions or not, Wormtail didn't say another word and cowered again. Lily couldn't believe that James was friend with that wreck of a man, and that even she trusted him.

To Lily's surprise, the next witness was Dumbledore. It seemed that questions now concerned the murder of Marlene McKinnon and her children. Dumbledore explained that Marlene and her family lived in various secret places, from which they moved regularly. Dumbledore reported a discussion he had with Marlene a week before her death, a discussion during which Marlene had mentioned where she would be living for the next two weeks. When Marlene left the room where they had talked, Wormtail was waiting at the door, to talk with Dumbledore. They then brought another former Death Eater, Walden Macnair, who was now working as an executioner for the Ministry, and who provided testimony that Voldemort learned of the new place where the McKinnons would live two days after this discussion. Macnair even confirmed that it was Voldemort's double agent inside the Order of the Phoenix who provided the information. And then Minerva McGonagall came to testify that she saw Wormtail standing behind the door to the room where Dumbledore and Marlene were discussing for a very long time. Peter's attempt to cross-examine the three witnesses failed miserably, like everything he had attempted since the beginning of this trial. When McGonagall left, Fudge announced that the Ministry was done with its witnesses.

"Now," Fudge declared, "does the accused have anything to say or any witness to present in order to defend himself?"

Lily looked at Wormtail. He was moving his lips, but nothing came out of it.

"Accused!" Bartemius Crouch stood up and looked down at Wormtail, an unforgiving expression in his eyes. "You are being granted the right to defend yourself, which is more than many other supporters of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named were given. Unless you want this assembly to decide of your fate only on the basis of the proofs and witnesses that were presented by the Ministry, I suggest you say something to explain yourself."

Peter moved his lips without making a sound for some more time. Crouch remained standing, looking without pity at him, until finally Peter could say something.

"I... I never wanted anyone to die."

"Well, people are dead." Crouch seized a paper in front of him. "James Potter, Edgar Bones, Syvilia Bones, Regis Bones, Ignatius Bones, Amelia Bones, William Bones, Brian Bones, Evelyna Bones, Dorcas Meadowes, Marlene McKinnon, Megan McKinnon, Don McKinnon, John McKinnon. Not to mention the twelve Muggles you brutally murdered and whose deaths you put on someone else. All evidence show that you've been an accomplice of multiple murders for years, before and after the Dark Lord was destroyed."

"What... What else could I do?" Wormtail screamed all of a sudden. "You-Know-Who... He was taking over everywhere! He would have killed me! He would have killed all of us! What... What was there to be gained by refusing him?"

"ONLY INNOCENT LIVES, YOU WORM!" Lily jumped in surprise at Sirius' outburst near her.

Fudge had to bring the order back into the courtroom as some other people roared after Peter, who squirmed in his chains. Lily watched Harry, who luckily enough had not made any outburst. When some sort of silence and order had returned to the courtroom, Fudge spoke once again. Crouch was back to sitting. The Minister spoke up.

"It seems to me that the accused has confessed to his crimes, and that he didn't put forward any valid reason why he could have been coerced into committing the crimes he is charged with. He knowingly provided information to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named with the knowledge that this information would lead to the death of many people, including children. It is also clear that after He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named disappeared, he went on with his criminal activities, slaughtering twelve people with a single curse."

"You don't get it!" Peter screamed. "He's still there! He's going to come back!"

"Silence!" Fudge pounded his desk with his hammer.

"He will come back one day! He was at Hogwarts last year. He is still alive, and he will come back one day!"

"You are warned, Peter Pettigrew!"

"And when he comes back, he's going to kill him..."

"Gag him!"

A spell flew from one of the Aurors who guarded Pettigrew, and a gag indeed appeared on Peter's mouth, muffling his shouts.

"I insist that you remain quiet, Peter Pettigrew, considering the number and gravity of the crimes you are charged with, and the evidence against you. Now, we are leaving you one last chance to defend yourself and provide this court with any element that might explain what you did. So, do you have anything else to say that would be relevant to this trial?"

Peter was looking in Lily's direction all the time, a look of pure scare in his eyes. But if he hoped to meet some pity with her, he wouldn't get any. Especially not after what he just said. So Peter instead turned to his interrogators. He nodded vigorously.

"Know that if you continue screaming and saying nonsense, we will gag you again. Do you understand?" Fudge asked him, threateningly.

Wormtail nodded vigorously again.

"Remove the gag," Fudge ordered.

As soon as the Auror removed it, Peter was babbling very quickly. "He was going to kill me. I was going to die! I had no choice."

"WE always have a choice, Pettigrew." Crouch stood up once more. "We can fight the evil, or we can join him. And you chose to join it. Which makes you as guilty as the Dark Lord was, and an associate in all his crimes," he said while pointing at him.

"What's the point in fighting a war we are doomed to lose?"

"We won this war, Pettigrew. You chose the wrong side. You chose to be a murderer, and you are responsible for the crimes you committed."

"The war is not over. He's still out there, alive. He will come back, and he will kill everyone who stands in his way when he does."

Bartemius Crouch stared at Pettigrew, then turned to the Minister. "I think we are done with the accused. He clearly has no witness to present, no mitigating circumstances to put forward for his crimes, and obviously no remorse whatsoever."

"I quite agree. We will then put this to a vote," Fudge declared.

So that was it. Lily looked at her watch. It was around noon now. Two days of trial, to end at this very moment, only a few seconds when the fate of Peter Pettigrew, the man who betrayed Lily and her family and who gave them up to Voldemort, would be finally decided. Her heart was pounding as she waited. Seconds seemed to last minutes as Fudge seemed to be putting some order into his papers.

"I will remind the Wizengamot of all charges the accused is facing. Twelve counts of murder against Muggles. Complicity in the murder of the following people: James Fleamont Potter, Edgar Brian Bones, Syvilia Euphemia Longcast Bones, Regis Edgar Bones, Ignatius Edgar Bones, Amelia Syvilia Bones, William Edgar Bones, Brian Wulfric Bones, Evelyna Ernestia Abbott Bones, Dorcas Arabella Meadowes, Marlene Mary McKinnon, Megan Marlene McKinnon, Don Howard McKinnon, John Howard McKinnon. Conspiracy in the attempt to commit murder on Lily Jane Evans Potter and Harry James Potter. High treason and collaboration with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Those in favour of a conviction on all charges?" the Minister asked.

All hands in the Wizengamot were raised at the same time, including those of the interrogators. All around, Lily heard cameras clicking as photos were taken.

"Those in favour of clearing the accused of any charge?" he then asked.

All hands were dropped. Not one person raised it. A silence like it was only met in cemeteries settled in the courtroom. Wormtail was looking everywhere, in panic.

"Peter Pettigrew," the Minister declared, "you are hereby declared guilty of all charges. Considering the magnitude and number of the crimes you've been declared guilty of, I suggest a life sentence of imprisonment at Azkaban."

"Azkaban?" Peter's shrieking voice pierced the atmosphere. "No. No! Not Azkaban, please! Everything but Azkaban!"

"Those in favour?" Fudge thundered, while raising his own hand, in which he was followed by all the Wizengamot.

"Please! I beg you!"

"Those against?"

No hand stood up. Wormtail was crying like a baby.

"Peter Pettigrew, you are sentenced to life imprisonment at Azkaban," Fudge stated before he pounded his desk with his hammer. "Take him away."

Lily sighed in relief. It was over. Peter was going to prison for the rest of his life. As she thought about it, she realized that a deafening sound had been slowly rising through the courtroom. People were applauding as Wormtail was being seized by the Aurors and dragged to the exit door. Among the victorious applauses, Lily looked at her son, who looked dumbfounded by what was going on. She seized his hand and held it tight.

"It's over," she said with a smile. He must have heard her over all the noise around, for he smiled at her.

Peter had to walk just next to where they sat as he was escorted outside, yelling, wailing, begging. He yelled something at them, something she could not understand, then he disappeared behind the heavy doors that separated the courtroom from the rest of the Ministry of Magic.

What happened next went in a fog. She and Harry left the courtroom, with people all around them to escort them out, but she could hear and see the journalists trying to get a look at them, to get photos, a word from them. They got none of it. Lily and her son just walked through the Ministry of Magic until they were out, then headed back home, only the two of them.

When they arrived back at their apartment, Lily and Harry sat in their living room.

"So, it's over?" Harry asked.

"Yes, it's over," she replied.

"How do you feel, Mom?"

That was a very good question. Somehow, she felt... nothing. She had thought that Wormtail's conviction may bring something good but, right now, she only felt... exhausted. Ever since the beginning, she had wanted this to be over with. She didn't want to go through this trial. She did it because she was called as a witness, and because she wanted to be sure that Peter would pay for what he did. She and James trusted him, and he sold them out to Voldemort. Sirius spent a month in Azkaban, and could have stayed in this place much longer because of him. Harry had almost died because of Wormtail. But all she wanted, in the end, were appropriate verdict and sentence for him. Now, she got them.

She had what she wanted. But truth be told, she felt empty. She didn't feel any joy at these news. She barely felt any comfort. She barely felt relieved. Instead, as she wondered whether she was alright or not, thoughts of her dead husband came to her mind. All kinds of memories, from when they arrived at Hogwarts to the time they spent hiding. She remembered the colored puffs of smoke he was producing while their baby tried to catch it. She remembered so many moments of happiness with him. And now that Pettigrew was imprisoned... She just realized that no matter the sentence, it would never bring her husband, the father of her son, back to life.

"Mom?"

Harry was looking at her, concerned. Lily didn't feel any tears in her eyes this time. She just closed her eyes and inhaled deeply.

"I'm fine, my dear. I guess I'm just... tired." She pulled on a smile. "But you know what? Let's enjoy the rest of the day. I'm bringing you somewhere."

"Where?" her son asked, uncertain.

"It's a surprise. Some place we haven't been for quite a while."

And indeed, she had not brought her son there for quite some time. The last two summers had been so occupied for Lily with her training that she and Harry could not really take any true vacation. So she brought him to the water park, like she did for his eleventh birthday.

Harry seemed to enjoy it. They had a very good time. However, she noticed him casting a few concerned glances at her. She wished she was the only one in their family who worried too much about the other. Still, they managed to spend a very pleasant moment. Lily managed to only think about her and her son for a half-day, and at the end of it, Harry just fell asleep in his bed from his own exhaustion. Despite being exhausted as well, more physically than mentally now, Lily took her time to make sure he was covered with blankets. She realized in the process how she didn't do it as often as she used to. Between the fact her son now spent most of the year at Hogwarts and that she herself was very busy, she somewhat lost the habit of making sure he was sleeping well like she used to do every evening before.

In the darkness, she looked at her son. He was growing up, and more quickly than ever. He was now thirteen, and she was afraid that mentally, he was quite older than he looked. Harry had already gone through things that very few adults got to live through. She felt he was slowly turning into someone else than the little boy she raised.

She left his bedroom, closing the door behind, and went to the kitchen to prepare a tisane for herself. However, now that the day was over and she could not focus anymore on giving her son a good time, thoughts of James came back to her mind. And this time, nothing could prevent them from flooding her mind. She knew what she needed to do. So she just left a word to Harry, in case he would wake up, telling him that she would be gone only for an hour or two and to not worry. Then she left the apartment, doing her best to make no noise, then Apparated in the entrance hall of their tower. She reappeared in a dark place filled with rows of graves, and quickly found the one she was looking for.

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

The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

She had never come here alone before. She always brought Harry with her, even back when he was only a toddler. Out of nowhere, Lily began to talk.

"Hi, James." She inhaled deeply. "They got him. Peter is going to Azkaban for the rest of his life."

She didn't know why she was speaking. She could have only thought those words. There was no need to speak aloud. Wherever James was, he certainly could know what she was thinking. This made her recall a time when James told her he wished she could see what he was thinking of her. The thought made her smile.

"There was a trial. Peter didn't not only sell us, James. He sold Edgar, Dorcas, Marlene, and their families. Harry was there."

She gulped.

"He's thirteen now. Thirteen, you imagine? He looks like you. He looks so much like you." Her voice was trembling. "He's so good at flying. He enjoys a good laugh. He loves treacle tart. He's always getting into trouble... though not for the same reasons as you did." She laughed nervously, her watery eyes letting some tears fall. "I wish you were there. I wish so much you were there."

She closed her eyes and let the salty water fall down along her cheeks. The familiar feeling of her son's hand taking hers was absent this time, because he wasn't with her. Peter Pettigrew was gone, locked away for eternity, but it didn't make her happy. It couldn't bring James back to her. She lost him twelve years ago, and she couldn't get him back.

She kept talking to James for a very long time. It made her so sad, feel so miserable, and yet so good, as if it was the first time in so many years that she actually took time to speak to her deceased husband, since she never had the opportunity before as Harry always stood next to her when she visited this tomb. So she spoke, and she spoke, and she spoke, until she had nothing left to talk about. Then she returned home and went to sleep after she checked one more time that her son was sleeping too. Strangely enough, she felt at peace as she drifted away into the land of dreams.

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