Chapter 28

Breakfast Meetings

Note from the Authors: Thank you so much for your comments and for enjoying the story, it means a lot to us that you all like the story, and I hope you'll like the other stories coming up by J.M Jackson

As Lily woke up, the events of the previous day still fresh in her mind, she found Hermione, Lavender and Parvati were already up, and had left a note, inviting her to join them in a room near the Gryffindor tower when she was ready.

When Lily had gotten dressed, she headed for the empty room, and saw a table in it, with Fred, George, Katie, Angelina, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Lavender, and Parvati sitting there, with Dobby bringing plates of sausages, bacon, bread, toast, beans, and other breakfast items, as well as jugs of fresh juice, tea, and coffee.

"We woke up this morning, and figured you'd want a quieter breakfast, given everything," Ron said. Lily felt tears welling up in her eyes.

"Please, no hugs or kisses needed," Fred said, grinning. Lily chuckled as she took a seat.

"How are you feeling this morning?" Hermione asked, her voice betraying how worried she was.

"I'm… well, I feel more in control than I did last night," Lily replied. "I just… I still can't believe it."

"None of us can, mate," Ron said, pouring Lily a glass of pineapple juice. "We knew as soon as your deadname was called that someone was starting some kind of trouble."

"We figure it has to have something to do with You-Know-Who," Fred commented, munching on a piece of sausage. "Let's face it, with the nightmares you've been having, and everything that happened at the world cup, there can't be any other answer."

"We did speak to Professor McGonagall last night after you went to bed, and she agreed, although she did say that Professor Dumbledore already raised that as a possibility," George continued.

"How, though? I mean, how could someone working for Voldemort (everyone around the table winced) have gotten into the castle and put my deadname in? And why my deadname? If he wanted to cause trouble, he should have just used my actual name," Lily said, taking a sip of her pineapple juice.

"Dobby has an idea Miss," Dobby said. "What if You-Know-Who didn't want your friends against you, Miss? He'd want you, but if Lily Potter had no friends, you'd not even try the tasks."

"That makes a lot of sense," Hermione mused aloud, as the group ate their breakfasts. "I mean, if your actual name came out, a lot of people might have thought you did it, and even caused doubt in some of our minds, even if only for a second."

"With You-Know-Who, a second of doubt is more than enough," Ron commented, rolling his eyes. "Remember when we thought it was Snape trying to kill you in the first year? Quirrell turned all attention from himself, and all we needed was a second of doubt from anyone else."

"Of course, he could just be a disgusting maggot who refuses to acknowledge Lily for who she is," Ginny added.

"True enough. Either way, we've got a bigger question; why is he doing this?" Fred asked. Lily found herself extremely grateful to her friends, not only for the breakfast, but for the discussion, which meant she'd at least be able to try to understand why everything was happening to her.

"There has to be a reason other than the danger. If he could get someone here, without being seen, it'd be easier to just attack Lily when she wasn't expecting it, rather than hope she gets injured or dies during the tasks, especially when we don't know what the tasks are," Lavender said.

"Someone does. I'll bet the Ministry knows, and if the Ministry knows, Lucius Malfoy knows. I'll bet anything he was there at the World Cup, with one of the masks on," Lily felt thankful for being able to finally express her suspicions.

"Wouldn't surprise me, but when the dark mark went up, all the death eaters fled, didn't they? So I think they'd fear being attacked by You-Know-Who for denying they served him all these years," Katie commented.

"Makes sense, which leaves us back with no answers," Hermione said.

"Okay, so let's start at the who," Fred suggested. "Karkaroff looks pretty shifty."

"I don't think so. I mean, I know he used to be a death eater; Uncle Sirius told me. Apparently, he put others in Azkaban, so I think he'd be afraid," Lily said. A part of her wanted to be out in the grounds, not worrying about any of this, but talking about it, finding answers… it would make her feel better, at least, she hoped it would.

"Maybe, or this could be his way of making amends to his boss. What better way to say you're sorry than to get him his greatest enemy?" Parvati asked.

"What puzzles me the most is that the goblet was being watched most of the time, if not all the time, wasn't it? There couldn't have been a large window of time for someone to put Lily's name in, whilst putting a spell on it," Angelina suggested.

"No, especially with Moody around, and his magical eye. I'm willing to bet he's even angrier than we are about this," Fred agreed.

"The way he talks in classes, he takes it personally if he finds out about a death eater who escaped justice," George added.

"Which means we can count on Moody to be monitoring the situation," Katie commented. "Still, there's something we're missing, and right now, it's bothering me."

"It's bothering all of us," Angelina corrected. "For the rest of the year Lily, you are not to go anywhere without one, or preferably, two of us."

"I know Ron and Hermione go most places with you Lily, but we'll all take turns," Ginny added.

"Right. Now, we need to start training you up for what you'll be facing. Given you can do a Corporeal Patronus, I figure that you'll be able to manage a lot of difficult spells," Angelina said.

"Well, when I broke down in front of Fleur and Cedric, they both insisted on helping me train as well. Cedric is going to be looking for a place to train for next Sunday, and he and Fleur said that anyone who wants to come along will be welcome," Lily said.

"That's decent of them," Katie said.

"Why Fleur?" Hermione asked. Lily looked at them.

"Well, as soon as I said I was transgender, Madam Maxime and Fleur understood it wasn't me who put my name in. They have a few transgender students at Beauxbatons," Lily replied.

"So they'd know, and understand, how much it would hurt you to use your old name," Ginny noted.

"Exactly, and that's why they wanted to help," Lily confirmed.

"Okay, so we can count them as allies. What about Krum and Karkaroff?" Lavender asked.

"Karkaroff was furious. Krum didn't really say a word, so I don't know how to gauge his reaction," Lily said, before taking another sip of her juice.

"We can bet Karkaroff will be teaching Krum some dark magic for the tournament, and they'll be cheating for sure," Fred said coldly.

"Definitely, especially if Karkaroff was a death eater," George agreed.

"Keep your cloak with you Lily, at all times," Hermione insisted. "In case of an emergency, use it."

"I will," Lily agreed. "I'm not sure what time I'll be seeing Uncle Sirius, but I know he won't be happy."

"Oh, he's already on the grounds," Ron said. "Dobby told us."

"Master Sirius and Master Remus are most angry about what is happening, Miss Lily," Dobby confirmed, as he took a sausage for himself. "They came up to speak with Professor Dumbledore."

"Shout at, knowing Sirius," Ron said, smirking.

"Dumbledore isn't happy about this either, but Mr. Crouch said that I have to compete. Professor Moody said that my old name is still a part of me, and to risk breaking a magical contract…" Lily started.

"I read about that, and if someone breaks a magical contract, it's not very pretty. People have died before when they've done so," Hermione said. "Trust me, you don't want to know the full details."

"I trust you with that," Lily said, nodding. "Basically, I've got to do this thing."

"Not alone, that's for sure," Ginny's voice was firm as she looked at Lily. "All you're allowed is your wand, so we'll research other tournaments, and see if we can get a rough idea of the kind of spells you'll want."

"We should make a list," Katie said.

"Dobby, can you get us a chalkboard quickly please, and chalk?" Hermione asked.

"Right away, Miss," Dobby agreed, bowing as he grinned, before vanishing.

"I don't get how your deadname is a part of you," Fred commented, looking concerned, more so than Lily had ever seen.

"Me either. Every form of magic knows you as Lily, so how could Moody be right about that?" George added.

"Could Moody be wrong?" Ginny questioned, with a brief surge of hope swelling up in Lily's chest.

"It's not something that Moody would be wrong about, but something doesn't seem right," Hermione agreed. "We need to look into this properly."

Before anyone else could respond, Dobby reappeared with a chalkboard, and chalk. "Professor Dumbledore was happy to give us this," Dobby said. "Master Sirius will be here with Master Remus in minutes."

"Thank you, Dobby," Lily said, smiling at her friend. "We want your opinion as well on all of this."

"It would be an honour, Lily Potter, Miss," Dobby said, tears welling up in his eyes as he looked at the group with pride. Hermione used her magic to set the board up, with the chalk floating in the air by the chalk board.

"I… I really appreciate this, all of you are… so amazing," Lily said, tears welling up in her eyes now.

"Hey, we're always here for you," Hermione promised, as the door opened, with Sirius and Remus walking in and marching over to Lily. She let out a squeak as Sirius pulled her into a tight hug, holding her, with Remus hugging them both at the same time.

"Lily… I…" Sirius's voice was hoarse; Lily guessed he had been shouting.

"Uncle Sirius, it's okay," Lily tried to reassure him, her voice muffled as she was held against him.

"No, it's not okay, none of this is okay!" Sirius exclaimed. "You're too young to be in this thing. How can Dumbledore let this happen?"

"He doesn't want to," Minerva said, from the doorway. "He's angry about the whole situation."

"He is?" Lily squeaked softly, her voice slightly muffled before Sirius finally ended the hug.

"I've never seen him this angry before, although he won't let you see that part of him," Minerva replied. "He spent the entire night studying the rules and the magical contract, trying to find a way out, but there isn't one."

"Well, I'm going to be here to help Lily," Sirius insisted. "I know the rules state that an entrant mustn't seek help from teachers, but I'm not a teacher, and if anyone things I'm letting Lily do this without help…"

"They're sadly mistaken. I spoke with Barty Crouch and Ludo Bagman. The specific rule states that an entrant may not seek help from teachers. Since you are no longer a teacher here, the rules do not apply to you… and you have no idea how much it pains me to finally say those words in that order to you," Minerva commented. The entire room laughed at the comment, with Sirius smirking. The smiles quickly faded, however.

"We… we were just discussing the situation, Professor," Hermione said, before giving Minerva a walkthrough of everything that had been said. Minerva, Sirius, and Remus listened carefully, both men still holding Lily.

"Some valuable ideas," Minerva said. "I will certainly speak to the headmaster about them. I think you've got a good plan in place as well."

"Well, we're not letting Lily deal with this alone, no way," Fred said firmly.

"Thank you, Mr. Weasley. I will go and see the headmaster and allow you your discussion time. Shall I send for Mr. Diggory and Miss. Delacour?" Minerva asked. Lily looked at the others, who nodded.

"Yes please, Aunt Minnie," Lily agreed. Minerva pursed her lips and looked at Lily, before turning her attention to the rest of the group.

"This classroom is unused; however, I will find a suitable location for training," Minerva said.

"Dobby has an idea, Miss, Dobby hears of a room that appears only when needed! Dobby can find that classroom," Dobby exclaimed.

"Aunt Minnie, I've never heard of it," Lily said, frowning.

"I have, but only in passing from Albus. He said he once needed the bathroom, and found a room full of chamber pots," Minerva said.

"Okay, so it sounds useful. Thank you, Dobby. Can you also get Fleur and Cedric?" Lily asked as she smiled at her friend, who beamed at her in return. As Dobby disappeared, Lily looked at the group.

"I just… I want to say thank you, for everything. What you're doing… it means everything to me," Lily said, a tear rolling down her cheek.

"Lily, you're one of our best friends," Lavender said. "We're not letting you do this alone."

"After everything you've been through in the last three years Lily, it's about time we chipped in and helped you out," Fred commented. Lily wanted to point out that the twins had helped her by giving her the map the previous year, but she decided it would be better not to tell Aunt Minnie about it.

"We're Gryffindor's, we should always stick together. Not everyone remembers that, but we do," Katie said firmly. Angelina nodded, smiling.

"Lily, you're one of the sweetest, bravest, most selfless people I know. I'm with you all the way," she promised.

"I should let you get on with your session. Sirius, please come and see me before you and Remus leave today," Minerva said.

"Yes, Mom," Sirius teased, smirking. Minerva pursed her lips again, although they were slightly upturned in a smile. She turned and left the room, leaving the group looking at the chalkboard. Remus and Sirius stood up, and walked over to the chalkboard, each of them taking a piece of chalk.

"Alright, so I'm not your Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher anymore, which means I can help you as much as I want," Sirius said, grinning. His smile then faded. "All of you are welcome to learn what we'll be teaching; it might help you with your exams."

"I may have been in Azkaban for twelve years, but my specialty is dark creatures, so I'll be bringing along some different creatures every weekend," Remus added, as Cedric and Fleur entered the room.

"Professor Black!" Cedric's eyes widened as he saw the former DADA teacher.

"Mr. Diggory, good. Now, Miss Delacour, is it?" Sirius asked. Fleur nodded. "I'm Sirius Black, Lily's Godfather. This is Remus Lupin, Lily's other Godfather. Last year, I taught here as the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. This year, I'll be assisting Lily in the tournament, as well as the two of you. We have some important information you should know, so please take a seat," Sirius put on his professor voice and look as he stood there. Both Cedric and Fleur quickly took a seat.

"Professor, no offence, but why are you helping us?" Cedric asked. "I mean, you're not a teacher anymore."

"No, I'm here as Lily's uncle, and the rules state that champions are not permitted to seek help from teachers. I, however, am not a teacher anymore, so I am more than happy to provide assistance to any who wish for it," Sirius said.

"Thank you, Professor," Fleur said, smiling at Sirius. "Eet eez most welcome to have assistance."

"You both offered Lily your support and help; that means everything to me," Sirius replied. "Now, Dobby is currently searching for a room for us to be able to study in. The first thing I will say is you need to be careful and always keep your eyes open. We believe that Lily's name was put into the tournament by someone working for Lord Voldemort."

"Is that even possible?" Cedric asked, as he and Fleur both looked distraught.

"Someone managed it, and until we know who, it's best to assume the worst. We're going to spend the next few weeks learning about curses, counter curses, and protection spells. Not knowing what you'll be facing also means we need to learn shield spells, duelling tips, and attack spells. Miss Delacour, how are you with defence against the dark arts?" Sirius asked.

"I am one of the best in my year," Fleur replied proudly.

"Good. We'll start training today then. Dobby should be back soon, with the location of the training room we'll be using," Remus said, a second before Dobby appeared with a loud crack.

"Dobby has found the room, Dobby spoke to other House Elves, it's called the Room of Requirement," Dobby exclaimed.

"Alright Dobby, if you could show us to the room, please?" Sirius asked. Dobby nodded, heading for the door to lead the way.

As the group began to follow Dobby, Lily paused for a moment, smiling as she saw everyone walk out. She knew this was going to be one of the most dangerous years going, but in that moment, she knew, somehow, she'd be okay.