Chapter 69

Occlumency, Dates and Stories

Note from J.M. Jackson: Sorry for the delay, this was mostly my fault, or my computer's fault, as an important part of these two chapters I'm releasing had been lost, so I've had to rewrite it. Yes, two chapters, because one of the chapters is another news story from Rita Skeeter, and I always publish two chapters when I publish a story. Enjoy.

The start of term was, as Lily predicted, not a good one. Hermione had been right about Umbridge; as soon as Lily saw her, she was still looking angry at Lily. Umbridge hadn't said anything, of course, but Lily had to be extra careful, especially in Defence Against the Dark Arts. In that class, no one said a word. No one answered a question, they merely greeted Umbridge at the beginning of class, as was required, but no other words were spoken.

The first Monday back was the first Occlumency lesson for Lily and Ginny, and as soon as they reached the potions room, Snape led them in, before closing the door. Two cauldrons were set up, with a potion in each.

"In each of the cauldron's is a half made calming draught, with the ingredients on the board. Should we be interrupted, you will begin completing the draught, starting with instruction eight. Is that clear?" Snape asked.

"Yes, sir," Lily and Ginny said at the same time.

"Good. Now, I have been made aware that you and your friends have been practicing Occlumency to assist you in keeping your mind clear and protected from those who practice the art of Legilimency. You have made… some progress, but the time has clearly come for you to be professionally trained," Snape stated bluntly.

"To stop Voldemort from reading our minds?" Ginny asked.

"Do not use his name," Snape hissed, glaring at them both. "Mind reading is a wildly inaccurate term that muggles would use," he sounded insulted, which confused Lily.

"How do we describe it, sir?" Lily asked, holding Ginny's hand under the desk.

"The mind is not a book to be opened at will and perused at leisure. Thoughts are not etched into the mind. The mind is a deeply complex and many-layered thing. Those who have mastered Legilimency can, under certain circumstances, delve into the minds of their victims and interpret the findings correctly. The Dark Lord, for instance, almost always knows when someone is lying to him," Snape said.

"Like you do, sir? Is that why you're teaching us?" Lily asked. Snape's eyes widened slightly.

"Excuse me?" Snape asked. Lily looked at him.

"You help the Order from within, sir, at least that's what we've been told. That means you're the best at Occlumency, which is why you're teaching us, isn't it, sir?" Ginny clarified. Snape looked at the two of them.

"Does anyone else know of this… conclusion?" Snape asked.

"No sir, it's one of the few things Ginny and I keep to ourselves," Lily promised. She felt a slight tingling in her head, which meant that Snape was using Legilimency on her. She didn't try to resist; on this occasion, she wanted Snape to know he could trust her.

"You will ensure that remains the case," Snape said firmly.

"Of course, sir, we won't tell anyone," Ginny promised. Snape looked at the two of them for a few moments.

"Those skilled at Occlumency can shut down the feelings and memories that contradict any lie told, and so falsehoods will not be detected," Snape continued.

"And he has to be in proximity to be able to access our minds?" Ginny asked.

"Correct," Snape said. He looked like he was about to vomit his next words, which shocked both Lily and Ginny, more so than if Snape had told Lily that he was her father.

"Twenty points… to Gryffindor, for being well prepared," Snape said. Both Ginny and Lily looked at him blankly. "Do not make me regret my… generosity," he said, bringing both girls back to their senses.

"You are, of course, correct. Time and Space matter greatly in magic. Eye contact is often essential to Legilimency. However, the rules do not seem to apply with you, due to the… unusual connection that you both share with the Dark Lord. The greatest concern right now is when your mind is at its most vulnerable, such as when you are asleep, or when you aren't concentrating properly," Snape explained.

"Isn't it possible for us to make use of that to find out more of his plans, sir?" Ginny asked.

"Ginny, that's not a good idea," Lily said softly. "Remember what Moody said? What if he realises it and uses the connection to take control of us."

"Miss Potter… is correct," Snape said, once again sounding like he wanted to vomit the words up. "The vision you shared, Miss Potter, represents such a powerful incursion upon the Dark Lord's thoughts. Before you ask, the Dark Lord was possessing his snake at the time you saw through his eyes, and so you saw through the snake's eyes."

"Was he aware of what I did?" Lily asked.

"He was," Snape confirmed. "As you correctly stated, were you to try it again, he would attempt to turn it against you. This brings us to Occlumency. I will expect nothing less than perfection. You will give this your best, and then you will improve. Am I clear?"

"Yes sir," both girls said at the same time.

"Potter, you first," Snape said. As Lily stepped forward, she had no idea how long this was going to take, or how well she and Ginny would do, but it was going to be interesting to see how well they did.


The next few weeks passed relatively peacefully for the school, although the end of January brought about a nasty shock for the wizarding world. The Daily Prophet reported a breakout from Azkaban, and although they barely said anything, Lily and the others were given the full story by Sirius.

Most of the Death Eaters who were in Azkaban had been broken out, including Bellatrix Lestrange, the woman who had tortured Neville's parents. Lily felt sick, knowing that the Ministry was blaming everything on Peter Pettigrew, knowing full well that it was Voldemort who had orchestrated the breakout, but of course, the Ministry refused to listen.

Lily and Ginny continued their lessons with Snape, each time the potions master insisting they continue their training. They spent all the spare time they had studying, and with the few moments they had alone, they planned a Valentine's Day date to Madam Puddifoot's café, as they had done the year before.

As Valentine's Day weekend arrived (The 11th of February 1995, but that's because the 14th was a Tuesday), Lily found herself excited for her date with Ginny, although apparently Hermione had planned something special for all of them. Lily was curious, but she was also looking forward to seeing Fleur again, who was going there for a date with Hermione.

"I still can't believe we're doing this again. Honestly, it does feel like a dream sometimes," Ginny explained, smiling as they walked together, hand in hand.

"One of the few good dreams I've had lately," Lily admitted. "The medication is helping; I think the potion that Lana and Madam Pomfrey came up with has done a lot for me. I still feel like it's my fault, but I can start burying those feelings now."

"I'm glad. You deserve to feel happy, and you don't deserve to feel the guilt," Ginny told her.

"I wanted to thank you for being so… well, patient with me," Lily said. Ginny smiled at her.

"Lily, I did my research. I know that one of the things about depression is… well, not easy to live with. One thing I did learn is that often, one of the things people with depression need to hear is that it's going to be okay, and that it's okay to not be okay," Ginny explained kindly.

"How did I get so lucky as to get you?" Lily asked. Ginny laughed at that.

"You know I consider myself lucky to be with you. Lily, you are one of the sweetest people I have ever known. You'll need a lot of help, I know, but when you love someone, you love them at their worst and their best. If I can't handle your worst, I don't deserve your best," Ginny said. Lily looked at her, shocked.

"You… you're a far wiser woman than any I've met," Lily told her. "I just… I don't know how you're so wise, but you are amazing."

"I guess… well, since being at Hogwarts, I've had to grow quickly. Look at everything that happened. Possessed by Voldemort, hiding from Remus, not knowing he was innocent, everything with the Triwizard tournament, and now Umbridge… it's enough to make anyone grow up quickly," Ginny said, as they reached Hogsmeade.

"You're not wrong," Lily agreed sadly, as they saw Hermione and Fleur ahead of them.

"You made it!" Hermione exclaimed, hugging them.

"Eet is good to see you both," Fleur said, hugging them as well. "I know you have your date, so enjoy your lunch first, then meet us at the Three Broomsticks for three PM."

"We will," Lily promised, smiling. "You two should have your date as well."

"We're going shopping first. Coming with us?" Hermione offered. "Ron and Lavender are at the shops already."

"Sure," Ginny agreed quickly, the four of them heading to meet the others.


The shopping, and the date, was one of the best days for Lily, and as she and Ginny reached the Three Broomsticks, it was already packed, but Hermione led them up to a private room.

Inside the room was a very pleasant surprise waiting for them; Rita Skeeter was sitting there, quill and parchment on the table. Lily raced to Rita and embraced her in a hug.

"Rita!" Lily exclaimed. "Oh Merlin, I wondered when I'd see you again."

"Lily, darling, it's so wonderful to see you. Hermione, Fleur, and Professor Dumbledore helped set this little surprise up," Rita explained. There was a small feast on the table, and plenty of company. Hermione, Fleur, Ron, Lavender, Parvati, Padma, Neville, Fred, Angelina, George, Katie, and Luna were all there. "We've done this as a little party, so no one wonders why a load of students are up here."

"It's brilliant," Lily exclaimed happily. "All for Valentine's Day?"

"Actually, I had an ulterior motive," Hermione said. "I spoke to Rita, and we agreed, it's time for the Wizarding World to know the truth about You-Know-Who, and what happened in the graveyard."

"I'm here to write the story, and Luna asked her father to publish it. He runs the Quibbler. It's not as popular as the Prophet, but it'll do, plus once word spreads, everyone will want it," Rita said. She took a breath and looked at Lily. "It will make you… very unpopular with the Ministry, and with that Umbridge woman. Are you okay with that?"

"I don't care about the Ministry or Umbridge, if they don't like it, they can go to hell," Lily replied bluntly. "This is a story that deserves to be told."

"We all agree," Ron said, smiling at Lily.

"So, let's start at the beginning, with your deadname being pulled from the Goblet of Fire," Rita said, handing Lily a glass of Pineapple juice, who sat down at the table.

"Okay," Lily agreed. "We were in the Great Hall the night the champions were chosen, and when Fleur, Viktor, and Cedric were chosen, we were all excited and cheering. I'd asked my friends in Gryffindor to not enter the tournament; Fred and George wanted to, but from everything Uncle Sirius had told me, I didn't want them to risk their lives. I've already seen too much death; my parents, although I only remember a flash of green light. Professor Quirrell, Cornelius Fudge, there was a muggle man I'd witnessed killed by Voldemort, Arthur Weasley was attacked, and I saw it…" Lily stopped, and realised what she'd said. "You… you can't report that part."

"Why, what's wrong?" Rita asked, frowning. Lily took a deep breath, knowing she could trust Rita.

"I… had a vision, of sorts. I tried to… see what Voldemort was seeing, and I saw through his snake," Lily explained what had happened, in full detail. The more Lily explained, the more horrified Rita looked.

"By Merlin, you… you both…" Rita spoke softly. "You know how dangerous that was?"

"We do now," Lily replied softly. "Now, it's left us all with a question, about why we do this, why we're doing any of this. Why are you?"

"Me? I'm doing this because it's what I can do. I'm not a fighter, I was never any good at duelling, but I always loved to write stories. When I was a child, I wrote many short stories, some of which were published. The thing is, I learnt a long time ago how powerful an impact words can have. It's why I'm here today. Yes, it's a risk, but it's a risk I'll take because I choose to make this difference, in the way that I can," Rita explained. "I know it isn't an answer that'll help you much, I'm sorry to say, but I hope you find your answer."

"Thank you, Rita," Lily felt a tear roll down her cheek.

"Anytime. I know I can't write, not really, but you're always in my heart and thoughts, Lily. I've been so worried about you. Hermione has told me a lot about the Umbridge woman, and I want to go to her and end her for how she's treated," Rita said. "I have been doing some things, helping lead… well, an underground of sorts. The Ministry, and You-Know-Who, will treat so many people as less than people, but I've been helping in whatever way I can."

"That doesn't surprise me," Ginny told her. "You've always had a good heart, even if others didn't see it."

"Thank you, Ginny," Rita smiled as she threw the parchment that the Quick Notes Quill had been writing on into the fire, getting a fresh parchment. "Okay, let's start again, with the great hall."

"Okay," Lily smiled as she began her story, starting at the Great Hall, and her deadname being picked, continuing with everything that they had learnt, both during the year and after Crouch Junior had been revealed, including the names of the Death Eaters Lily had seen in the graveyard, and the death of Cornelius Fudge.

Lily was close to breaking down as she remembered the look on Fudge's face, but she continued to make sure the story was told in full.

As she finally finished, Rita put the parchment and quill away. "I'll get this fully written, and sent to the Quibbler," Rita said.

"Daddy's so excited about this," Luna said, almost dreamily. "He thinks it'll be an important story, since everyone listens to the lies of the Ministry."

"Hopefully, this will help people read the Quibbler a lot more, Luna," Rita said.

"Daddy doesn't mind who reads it, he just wants people to know what needs to be known," Luna explained.

"In the meantime, let's finish enjoying this wonderful afternoon," Rita said. As Lily celebrated the reunion with Rita, even though it would be brief, for the first time since the night at the Graveyard, she felt… less burdened with the truth. She felt lighter, now she knew the truth would be told. The only question was, would anyone listen?