Chapter 109

Can a Funeral be lucky?

Note from J.M. Jackson: Thanks to a review from a guest, I made a couple of slight changes to Chapter 76 - just clarifying that the apparition lessons they took weren't the final exams they take in year six, and in Chapter 108, showing that Mouldy Shorts was able to share the Potter's address by getting his spy, Pettigrew, to write it down, like how Dumbledore told Harry in Order of the Phoenix, a point I'd actually forgotten. Anyway, here's the new update, hope you enjoy it!

Whilst her friends had asked her what was wrong, Lily told them she couldn't really tell them, but not because she didn't want to, but because it was something she needed to process. Despite clearly not liking seeing how Lily was feeling after her meeting with Snape, they respected her enough to let her process it.

The week passed by almost in a blur, with Lily struggling to focus on anything. Minerva even asked to speak to Lily, but she couldn't even explain it to her. How could she tell anyone anything? How could she even begin to explain?

Yes, she now knew the Sectumsempra spell, but how could she even begin to reconcile what Snape had told her? He had loved Lily's mum, and yet he was the reason she was dead. But he had also kept Lily alive as she was growing up? Lily knew she wouldn't be able to focus, at all.

During the week came the first exam for the Apparition test. Whilst she had passed the tests the previous year, Lily wasn't in the right state of mind to take it, so she agreed to wait. Hermione, Ron, Lavender, Cormac, Parvati, Padma, Draco, and Pansy all went and took the test, and thanks to the extra lessons with Crouch, and the extra lessons the year before, which had been arranged by Dumbledore, they all passed with flying colours.

On the Friday evening, as Lily was once again sitting with Ginny, still trying to come to terms with everything, she was broken from her stupor by a letter she received from Hagrid, informing her that Aragog had died, and asked her to come to the funeral.

"Lily, you don't have to go," Ginny said. Lily looked at her.

"I need to do something, for myself more than anything," Lily said, as she pulled out a pair of socks from her underwear drawer. As she did, a small vial rolled out of another sock; the Felix Felicius, where she had kept it safe.

"Lily?" Ginny asked, seeing the look on her face.

"It's time," Lily said softly. "I need to do this."

"Do you want me to go with you?" Ginny asked. "I don't want you facing any of this alone. You're too important to me."

"That means everything to me, Ginny," Lily said, smiling softly. "Do you want to take some?"

"No, I won't need to. You can be lucky for both of us," Ginny smiled. Lily nodded, and removed the stopper, taking a small sip of the potion. She took a breath and replaced the stopper.

"How was it?" Ginny asked.

"Tasted nice. Now… I kind of know what I need to do. I need to go to Hagrid's," Lily said.

To her credit, Ginny didn't question it, she simply nodded. "Alright, let's go," Ginny said, as she took Lily's hand.

As Ginny and Lily made their way through the corridors of the school, their path was empty, which Lily attributed to the luck potion. They followed Lily's instincts and headed down another corridor and out of the school, where they saw Madam Sprout and Professor Slughorn talking outside the access area that led to the greenhouses.

"I do thank you for sparing this time, Pomona," Slughorn said, with a smile. "Most authorities, myself included, agree that they are most efficacious if picked at twilight."

"You're not wrong," Professor Sprout agreed warmly, handing an armful of leafy plants to Slughorn. "This should be enough, shouldn't it?"

"If, this will be plenty, Pomona, it'll allow a few leaves for each of my third years, and some to spare in case of overboiling," Slughorn commented. "Much appreciated, Pomona, much appreciated."

As Professor Sprout headed off back towards the greenhouses, Lily led Ginny towards Slughorn.

"Good evening, Professor," Lily said, with a small smile.

"Merlin's Beard Lily, you made me jump. What are you doing out of the castle this time of the evening?" Slughorn asked.

"I'm going to see Hagrid, sir," Lily replied, somehow knowing that the truth was the right thing to say. "He's really upset. He's had a giant spider for years, Aragog, who lived in the Forbidden Forest with his children."

"I'd heard rumours of Acromantula's in the forest," Slughorn commented softly, looking over at the mass of trees.

"There are quite a few of them, yes sir. Aragog lived there for fifty years now and could talk and everything. He was the first one Hagrid got, and was both a pet and friend to Hagrid," Lily explained.

"Yes, Hagrid does have unusual tastes in pets, I suppose," Slughorn said. "But you said was?"

"Yes sir, he died last night, and Hagrid's devastated. He's asked for company as he buries him," Lily explained.

"That's very touching," Slughorn said. "Acromantula venom is very valuable… if he died only last night, it might not have dried out yet. I wouldn't want to do anything insensitive, but if I could procure some," he commented softly.

"Would you like to join us, sir? I'm sure Hagrid would welcome your company," Lily told him.

"It would be irresponsible of me to let you both go without an escort," Slughorn said thoughtfully. "Very well, but follow me, and should anyone ask, I invited you to join me."

"Of course, sir," Lily and Ginny said at the same time, smiling as they went towards Hagrid's hut.

Lily was right; Hagrid was thankful for the extra company that Slughorn provided and was thankful for him escorting the two girls to the funeral. He had prepared a large patch of ground near to his hut.

"His family wanted ter eat him, as they do, but I felt he deserved something better," Hagrid told them, as Slughorn studied Aragog.

"He must have been an incredible friend," Slughorn said, and Lily was certain she heard the soft clinking of vials, which Hagrid didn't notice. "I've always admired Acromantula, but never been able to see one so close."

"You'd have liked him," Hagrid sniffed. He wasn't sober, that was certain. "It's not ev'ryone appreciates their beauty," Hagrid said, as Lily and Ginny embraced him in a hug.

"No, sadly not," Slughorn said, stepping back from Aragog. Lily wasn't sure, but she thought she saw multiple bottles disappear under Slughorn's jacket. "I am so sorry for your loss. Lily said you'd been friends for fifty years?"

"Jus' over, yeh," Hagrid confirmed, nodding. "He'd always been there when I needed a friend, 'specially after I was expelled."

"It's always difficult to say goodbye to a friend, especially one you've known for so long," Slughorn commented. Lily suspected he had gotten a lot of good quality venom from Aragog. "Shall we?" he asked. Hagrid nodded, so Slughorn gently waved his wand, lifting up Aragog's body, and with a tenderness that Lily hadn't expected, he placed it in the grave.

Slughorn then stood in front of the grave, as did Hagrid, Lily, and Ginny.

"Farewell Aragog, King of Arachnids," Slughorn began a eulogy. Whilst Lily knew he had profited from this moment, she was still thankful for the words he was saying, and for the comfort it was bringing Hagrid. "Your long and faithful friendship with those who knew you will not be forgotten. Though your body decays, your spirit lingers on in the quiet, web-spun places of your forest home, and your legacy lives on in your children and descendants. May your lineage ever flourish, and may your human friends, especially Hagrid, find solace in this for the loss they have sustained," Slughorn said.

Hagrid broke down in tears, saying how beautiful Slughorn's words had been. Lily felt tears rolling down her own face and could see Ginny softly crying as well. It didn't matter why Slughorn had come; his words had touched Hagrid, as well as herself and Ginny. That was something endearing about Slughorn; he genuinely cared about people.

Was that why he was so ashamed of the memory? Did he blame himself for Voldemort? Did he think he was the cause of Voldemort being almost immortal? It would explain a lot, Lily knew, but she couldn't just tell him he wasn't to blame; not yet at least.

It did throw a new light on the situation though; it was as though a missing puzzle piece fit into place. Slughorn had adored her mother, and he didn't want Lily to lose her view of him, and he blamed himself for her mother's death. She had spent so much time with Dumbledore this year that she and Ginny were starting to understand people better.

Was that also the point of the lessons? Did Dumbledore want her and Ginny to better understand how people thought? It made sense; knowing people helped to identify strengths and weaknesses, and Lily knew that would always be an asset. She just hoped it was one they could make use of.

With the burial over, Lily, Ginny, and Professor Slughorn were invited to Hagrid's cabin, to share a drink in memory of Aragog. "He was always there when I…" Hagrid began, then hiccupped. "Needed him."

"Our dearest… excuse me," Slughorn had slipped slightly as he went to take a seat. "Our dearest often are. You have a charming home here, Hagrid," Slughorn complimented.

"Bin 'ere since I were thrown out… out of Hogwarts," Hagrid replied. "Dumbledore… he helped me build it, made sure… made sure I were never alone. Great man, Dumbledore, great man."

"Of course he is. I've always respected him," Slughorn smiled. He then noticed something hanging from the ceiling. Standing up, he looked at it. "That's never unicorn hair, is it?" Slughorn asked.

"It gets pulled out of their tails," Hagrid explained. "Catch it on branches an' stuff in the forest. Easy to pull out, but not easy ter break or snap."

"Hagrid, do you know how much that's worth?" Slughorn asked, impressed.

"Nah, I use it fer binding' on bandages an' stuff, if any of the creatures get injured," Hagrid shrugged. "It's dead useful, very useful."

Slughorn took another drink from his mug, looking around the cabin. "You've got a skill for making use of anything, my dear man," Slughorn complimented as he refilled Hagrid's mug. "What else lives in the forest?"

"Oh, Unicorns, Thornbacks, Centaurs, I even bred some Blast-Ended Skrewts," Hagrid replied.

"Blast-Ended what?" Slughorn asked.

"Skrewts. Bred Fire Crabs and Manticores to make 'em," Hagrid said proudly.

"You are remarkable, Hagrid," Slughorn complimented. "You've done things many would be too afraid to do."

Whilst talking, Lily felt an urge to look at the drink supply that Slughorn had brought and looked at Ginny. The drinks were almost finished, so she took a breath.

"Talk to them quickly," Lily whispered, so only Ginny could hear.

"Hagrid, what's this?" Ginny asked, pointing to an image of a creature Lily hadn't recognised. Both men looked at it, giving Lily a chance to extend her wand from her sleeve holder, and thought of the refilling charm. Whilst she had been struggling previously with the spell, Lily knew she'd manage it perfectly tonight, which she did.

It was impressive, watching the bottles refilling as Hagrid had begun to explain about Dragon eggs, and Norberta, with Ginny asking a couple of questions to further the conversation.

An hour passed quickly for Lily and Ginny, both managing to remain sober by magically emptying their glasses of alcohol and switching it for a soft drink instead. Both Slughorn and Hagrid were getting drunker, and had now begun to make loud, extravagant toasts, from Hogwarts, to Dumbledore, Elf Made Wine, and had started to toast Lily herself.

"LILY POTTER!" Hagrid bellowed, slopping what was, Lily counted, was his fourteenth bucket of wine down his front. Ginny sat back, avoiding the splashback.

"Pilly Lotter, the chosen girl who – well – something or…" Slughorn was cheering, grinning.

It wasn't long before Hagrid was pressing a whole unicorn tail into Slughorn's hands, who pocketed it happily, cheering and toasting Hagrid's friendship and generosity – according to Slughorn's drunken ramblings, it was worth ten galleons a hair, which meant Hagrid had just given Slughorn at least a thousand galleons. She hoped that Slughorn would be generous to Hagrid in return.

It wasn't long before Hagrid had fallen asleep, singing some sort of sad song about a wizard called Odo.

"Professor, are you okay?" Lily asked.

"Sorry," Slughorn hiccupped, before burping. "Can't carry a tune at all," he commented.

"Hagrid wasn't saying your singing was terrible," Ginny spoke up, looking at Slughorn.

"He was talking about my parents being killed," Lily added.

"Oh," Slughorn replied glumly. "Your mother… best witch I ever knew," he complimented. "You don't… remember… what happened?" he asked, before belching.

Lily stared at the flame from a candle, thinking back. She was feeling the right thing to say and took a breath.

"Not all of it, but I remember flashes," Lily replied. "Screams. My mother begging for me to be spared, a green flash. My father died first; did you know that?" Lily asked.

"No… no, I didn't," Slughorn shuddered, his voice hushed.

"Voldemort stepped over his body," Lily said. "I found out later that my dad tried to fight him, but he was caught off guard. He told my mother to get out of his way. He told me two years ago that she didn't need to die; he only wanted me. She could have run."

"She could… she needn't…" Slughorn breathed, his voice full of pain and regret. "She was too good. She… she'd never let… anyone hurt her family."

"You knew her well," Ginny said. Slughorn nodded.

"She was… one of the best students. I couldn't teach… after she was killed," Slughorn told them.

"She refused to move. She tried to plead with Voldemort… offered him her life for mine. Begged for mercy," Lily explained.

"That's enough!" Slughorn exclaimed. "My dear, please, enough… I'm an old man… I don't want to… hear…"

"I know you liked her," Lily said. "She gave her life for me, but you won't give me a memory."

"Don't… please don't," Slughorn was practically weeping now. "It isn't… it isn't a question… it wouldn't help…"

"Yes, it would," Lily said. "Professor, I understand you're ashamed of it, but I don't blame you for anything. You aren't at fault, he used you."

"He…" Slughorn began, still sobbing softly. Lily took his hand and met his gaze.

"Dumbledore needs that information; no, I need that information," Lily said firmly. She knew what she was saying wouldn't be remembered, not fully, and definitely not what was about to be said. "I am the Chosen One, Professor. I have to kill him, and that memory will help me."

"You… you are truly?" Slughorn asked. Ginny looked at him.

"Yes, she is," Ginny said. "We're asking a lot, but we need your help to defeat him."

"I did… so much damage… I…" Slughorn was struggling with what he was saying.

"No, it wasn't your fault," Lily insisted. "Will you help me? Will you help my mother's daughter?"

"I hope… you can… forgive me," Slughorn said, pulling out his wand. Lily magicked up a small vial, knowing she was about to get what she needed.

"I already have," Lily assured him. She suspected what the memory would tell her, but it didn't matter; she knew it wasn't Slughorn's fault. He was a teacher, not a bad man. As Slughorn gave her the memory into the vial, she sealed it and put it in her pocket. "Thank you, Professor. You're a good man."

"Please…forgive me," Slughorn mumbled before falling asleep. Lily stood up, taking Ginny's hand, and took it, leading her out of the cabin, where Slughorn and Hagrid were snoring, as was Fang.

"That was brilliant, Lily," Ginny complimented, smiling. "You did it."

"Yeah. He's held onto that guilt for years; I hope he can let go of it," Lily said, as they walked briskly towards the school.

"He thinks he's the reason Voldemort created a Horcrux?" Ginny asked. "I bet Voldemort already knew how to when he first spoke to Slughorn; he wanted to know more about it."

"Definitely. He wouldn't trust information from any source that he didn't verify; and he definitely wouldn't count on a teacher to give him everything he needed," Lily agreed.

"No, he'd want to confirm what he knew," Ginny said, as they reached the castle. "Think Dumbledore's here and awake?"

"Hope so," Lily replied, as they headed towards the staircase, but stopped as they saw Mr. Filch approaching them.

"Potter, what are you doing out this late?" Filch asked, as Mrs. Norris purred happily at Lily's legs. She knelt down and petted her.

"We need to see Professor Dumbledore; it's urgent. Is he in?" Lily asked. Filch nodded.

"I saw him about twenty minutes ago; he just got back from wherever he'd been," Filch told her. "Walk with me; can't let you go through unescorted."

"Thank you, sir," Lily said, as the three of them – and Mrs. Norris – walked through the corridors.

"Everything okay?" Filch asked.

"I think so. We've got something we just found out that could help us win… well…" Lily began but Filch held up a hand.

"Say no more. I don't need to know anything," Filch said. "I hope this helps you; you're both good kids, you shouldn't be worried about war."

"You're not wrong," Ginny agreed, as they neared Dumbledore's office. "I hate this life sometimes, but I'm glad I'm with Lily."

"Stay with one another; you two are sweet, and good kids. Don't let anyone change that about you," Filch said. "Good luck," he added, as he left with Mrs. Norris, after giving the password to let them in.

They quickly got up the staircase and knocked on the door. As it opened, Lily saw Crouch sitting on the sofa, with Dumbledore looking a little surprised.

"Lily, Ginny, what brings you both by at this hour?" Dumbledore asked.

"We did it, sir!" Lily exclaimed, pulling out the vial. "We got the memory from Slughorn."

Dumbledore broke out into a wide grin. "Lily, that's wonderful! I knew you could do it," Dumbledore complimented, letting them both into the office.

"Indeed. I'm sorry that I ever doubted you, Lily," Crouch complimented. "No offence meant. I knew you were brilliant, but I often wondered how you'd manage if Dumbledore here couldn't."

"None taken. I took a little Felix Felicis," Lily admitted. Dumbledore chuckled.

"Brilliant, Lily. I would never have thought of such a thing," Dumbledore complimented. "Let's see what the true memory has to tell us."

As Dumbledore poured the memory into the pensieve, Lily hoped that it was worth all the trouble they had gone through.