The pair flooed to the Burrow with Teddy wrapped inside of Andromeda's emerald robes. At quarter past seven, the Burrow was already bustling with movement. Harry stood in a nearby corner with Ron, Ginny, and a group of witches and wizards that appeared to know both men quite well. Hermione doubted that Harry would recognize her in her disguise, but she felt a small wave of panic at the thought that he might see through her disguise.

The young man turned toward the floo as it emitted a bright flash of green before revealing two women. He waved to Andromeda and immediately went to her and wrapped her in his strong arms. "Andy, I am so glad that you could make it." He glanced at the young woman before him and scowled as he tried to recall if he had ever seen her before. "Who is your friend, Andy?"

Andromeda grasped the young gentleman tightly and smiled tightly as he questioned her. She tried to relax. She needed the lie to be believable. She touched the arm of the woman's robes. "This is a cousin of Ted's, Lillian Matthews. It turns out there is more magic in their blood than we once thought." The older woman laughed and squeezed Hermione's arm in an attempt to comfort her.

Lillian offered her hand to the boy with striking green eyes and smiled. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Harry laughed as he reached towards the woman and pulled her into a hug. "Any family of Ted's is family of mine. I'm Harry Potter. I'm little Teddy's godfather." He studied the witch for a moment. "Are your parents muggles then?"

"I have heard so much about you, Harry. It's so nice to finally meet you." She pulled back and studied his face, trying to determine if he had any doubts about their story. He appeared to believe everything they had said. "Yes, my parents are muggles."

Harry picked up on the woman's hesitance and smiled warmly at her. It was obvious that she was worried about being at such a large gathering where she didn't know very many people. "Let's get you introduced to some people. Did you attend Hogwarts?"

Hermione was thankful that a majority of the questions Harry asked were ones that she could actually answer truthfully. "I did."

Harry's eyes sparkled in response to her question. "Wonderful. What house?"

Lillian smiled at the kindness that the young man showed her. "I am a Ravenclaw." Even though Hermione knew that the answer to the question was not truthful, she did not feel wrong for stating that particular lie.

At her response, Harry changed courses and took her towards the kitchen. "Luna, I have someone for you to meet!" He smiled reassuringly at the skittish Ravenclaw before introducing her to the airy one. "Luna, this is Lillian. She is also a Ravenclaw. When did you attend Hogwarts, Lillian?"

Lillian nodded slightly at the blonde witch before allowing her gaze to find Harry again. "I graduated eight and a half years ago."

Harry looked back to the witch in the other room before meeting Lillian's gaze. "So, you are about Nymphadora's age? Andy's daughter."

Lillian nodded, trying not to meet Harry's eyes. "Yes. We went to school together, but we didn't realize that we were related until after Ted passed away. I wish I would have gotten to know her more when we went to school together."

Harry's eyes grew wide as the realization hit him. Lillian had also lost people. "I am so sorry. I didn't mean to bring up something that would hurt you." The boy's eyes were fixed firmly on the floor.

Finally, the blonde interjected into the conversation. "You knew Nymphadora better than you might think."

The blonde's words were unnerving to Lillian. She knew that the blonde picked up on more than she often let on. "I don't know. She seemed nice."

Luna nodded, squinting at the area surrounding Lillian's head. "You are covered in Wrackspurts. They seem to have made a home out of your hair." She gestured to the braid that fell across Lillian's shoulder.

Lillian looked towards Harry in question, but the young man only shrugged before addressing the blonde woman. "We'll catch you later, Luna. It was great to see you."

Harry quickly led the brunette away from the smiling blonde. "I am so sorry about that. Luna is a bit odd sometimes."

Lillian shook her head, trying not to show how disturbing the interaction had been. "It's quite alright."

The Boy Who Lived led her back into the living room, where more people had congregated. "Oh, you know our new Headmistress already, I'm sure. I bet she would love to see you." He placed a hand on her back and led her towards the stern woman.

Lillian felt her stomach drop. Had she known that the older woman would be there, she would not have agreed to come with the story they had concocted. The old woman's mind was a steel trap, and she never forgot a single student. There was no way she would believe her story. She tried, fleetingly, to find an excuse not to meet the old woman, but her mind failed her. She forced herself to smile as Harry reintroduced her to the Headmistress.

To Lillian's surprise, the older woman grinned widely at her and embraced her. "Lillian, it is so nice to see you doing so well. Please, let's catch up." The elder witch took Lillian by the arm and led her outside.

The moment they crossed the threshold, Minerva stepped away from the younger woman and studied her. "No Lillian Matthews has ever passed through Hogwarts. I believe you have some explaining to do before everyone finds out what is going on. I don't enjoy being lied to."

The younger woman nodded, recognizing that her façade was over. "Okay, let's walk."

The older witch nodded in agreement but kept one hand on the hilt of her wand. "Shall we start with the simplest question then? Who are you really?"

Lillian sighed and hummed to herself. "I don't know if you'll believe me if I tell you at this point."

Minerva McGonagall laughed. "There isn't much that I won't believe at this point in my life. I am sure you can explain whatever it is."

"Okay..." She trailed off, hesitant to tell the witch who used to be her mentor. "I did attend Hogwarts."

"I assumed that you might have."

"I was actually a Gryffindor."

Bells began to go off in Minerva's head as everything began to fall into place. "And Ravenclaw was a logical house for you to claim because you could have easily been sorted into that house?"

Lillian stopped and stared at the older witch. "Yes."

"And you haven't been seen for awhile, so you weren't ready to explain that to everyone yet?"

Lillian nodded again. "That is true."

Minerva smiled and opened her arms to the younger woman. "Come here, Hermione."

Lillian stepped into the older woman's arms and grasped her tightly. It had been too long since she had seen the woman who had taught her so much about herself.

"I have many questions for you, but just answer me this: Are you well, Hermione? Are you safe?"

Lillian thought about the powder hidden in her bra and the secret note. She tried not to grimace as she answered, "Yes."

The headmistress gave the young woman a light squeeze before stepping away from her and admiring the craftsmanship of her disguise. She tilted her chin to the left, and then the right, before looking her square in the eye. "This disguise is amazing. It barely gives off a magical residue when you're close to it. Had I not known what to look for, I doubt that I would have noticed that it was separate from your typical magical signature." The elder witch nodded approvingly. "It is a spell of your own creation, correct?"

Lillian nodded, blushing slightly at the compliment. "It was actually a spell that I was working on with Nymphadora in my sixth year. The original spell helps to imitate the capabilities of a Metamorphogus, but it is exceptionally difficult to maintain for long periods of time. This one is like an on and off switch. It stays with minimal effort until the counter spell is performed."

Minerva smiled sadly at the mention of Nymphadora Tonks. Her death had been a great loss. "I am so happy that I got to see you tonight, Hermione. It was such a disappointment to receive the letter that stated you would not return for your seventh year. Please come have tea with me sometime over break. I actually have a proposition for you if you are interested."

Hermione's eyebrows raised in response. "A proposition?"

Minerva smiled and placed her hand over the younger woman's. "Yes. A job. For Lillian. Just for the next semester."

Lillian considered the woman's option. She needed the details. "I'm sorry, but what job? I did not even complete my seventh year. I cannot teach."

Minerva laughed at the woman's questions. "I could give you your examinations tomorrow and you would pass all of them without even breaking a sweat, but it is not a teaching position though I would allow you to take your examinations if that's what you would like to do. I need a Librarian. For reasons I cannot share, Irma Pince cannot return to Hogwarts after the break. I have been scrambling trying to find an applicant with enough knowledge about our library to fill the position temporarily."

Lillian's face broke into a wide grin. "And you think I would be perfect for the job."

Minerva nodded her confirmation. "I cannot imagine anyone better, aside from Irma Pince, herself. Will you consider it?"

Lillian sighed, thinking about Barold and his book shop. "I will have to give my other job notice. Let me speak with him and get back to you when we have tea? Does Monday morning work for you?"

Minerva grinned and began to lead the young woman back to the party. "Monday works perfectly for me."

The pair continued their walk in silence and Lillian's body tensed at the thought of reentering the party.

Once inside, the pair went their separate ways, and Lillian found Andromeda again. She joined the conversation that she was having with Fleur and Molly, smiling tightly as introductions were made.

For the rest of the party, she followed Andromeda from conversation to conversation, just hoping for the moment when Andromeda would decide it was time to leave.

That moment came almost three hours after they originally flooed to the Burrow. Andromeda excused herself and Hermione moved to leave with her.

It was in that moment that Harry had a shred of doubt enter his brain. This brilliant Ravenclaw who clung to Andromeda was too much like his bushy-haired friend. He could not be sure, but he hoped it had been Hermione. He bid the pair goodnight and wore a smile for the rest of the evening.

It would be just like Hermione to find a way out of having to interact with everyone at a party while still enjoying seeing everyone. Eventually, he would have to ask her about it. For now, he would let her have her space.