Chapter 138

Eye of the Storm

As Lily picked up the towel on the table in the garden, using it to wipe the sweat from her brow, she sighed. She had been training now for months since the memorial, and with no leads yet on the Tomb of Slytherin, she had nothing else to do but to train.

She and the others had been training in martial arts, and were now the equivalent of Blue Belts, but that was already more than most Wizards since most of them just used their magic. Thankfully, the time they were taking to research gave Lily and the others a chance to train and learn the skills needed to take down Voldemort's people.

She took a sip of the cold Pineapple Juice on table, and put the towel down, just as Ginny emerged from the house.

"Hey, when did you get back?" Lily asked. Ginny had taken Polyjuice potion, and had gone Christmas shopping, with Pansy and Lavender. Ron, Draco, and Lily had already done their shopping. Lily's skills with her Metamorphmagus abilities were improving. She could already keep her shifted form for just over ninety minutes, although she would need plenty of rest afterwards.

"Just now; I put the stuff away before coming out here," Ginny said. "You sure you're okay to train out in this weather?"

"It's only a little windy," Lily replied, ignoring the cold chill in the air. "It might start snowing soon, but I doubt Riddle cares about weather."

"No, you're probably right about that, but I don't want you catching a cold," Ginny told her.

"You know that's an urban myth, you actually get a cold as a virus, not because of the cold weather," Lily chuckled softly. "Plus, I've been studying my potions, and I can make the Pepperup potion now."

"What's that?" Ginny asked.

"Cure for the cold, and to warm you up when it's cold outside," Lily said.

"You took some earlier, didn't you?" Ginny realised. Lily grinned and nodded.

"I don't feel the cold at all thanks to it," Lily confirmed. "There's more in the kitchen, and I'm actually enjoying making potions."

"You clearly got it from your mum then, Professor Slughorn always said your mum was brilliant at potions," Ginny said.

"Yeah…" Lily clearly hesitated slightly, which Ginny picked up on.

"You're still afraid you picked up more from Snape," Ginny surmised. "I know you too well."

"I know you do," Lily agreed. "I just… I guess I feel a little off, still using his potion to continue my transition."

"There's more to it though," Ginny took Lily's hand.

"There is, but I don't want you thinking it's me keeping things from you," Lily replied, as they went into the house, sitting down at the kitchen table. Lily saw Draco about to enter the kitchen, but he smiled at her, then turned and left, giving the kitchen/dining room to them.

"I know it's never that," Ginny assured Lily. "You need time to process things before you can put them into words. I get it."

"You get me better than most people ever will," Lily complimented.

"Well, most people don't love you the way I do," Ginny pointed out. "Have you managed to figure out how to word your feelings?"

"Not entirely," Lily replied, sighing. "I've been spending a lot of time thinking about everything Snape told me. This is going to sound… well, stupid, but… I don't know if I'll make any sense, because honestly, it doesn't entirely make sense to me."

"What doesn't?" Ginny asked softly. Lily loved her scent, her gentle voice, her smile, and the way Ginny held her hands, making her feel better almost immediately, as if sharing an inner warmth.

"I think Dumbledore wanted Snape to kill him," Lily said, her voice barely a whisper. "I think he knew he was dying and wanted to die on his terms."

"Do you think he knew Zabini had been told to kill him by Riddle?" Ginny asked. Lily nodded.

"I think he knew everything all along, including how Katie was hurt. I mean, I don't think he knew about Fleur's sister, no one could know that, but I think he wanted to keep Zabini focused on other things, to help him. Before the Death Eaters arrived, Dumbledore was succeeding in talking him down, wasn't he?" Lily asked. Ginny nodded.

"Yeah, that part I could see," Ginny agreed. "I don't understand though, why would Dumbledore want Snape to kill him? I know you said he wanted to die on his terms, but… there has to be more to it than that. If it was to have an easier death, he could have done so at any time. He was still looking for Horcruxes and making sure we had a better chance to win. He'd have told us, though, if he wanted things to go the way it did. He couldn't have foreseen the attack on the school either; no matter the reason, he'd never have let it happen."

"No, he wouldn't," Lily agreed. "But it's still a mystery. When I saw Snape, he told me that what happened would have to happen, and he wanted me to hate him. I think this is what he was talking about. He knew what I'd think if I knew he'd killed Dumbledore. I doubt he knew of the upcoming attack either, but… as much as I want to hate him… I've got so many questions, and not enough answers."

"Like what?" Ginny asked. Lily was thankful that she wasn't dismissing the ideas out of hand.

"Well, if he really wanted to have me dead, he had a lot of opportunities. He could have killed me so many times, and Riddle would have been happy to see me dead, whoever did the deed," Lily said. "That has to mean something, right?"

"Let me play Devil's Advocate for a moment," Ginny said. "What if you're just crediting Snape because of how your mum felt about him?"

"I considered that, and I don't think I am," Lily replied. "I mean, my dad hated him, and I was considering him an ally, if not a protector. What he said made sense as well, about protecting me when I was younger, and Aunt Minnie and Uncle Sirius remember both events. Even I remember the car incident, so I think he has to be telling the truth there."

"Do you think Dumbledore knew Snape was watching you?" Lily asked.

"No. As much as I cared about Dumbledore, I think there's a lot that he didn't know. He often said that he didn't know everything, and most of the time he was guessing. He was just really good at guessing," Lily replied.

"I wish we were that good," Ginny chuckled softly. She smiled at Lily, before kissing her hand.

"I don't know if what you think is what really happened, and I don't know how we can find that answer short of speaking to Snape ourselves, though I know we can't really do that," Ginny said. "Especially not without risking our lives."

"And I'm not asking Seamus or anyone at Hogwarts to risk letting Snape know that we can contact one another," Lily said. "You heard from them?"

"Yeah, Seamus gave the usual report. They're doing okay, though struggling a little with the Carrows, they're Death Eaters, teaching the Dark Arts, and Muggle Studies, though it's about teaching how Muggles are just servants and worthless. Apparently, Neville got punished by asking the Carrows how much muggle blood they had in them," Ginny said softly. Lily winced at the thought of Neville being punished like that.

"How's Dean doing?" Lily asked. She knew Dean was at Hogwarts, but hiding in the Room of Requirement, with the teachers believing he'd fled Hogwarts.

"He's still hiding and keeping people safe when he learns someone's in trouble. He knew he wouldn't last too long at the school, so he planned in advance. I've got Fawkes keeping an eye on the school as well," Ginny said.

Fawkes had been Dumbledore's Phoenix, but now belonged to Ginny, as he had been willed to her by Dumbledore. Lily loved seeing the Phoenix when he was back with them, but he had been working as hard as anyone.

"How's Fawkes doing? Is he able to keep hidden?" Lily asked. Ginny nodded.

"I can speak to him from here, and no one can see him if he doesn't want to be seen. He's able to just appear in the Room of Requirement at will, so he's been getting food and drink for Dean, and anyone else there," Ginny replied.

"Good. I wish Dean wouldn't risk himself staying there, but trying to argue with him was pointless," Lily sighed. When she had learnt that Dean had taken up residence in the Room of Requirement, she had wanted Fawkes to get him out of there, but he had refused to go, saying how he needed to protect his fellow students at Hogwarts. Lily couldn't be prouder of him, but told him to summon them if he, or anyone, was in extreme danger.

"He learnt from you, remember? How could he do anything less than what you'd do?" Ginny asked.

"That's not always a good thing; I've done plenty of dumb things," Lily pointed out.

"You're not wrong," Ginny laughed softly. "Lily, I love you, but dumb is an art form for you."

"I'm fairly certain I've just been insulted," Lily pouted, causing Ginny to chuckle again, before kissing her.

"You love me because I'm honest with you," Ginny pointed out.

"Not the only reason I love you," Lily told her.

"I know," Ginny smiled. "Come on, let's get something to eat; shopping makes me hungry."

Draco laughed as he watched Ron's character on the Nintendo 64 game Goldeneye fall in front of his, with red filling Ron's corner of the screen. "Sorry Ron; turns out there's something I am better than you at," Draco chuckled.

"Yeah, who'd have guessed it," Ron agreed, as he turned off the system. "I think I've had enough humiliation on that for today."

"You weren't wrong; muggles have a lot of brilliant ways to entertain themselves," Draco said, as he turned the system back on to play Super Mario 64. "Pansy, thank you for this."

"I figured you'd like it; you certainly enjoy the Super Nintendo, so I figured I'd treat you," Pansy replied, smiling. "It's not easy shopping for you, and I know Christmas is two weeks away, but I couldn't wait to see you on this."

"I'm loving it, especially this Mario game. The puzzles are pretty good," Draco agreed. "And to think, two years ago, I'd have seen this as just trash."

"That's the good thing about growing up; you learn new things," Hermione pointed out. "I wouldn't have chosen the experiences you've had for trials, but you've come a long way since our first year."

"For the better, thankfully," Draco said. "I know we're still on the hunt for the Horcruxes, but sometimes, days like this just help me to feel normal."

"I know what you mean, mate," Ron agreed. "It's just… well, this is likely the last year we'll have times like this. When we take down You-Know-You, we're gonna be adults. We won't be able to game all the time; we'll likely have to get jobs and work."

"Now there's a thought; what kind of jobs could we get?" Draco asked.

"I was thinking we'd have a chance to work for the Ministry; Hermione likely in Magical Law Enforcement, and I guess I'd work with her," Ron said.

"Ginny and Lily could both play Quidditch for England," Pansy suggested. "I don't know what I'd do yet; maybe a shop job or something, own a clothing store."

"That'd be fun," Lavender said, smiling. "I'd work there if you wanted help."

"I zink I will want to help people displaced by zis war," Fleur said softly. "Too many people have been hurt because of Riddle; people will need help."

"You're not wrong," Ron agreed softly, looking at her. "We'll help however we can."

"I know," Fleur flashed a smile at them all. "I'm thankful for all of you."

"We're glad you're here with us, Fleur," Pansy said, taking her hand, "You're one of our family, and we're always here for family."

"Exactly what she said," Ron agreed. "I'm just not as good at words as you lot are."

"It's not a bad thing Ron; we all have Strengths and Weaknesses," Draco pointed out. "I think we just need to relax and enjoy ourselves for the moment. We're not going to have moments like this often."

"No, you're right there," Hermione agreed. "I think we're currently in what muggles call the Eye of the Storm."

"Eye of the Storm?" Pansy asked, tilting her head slightly, looking confused.

"When muggles are facing a massive storm front, like a tornado or something, in the centre, there's what's known as the Eye of the Storm. The tornado, hurricane, or whatever kind of storm it is, can be dangerous, and sometimes fatal, but in the centre, it's perfectly calm and peaceful. It lasts for a few moments because the storms keep moving, but they call it the Eye of the Storm," Hermione explained.

"Hermione, don't take this the wrong way, but have you got a computer or something in your brain?" Ron asked, raising an eyebrow. Hermione laughed softly at the joke, smiling at him.

"Ever since I was three, I loved to read, and I could always remember whatever I read. I didn't know about witches and wizards until I was eleven, so most of my knowledge is on Muggle knowledge and research," Hermione replied. "I got through most of the books at my local library by the time I was eight."

"That's… pretty impressive," Ron complimented. "And you remember everything you need to just by thinking of what you need to know?"

"Pretty much. Muggles call it an Eidetic Memory, or Photographic Memory. There are plenty of muggles that have it, though they don't entirely understand how. I don't either; I just know it works for me," Hermione replied.

"It's a useful skill to have," Draco said. "It's helped all of us out before, and it'll probably save all our lives at some stage or another."

"Probably," Ron agreed. "Anyway, how about we look at having dinner? I'm hungry."

"Yeah, I could eat," Draco agreed, saving his game before turning it off. As he did, the television switched to the news channel, which was displaying an emergency update. "Ron, turn that up please," Draco said. Ron did so.

" We're coming to you live from the scene of the explosion," The newsreader was saying, as Ginny and Lily entered the living room. " Police have cordoned off the area after an explosion took out the headquarters of MI6, the SIS building, which opened only three years ago. Now, we don't know the full details, but we're being told that there was some kind of accident which caused the explosion, claiming the lives of twenty three members of MI6, as well as thirty two civilians who were in the nearby vicinity. More on the story as it develops," the news reader said. Lily walked over to the tv and turned it off.

"Uncle Sirius said they were going to be helping us; do you think that could have been an accident?" Lily asked. The group looked at her.

"You're thinking You-Know-Who?" Ginny asked.

"I am. The muggles agreed to help us, then their headquarters explodes? Unless the muggles are at war, and we'd know if they were, I'd bet anything Riddle was behind it," Lily said, as the front door opened, with Sirius walking in.

"Lily, I…" Sirius began, but Lily held up her hand.

"We just saw the Muggle news; MI6 headquarters was destroyed," Lily said. Sirius nodded.

"We're confident to say it was Mouldy Shorts. I got a message from the Muggle Prime Minister; he thinks there was a leak but doesn't know how. For now, he's having his people investigate the whole scene, but if it was a leak…" Sirius began, with Lily finishing.

"Then we're in trouble. We need to find those Horcruxes, and fast, before Riddle manages to win this damned war," Lily said, her heart racing. She hadn't known anyone at the building, but she felt guilt and shame for what had happened; she had been the one to ask the Muggle Prime Minister for help. How had Voldemort known? Was there a leak? Or was he actually able to read her mind somehow? She didn't know, but she would find out.

Whatever it took, she'd find how Voldemort was doing this, and stop him, whatever the cost.