Living in the Past: Lily Luna Potter's Story [DISCONTINUED]

Chapter 20: Hidden Plots

Chapter 20: Hidden Plots

        A flash of light announced my arrival as the time turner brought me back into my house again. I sighed and shook my head, happy to be on solid ground again.

        "Miss Andrews!" squeaked a high-pitched voice. "'Tis good to see you again, miss!"

        I smiled and looked towards the source of the voice. Standing right in front of me was Trixie, the house-elf from Hogwarts who had volunteered to come help me. "I've told you before, Trixie, just Sophie is fine," I replied with a giggle. "And it's good to see you, too."

        Trixie nodded and took my jacket, shaking the dust from it and hanging it on the spotless coat tree next to the front door. I took a deep breath and turned to take in my surroundings. Because of my persistent time turner, I'd only ever been in my house maybe five or six times out of all the years I'd supposedly "owned" it. The walls, which I had painted a warm yellow, were still bare of any decorations, save an odd painting or two - presents from Dumbledore. Not that it mattered. I was never really one for decorations, even in my own room at my parents' house. The place did possess a lovely homey feel to it, but I suspected that it was Trixie's doing more than mine. She had a knack for that sort of thing, something I could never get the hang of.

        "How long have I been gone this time?" I asked, turning to see that she was busy dusting a few lamp shades.

        "Not long, miss," she replied. "Only about two or three months, miss."

        I sighed in relief. "No problems with Harry, then?"

        She looked up and smiled comfortingly at me. "Oh no, miss. Everything's quiet as usual."

        "Good. You've done a fantastic job. Are you sure you won't take a salary or something? I'm certain I can work something out -"

        "No need, miss. Trixie is happy to help her friend Sophie in any way that she can."

        I smiled sadly, feeling terribly guilty. Aunt Hermione's teachings had stuck with me, and even though I treated Trixie as a friend and not a servant, I just wished that I could have done something more for her. She was such a huge help, always making sure that everything was nice and neat whenever I came back and taking care of me, but she never asked for anything. I'd tried to pay her for her time, but she would always refuse whenever I talked to her about it. Blowing out a breath, I walked over towards the fireplace and sank onto the beige sofa, immensely glad for the soft cushions underneath me. All I'd done since that night at Godric's Hollow was travel, only stopping here and there for a few short breaks. It was exhausting. Honestly, I don't know how Aunt Hermione was able to use a time turner several times a day every single day to get to all her classes. I was having a tough time, and I was only traveling when the time turner deemed it fit for me to move again. Then again, Aunt Hermione only had to move a few hours back in time. I had to move entire years forward in time.

        A hoot sounded as Athena swooped in to perch on my shoulder, nipping my ear affectionately. I stroked her soft feathers and closed my eyes. Maybe if I could just rest for a few moments, I'd actually be able to function like a normal human being. I still had a mountain of things that I had to do, most importantly checking on Dad. I glanced up to check the Muggle calendar that Trixie kept on the wall. It read 22 June, 1991. That meant I still had more than a month until Dad would find out that he was a wizard. I sighed and retreated into my thoughts. Ever since James's and Lily's deaths, I had - under Dumbledore's request - remained in the Muggle world and kept an eye on him as he grew up. It wasn't easy. To start, Lily's sister, my Great-Aunt Petunia, was incredibly nosy and had made it her personal mission to try to find out as much as she could about me. She'd tried every tactic in her book: inviting me over for tea, meeting up with me in the supermarket, sending her son over with a fruit basket and a homemade pie (she called them 'welcoming gifts'; I called them bribery), even stooping so low as to hire an electrician to bug my house. I chuckled to myself. She was cunning, I had to give her that, but I'd managed to get the better of her every single time. Unfortunately, it wasn't just her; it seemed the entire neighborhood was buzzing about my sudden arrival and how I never really came out of my house. Some had the nerve to call me a few unpleasant names behind my back and to my face, which I won't even bother mentioning. Another reason I was unable to keep an eye on him was because of his cousin, my Uncle Dudley. Oh, sure, he'd been a good boy when Petunia had sent him over with the "welcoming gifts," but whenever he wasn't ordered to be nice to me by his mummy, he went out of his way to make my life miserable. And then there was Dad himself. I couldn't let him see me, not ever. Dumbledore had been very clear on this point. If he saw me, at least this early in his time line, it could change everything, and not in a good way. No, it was much better this way, that I watch him from afar - well, for now, anyway.