The Marauder's Tale [MOONY, WORMTAIL, PADFOOT, & PRONGS]

XIX. The Third Year

"Take care of yourself this year, sweetie."

"I will, Daddy." Lily hugged her father tightly, wishing that she didn't have to leave her parents to go to school.

"Keep in touch," Mrs. Evans said, moving forward to embrace her daughter.

"I will." Lily pulled away from her mother, and looked at both of her parents. "I love you both."

"We love you," Mr. Evans answered for both of them.

Lily smiled and waved, then walked toward the platform. She had barely crossed through the gateway when Olivia jumped out at her.

"Lils!" she cried, flinging her arms around her friend. "I've missed you so much! Why didn't you write more?"

"I don't have an owl, silly," she grinned as she hugged Olivia. "I've missed you, too!"

"How was your summer?" Olivia asked seriously, looking intently into Lily's face.

"All right," Lily said with a shrug. "Petunia was Petunia all summer, which is never pleasant, but it was great to see my parents again." She smiled. "My mum made some last-ditch effort to get Petunia and I to make up last week - she was telling me about how Petunia just 'doesn't understand' or something. Yeah, like that's Petunia's only problem."

Olivia laughed. "Glad to see you're keeping a positive attitude."

Lily smiled again. "Well, I try."

"Oo, there's Dana and Kathleen!" Olivia squealed. "Come on, let's go get them!"

The girls boarded the train, and managed to find an empty compartment. They were trading stories about their summer when Lily caught a glimpse someone standing outside the train, staring at their window. She turned to get a better look, and recognized James Potter. He was standing with Sirius Black, and with two people she was sure were James' parents. His mother seemed a bit tearful about sending him back to school, which made sense, considering what their family had been through that summer.

"Who's out there, Lil?" Dana asked.

"James and Sirius," Lily said, turning back to the conversation.

"Isn't it awful what happened to his family?" Dana said, her eyes wide. She still looked horrified about the whole ordeal.

"Yes," Kathleen said shortly.

"Oh," Olivia whispered, understanding coming into her eyes as she looked at Kathleen. "James' uncle was a Muggle, wasn't he?"

"Yes," Kathleen said again.

Lily turned to her, her eyes filled with terror. "Kathleen . . . your family is like that too, isn't it? Your dad is . . ."

"My dad is a Muggle," Kathleen finished. "And my brothers and sister and I half-bloods, just like James' cousins."

Dana's hands covered her mouth. "Oh, Kath, I -"

"Don't," Kathleen said shortly. "Don't tell me that you're sorry, or that you wish it was different, or that you wish you could help. Do you realize how many times I've heard those things this summer? Everyone in the family is terrified that something like that is going to happen to us. My mother was ready to move us all to the United States to get away from it, but my dad convinced her to stay. He said we're not running." She looked at them defiantly. "I'm not running."

"But, Kath, aren't you a little scared?" Dana asked, reaching out to take Kathleen's hand.

Kathleen looked out the window. "Of course I am. I'm scared to death. But what good will that do me? I can't live as though I'm going to die." She caught sight of James as he and Sirius started to walk toward the train. "I don't think that's what James' family did. I'm sure they just lived their lives, never even thinking that this could happen to them. Does anyone ever think that it could?"