AUGUSTUS BLACK WAS most definitely the son of the infamous Hogwarts Marauder, Sirius Black. Lily was sure of it, for as she watched the younger boy join them in selling their handy-dandy pranking products, it was as if August had become one with the world of pranks. George, who amusedly watched his twin brother help a Hufflepuff first-year how to use an Extendable Ear, leaned down to mutter into his partner's ear.
"August seems like he's in his own element, eh?"
"Skiving Snackboxes. Sweets that make you ill." explained August with an amused grin as one boy's chin grew and dropped to three times its size. "Get out of class whenever you like."
"Obtain hours of pleasure from unprofitable boredom." added Fred, "Care for another?"
The corners of Lily's mouth twitched upward as she sat on the stone ledge overlooking the smaller courtyard. George reached into his pocket and produced two Cherry Poppers, handing her one.
"Yeah," nodded Lily, watching her god-brother sell a Boxing telescope. It was a small telescope that gave the user a black eye. It proved to be almost impossible to get rid of. "He does."
Hearing the detachment in her voice, George examined his best friend and although she looked on at the amusing scene, she possessed a faraway look within her emerald-green eyes. George shoved the wrapper to his Cherry Popper into the pocket of his robes and spoke again.
"What do you want to be, Lily?" And after hearing the vagueness in his question, "What do you want to be after you graduate Hogwarts, I mean."
Lily could plainly hear the seriousness in her best friend's voice, a rare thing to witness. She looked at him and he could have sworn he saw the stars from the night sky above them reflected in her light eyes, dancing wildly, as if the thought of an answer had infused an unexpected vitality into her. No one had ever asked Lily Potter that very question and yet, she had an answer.
"Everything."
George stared at her for a moment as if to see if she was being vague on purpose, but she looked entirely content with her answer.
"Everything?" he repeated confusedly. He did not understand.
"Yes."
"How can you be everything?"
"Not without difficulty." she shrugged. Her poetic words seemed to make sense to her, so he left her to her happier thoughts.
It was only a few minutes later when Fred walked over to them with his hands in his pockets, his flaming hair disheveled as always. His hair annoyed Lily more than Harry's; every Gryffindor can attest to seeing her chase after both of them around the tower with a comb and once, even a pair of scissors.
"What's up?"
"Did we sell out well tonight?" asked George.
"Good enough." nodded Fred.
Along with the money that the Potter twins gave them from the Triwizard Tournament, the Weasley Three were determined to raise double that in order to open up a shop of their own. "We'll need more color-bombs and extendable ears for next time, though."
Lily checked the time depicted in her wristwatch and stood up, "We also need more Nose-Biting-Teacups."
"What?" exclaimed Fred. "But we have a full box--"
"--Not anymore." smirked Lily, "Umbridge may not make it to class on Monday, as she will most likely have an ugly swollen bite on her face."
Fred shook his head, but the smirk on his face remained, as if he were proud to have such an awesome girlfriend. "Leave it to you to poke the beast."
"Honestly," August chimed in as the last of their customers left, "I was thinking of another name."
As he had said that, a loud feminine shriek erupted from the west corridor and thought distant, the four remaining Gryffindors heard it perfectly.
"WEASLEYS!!"
And in a heartbeat, George waved his wand and all of their products flew into their trunk and shrunk to the size of satchel. Fred grabbed it and the four partners in crime were off, jumping over benches and bolting through the courtyard, laughing carelessly. Although Lily would never admit it, she knew that Umbridge very well knew it was Lily's doing and even she had shouted out 'Weasleys!' Even she, as horrid and daft as she was, knew that the Potters and the Weasleys were a package deal.
Ever since her first year at Hogwarts School, when she had made a pact with the Weasleys to always joke and laugh, Lily found a thrill she had never experienced before then. And years later, now in her fifth year and then in their seventh, she felt that thrill every single time. She loved them, all of them. It was a kind of love that she would always protect, but with all drama aside, she just blatantly and unconditionally loved all of them: her twin, August, Fred, George, Hermione, the Weasleys and even the Order.
It was a shame that it could not ever be that simple.
Because just as quickly as that familiar thrill had passed through Lily, it evanesced in a sudden chill that seemed to reach her very bones. She faltered in her pace and as the others mimicked, Lily Potter kept the grin on her face in order to keep from disclosing that anything was wrong; she wore that mask all too much.
"You go on!" panted Lily as they slowed in their pace and reached a divide , "I have something else to do."
"Something else?" questioned August.
"It's almost curfew." Fred pointed out.
Lily managed to keep her voice from shaking, "When do I ever follow the rules?"
"She's right." said George.
Fred nodded, his voice clearly showing his hesitance, "We'll leave you to it, then."
She nodded and waved them off, walking down the corridor to the right. When she turned around to see if they were watching her go, to her relief, they were gone. Lily, visibly shaking, made it as far as to a silver suit of armor before she collapsed to her knees. She had known it was coming, but she was not afraid of it anymore. Nothing could have been worse than seeing her parent's deaths as she had weeks ago.
"Lillian Potter,..." hissed the shrill and menacing voice of the Dark Lord in her mind, "Your confidence grows stronger but your mind weaker...."
"You're wrong!"
"Am I?" And then he showed it to her again.
With the flick of his wand, the door exploded and their mother turned her back toward it, shielding her children. She placed them in their crib and spun around on Voldemort, standing in his way.
"Step aside.!" He hissed, providing her with a chance to surrender.
"You will never win!" Their mother shouted.
Lily pressed her back against the cold stone wall and focused on a lit torch mounted on the wall a little ways away. The flames burned a dull orange and they only flickered slightly; she could hear prodding footsteps in the distance and knew that she had to move. No one could see her like that, if a student were to report it, Umbridge would get word of it...who knew what could happen to her then.
"I will win, Lillian Potter." hissed Voldemort. It seemed so surreal. "And your brother will fall alongside you."
"M-My name," she began, pushing through the piercing pain that had enflamed her scar. The footsteps were louder now; the person was closer. "My name is Lily."
"You are a foolish, Lily Potter."
"Maybe." she replied. The approaching figure was closer now, just within hearing range, no doubt. Lily shut her eyes, but this time she did not succumb to his wrath. A shadow loomed over her but she did not acknowledge them, she didn't care anymore. "Maybe I will fall."
The shadow no longer loomed over Lily, but instead lifted her from the floor and into their arms; they were strong arms, caring and imminent at the same time. It was a man, no doubt, Lily noticed as she shook against their strong frame. The surreal image of the Dark Lord still remained as he lingered in her mind, edging her on.
"But you sure as hell can bet that I will bring you down to hell with me."
With those final brave words, Lily felt Voldemort leave her mind, but his influence lingered like a cold draft seeping beneath a door. He could have finished her off then if he had given it enough force, but it was clear now that he wished to face the Potter twins in the flesh. As powerful and vindictive as Voldemort was, his most powerful weakness was his confidence and his need to prove himself.
The corridors grew darker as the figure carrying her walked on, the torches dimmed with every passing moment as nighttime crept upon them. Lily opened her eyes and looked up at the man carrying her, and although she was not surprised by who it was, she was confused.
"Why do you help me?" questioned Lily.
He gave no reply, but instead led her down a corridor she had only ventured through a handful of times; the professor's quarters. It was only after he opened the door that Lily knew where he had taken her; his home.
"Can you stand?" he asked in a voice that did not seem the least bit like his usual sneer.
"Yeah. I think so, yeah." As he set her onto her feet and she regained her footing, she stood unsteadily and glanced about the room.
His living quarters were nothing like any other student would expect, but Lily knew him better than anyone else. The front door opened out into the living area and shared study; the furniture was black and the seats were of the same colored leather. On the floor covering most of wood was a dark green carpet and towards the back of the room, just fitting on top of it, was a cherry-wood desk. As to be expected, books and leather bound grimours were neatly stacked atop of it.
"Professor...?" she began and as he walked around the room, grabbing certain items from a glass cabinet to the left wall. His black robes swayed with every move he made and Lily watched him in disarray. Snape placed a handful of items on his desk, potion ingredients, and began mixing them accordingly; all the while, in silence as Lily stood idly in the center of the room.
"I'm sorry, Professor."
He looked up then, an expression of confusion etched onto his face, "What do you have to apologize for?"
A curt laugh escaped her lips, "A great many things."
"I hardly believe that to be true." He resumed to his ingredients.
"You would be surprised." she shrugged nonchalantly and began to look about the room, "Why do you help me, Professor? You jeopardize too much for me to think it is just out of a good heart."
Snape seemed bemused by her comment as he shook the contents of the potion he was making, "Are you quite sure that I have a good heart, Miss Potter?"
Without looking back at him, she examined the trinkets in a glass showcase, "My name is Lily."
He walked over to her, his face blank of emotion, with a flask of the potion her had made, "It will help with your nerves."
She took the flask and downed the contents in one quick gulp; she knew better than to do it slowly, as most potions always tasted ghastly no matter their effect.
"What has the Order been up to lately?"
Snape gestured for her to sit down and she set herself down on the leather sofa, whilst he sat in the love-seat across from it. With the wave of his wand, a bottle of Firewhiskey and a single glass floated across the room from their places on a wooden table and set themselves down in front of him.
"Nothing has changed." he replied.
She scoffed, "Everything has changed."
He looked at her questioningly as he poured himself a glass of the golden liquor and she continued. "Harry's pushing everyone away. I'm becoming angrier, more agitated, not to mention I have Voldemort popping into my head at any given moment."
He did not seem bothered by her use of the name.
"I mean, seriously." She spat, "He could at least ask first."
Snape was clearly amused, for a small smirk was visible as he drank the liquor in his glass, "I don't think the Dark Lord spends his time worrying about proper manners, Lily."
"It was a metaphor."
"If that was a metaphor," he began in his deep voice, "I will never understand your metaphors."
Lily disregarded his comment, "Not to mention that Umb*tch is taking over the school as the days go on."
Snape also did not seem bothered by her use of profanities. Actually, it rather seemed as though the Potter girl had given him the name to address his Christmas card to.
Snape waved his wand again and this time, a book flew out from the old bookshelf to their right. It hovered directly over the middle of the coffee table before them and curiously, Lily took it and examined the cover.
TEACHING THE DARK ARTS
ADVANCED EDITION
• Volume One •
Her eyes went from the leathery cover to Snape, who seemed to guess her question before she had opened her mouth to ask, "I'm sure you will be needing it, yes?"
"I haven't a clue as to what you're talking about, Professor." Lily responded, but nonetheless, began flipping through the pages as he watched. Every topic, both imaginable and unimaginable, was within the single book: from Patronus Charms to Defensive Incantations to the Perks of Knowing the Hexes; it was all there.
"Why are you giving me this?"
"You'll find out soon enough." said Snape.
Lily shut the book and looked up at him with her light green eyes; kind eyes that only ever so rarely appeared, reminding those who knew her of her pleasant eleven-year-old self.
"Professor, I know I may not know as much as I make it out to believe, but I do know one thing indefinitely: I know how to read people. I always have." she began, "You have an undeniably good heart and I know you doubt it, but...don't."
His dark eyes gazed into her own with an emotion that Lily, even being her analytical self, could not decipher. She figured the Firewhiskey he had so generously consumed had begun to take its effect on the man, as his eyes became unfocused and he looked down at his glass pitifully.
"You can tell all of that from such little time together, hmm?"
"No. I can tell because we're the same, you and I." she gave him a wry smile, "We're misfits."
"Potter, did you just quote a Muggle film....?"
"And here I thought I sounded all wise." she frowned, "It's the long name thing, isn't it?"
And that statement earned a laugh (also thanks to the three glasses of Firewhiskey) from Professor Severus Snape, for he had indeed heard of the mishap at the Ministry of Magic only a day prior to the start of the new school term.
"Thank you, Professor." she smiled at him; it was a smile all too familiar. "I think I know what I have to do."
And indeed, she did.
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Lily returned to the Gryffindor common room only a little while later with the help of a hidden passageway, as she decided not to deal with Caretaker Argus Filch and his annoying cat. When she entered, Hermione, Ron and August were the first ones that caught her eyes, as they stood as though they had been caught red handed. When they saw Lily, they sighed in relief and she looked down at her brother, who was staring into the empty fireplace, where orange flames danced calmly.
"I have to teach you how to sneak around. You're not very good at it." she rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, "Waiting for Padfoot?"
"Yes." nodded Harry. Lily knelt down beside her twin and waited along with them. It was only after a moment when Harry asked, "Where have you been?"
"With Snape." The others exchanged glances and she rolled her eyes, "You don't know the Snape that I do. He's helped me endlessly and had put himself in jeopardy in doing so. He cares about me."
"Gee." muttered Ron, "It feels like only yesterday that we were accusing him of trying to steal the Sorcerer's stone."
Oddly enough, everyone apart from August reminisced on those times when their troubles were as simple as playing music for a three-headed dog or escaping Devils Snare; everything was so much simpler.
"Children." a kind masculine voice spoke up. Their heads all snapped towards the fire where Sirius's face took form within it.
"Sirius." Harry sighed in relief.
"Dad, what are you doing here?" asked August nervously.
"Answering your letter." he nodded to Harry, "You said you were worried about Umbridge. What's she doing? Training you to kill half-breeds?"
"She's not letting us use magic at all." said Harry.
"Well, I'm not surprised." replied Sirius, "The latest intelligence is that Fudge doesn't want you trained in combat."
"Combat?" asked August, raising his eyebrows, "What does he think, we're forming some sort of wizard army?"
"That's exactly what he thinks. That Dumbledore is assembling his own forces to take on the Ministry." Sirius nodded, "He's becoming more paranoid by the minute. The others wouldn't want me telling you all this,...but things aren't going at all well with the Order. Fudge is blocking the truth at every turn... and these disappearances are just how it started before...." he hesitated, looking at them wearily, "Voldemort is on the move."
"Well, what can we do?" asked Harry. Ron and Hermione fidgeted uncertainly behind them.
"Someone's coming." exclaimed Sirius, his head turning as if to look behind him.
"Don't use means of fire places now, Sirius. Umbridge is beginning to monitor them. It isn't safe." began Lily, "Soon she'll be able to have authority over the mail, as well."
He nodded and frowned at all of them, "I'm sorry I can't be of more help. But for now, at least, it looks like you're on your own." He then paused and looked at his children, "I love you."
And with a hiss, the flames had returned to their previous normal state. Lily pricked her finger with a hairpin and let a drop of blood hiss into the fire, "Amarium." The fire roared suddenly in a hue of blood red and then died, reducing to burned firewood and black ash.
"What was that for?" asked Ron.
"It was a little trick I picked up from Lupin over the summer." Lily responded, "It keeps anyone from tracking means of message."
"Clever." remarked August.
They all stood in silence, allowing Sirius's words to sink in completely. Harry and Lily had already known Voldemort was back, but now they knew he was not only after them; he was after ultimate power once more. Hermione sighed and walked over to the nearby window. Outside, a thunderstorm raged endlessly, seemingly aware of the despair in their hearts and minds.
"He really is out there, isn't he?" She asked, glancing at the twins. Harry and Lily nodded solemnly and she turned back at the scene through the window. "We've got to be able to defend ourselves. And if Umbridge refuses to teach us how, we need someone who will."
The Granger girl looked at Ron and the two best friends seemed to comprehend each other, for they both turned to the Potter twins.
"Harry. Lily."
And it was then that Lily understood what Snape had meant when he had given her his Dark Arts books. That must have meant he had eyes and ears around the castle and if that was true, Lily herself knew: she had rubbed off on Professor Severus Snape. The idea tempted a grin, but Lily was pulled back into the reality of Hermione's suggestion. She and Harry looked at each other and then back at their friends apprehensively.
"We need you."
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Only two days had passed after that eventful night, but that was all the time Ron and Hermione needed to spread the news around about the secret meeting going on in Hogsmeade. Ron and Hermione had managed to get Harry and Lily on board with the whole idea of having them teach others how to fight and defend themselves in the Dark Arts. Lily was most reluctant, but after Ron talked with Fred, they all had managed to get her on board with the idea, however reluctant.
"Look at this way, Lil." Fred had known how to speak Lily Potter's language, "The more people you teach, the more people you have to help you blow up Umbridge's head."
"I don't need any help." Lily had replied confidently, "I can blow the bloody b*tch up all by myself and would very much enjoy doing it."
"But wouldn't it be nice to know that you left behind such an awesome legacy?" asked George. He had helped, too.
Lily pondered over it for a moment, "Alright....fine, I'm in."
August and the quartet walked through the fallen snow in Hogsmeade Village, as Winter had finally come and provided for them the first snowfall of the year. Lily had bewitched snowballs to nail August in the head as they walked, and although it had taken him a moment to figure out it was her, when he had, he conjured up an even larger snowball and she was weaving her way around Ron, trying not to get hit.
"This is mad. Who'd wanna be taught by us?" asked Harry crossly, "I'm a nutter, remember?"
"Look on the bright side: you can't be any worse than old toad face." replied Ron.
"Thanks, Ron."
"I'm here for you, mate."
After Lily nailed August in the face with a cold ball of snow, his own snowball crashed into the rest of the heaps of snow and he began to dry his stinging face.
"Who's supposed to be meeting us, then?" questioned Lily. She wore a knitted hat --a gift from Ron-- over her curly red hair, which was weaved into a French braid.
"Just a couple of people." replied Hermione just as they reached the desolated diner: Hogs Head.
"Lovely spot." remarked the twins sarcastically.
Ron shrugged, "We thought it would be safer off."
Ron entered first and held the door open for them, with August filing in last. Ron clapped the younger by on the back as they all moved to the far corner of the empty place. A caretaker was mopping the floors, but other than that, only a few people were present so far: Fred, George, Ginny and Luna Lovegood. They all waited quietly in the pub as other students filed in, some in groups and some on their own.
"Hi." began Hermione awkwardly, "So you all know why we're here. We need a teacher. A proper teacher. One who's had experience defending themselves against the Dark Arts."
"Why?" spoke up a younger boy.
"Why? Why?" Ron stepped forward, seeing Lily's face fall as she stood beside him. "Because You-Know-Who's back, you tosspot."
"So they say." Seamus jerked his chin at Harry and Lily who stood silently next to each other.
"So Dumbledore says." retorted Hermione.
"So Dumbledore says because they say." Seamus bit back, "The point is, where's the proof?"
"If the Potters could tell us more about how Diggory got killed..." the younger boy, Nigel, began. The other Weasleys looked wearily at each other as Lily crossed her arms and looked over all of them with contempt.
"We're not going to talk about Cedric, so if that's why you're here, clear out now." she spat.
"Come on, Hermione." Harry muttered in her ear, putting his hand on her arm, "They're here because they think I'm some sort of freak."
"Is it true you two can produce a Patronus Charm?" the familiar airy voice of Luna Lovegood spoke up. She smiled at the twins; they looked thankfully back at her, for they knew she was trying to help.
"Yes." nodded Hermione, "I've seen them."
"Blimey, Harry, Lily." remarked Dean Thomas, "I didn't know you could do that."
"And they killed a basilisk, with the sword in Dumbledore's office." Neville spoke up knowledgeably.
"It's true." Ron nodded in confirmation. "Third year, they fought off about a hundred Dementors at once. Lily went all solo on their arses after they attacked Harry. Last year, they really did fight off You-Know-Who in the flesh--"
"Stop." Lily shook her head. She hated how they were glorifying all of it; she wasn't some hero, she was a stupid teenager who was overly protective of her loved ones. It often got her into trouble.
"Wait." began Harry, having the same thoughts, "Look, it all sounds great when you say it like that... but the truth is, most of that was just luck. We didn't know what we were doing half the time. We nearly always had help."
"He's just being modest." Hermione spoke up.
"No, Hermione, he's not." said Lily, "Facing this stuff in real life is not like school. In school, if you make a mistake, you can just try again tomorrow. But out there... when you're a second away from being murdered... or watching a friend die right before your eyes...."
Her gaze fell upon Fred and he frowned, for he could see the sadness in her eyes as she recalled the not-so-distant memory.
"You don't know what that's like."
"You're right, Lily, we don't. That's why we need your help." frowned Hermione. Harry put his arm around Lily as she stared at the worn wooden planks that made up the floor. "Because if we're going to have any chance at beating...Voldemort..."
Hermione's mentioning of Voldemort's true name caught the Potters and even Ron by surprise. It was clear that it was hard for her and everyone else within the room cringed, aside from the Weasleys. They had already had their fair share of the Dark Lord in some way, shape or form.
"He's really back...?" Nigel trailed off as he saw the genuine expressions of sullenness on their faces. They nodded and everyone exchanged glances amongst each other. Amid the crowd, Fred and George gave them a thumbs up.
Only a few moments later, everyone had lined up to sign a lengthy piece of parchment which would declare them members of the top secret D.A.D.A club.
Ginny sat down between Ron and Harry and with a smile, nudged Harry, "So, what're you going to call it?"
"How about...." Harry thought about it for a moment, "...Dumbledore's Army?"
And so Dumbledore's Army it was.
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The Weasleys, the Potters Hermione, Neville, Luna and August soon exited Hogshead after everyone had left.
"Right." began Hermione, "First we need to find a place to practice... where Umbridge won't find out."
"The Shrieking Shack?" suggested the Weasley twins. Ron shivered at the recollection of the last time he was there.
"It's too small." Hermione shook her head, "Forbidden Forest?"
"Not bloody likely." objected Ron. He definitely was not going risk to run into another giant bloody spider or wild enchanted car ever again. Lily chuckled at the memories and played along as Fred swung her hand back and forth cheerfully; they loved a good rule-breaking thrill.
"Harry, Lily," began Ginny, "What happens if Umbridge does find out?"
"Who cares?" exclaimed Hermione with an excited smile, "I mean, it's sort of exciting, isn't it, breaking the rules?"
Ron, Harry and Lily all grinned at each there and Ron looked at her, "Who are you and what have you done with Hermione Granger?"
Hermione waved him off, "Anyway, at least we know one positive thing that came from today."
"What's that?" queried Harry.
"Cho couldn't take her eyes off you, could she?"
Lily did not have a personal problem with Cho Chang, but she definitively did not like the idea of her and her twin dating. She, like many others who refused to make it known, liked the idea of Ginny and Harry being an item. After all, the age difference was only of a year -- and Fred and Lily were two years apart.
"Right." Harry dismissed the comment with a sheepish smile, "Over the next few days, we should each come up... with a couple of possibilities of places we can practice. We've got to make sure, wherever it is, there's no chance she can find us."
Lily looked back at Neville and grinned, "Neville and I are on it."
Neville was clearly happy with the idea of helping out and being a part of their exclusive team. He nodded, "Will do, Harry."
"Good. It's settled then." said Harry, "As soon as we get a spot, we'll begin."
It was then that George Weasley understood what Lily meant when she had said she wished to be everything. She was already a legend, already a friend and a sister, already a skillful witch and now, she would be a mentor alongside Harry. It seemed as though the Potter girl had lived more in the five years at Hogwarts than she ever had in her entire life. Maybe that was why she was so protective of it and of the people she had befriended along the way; she would never let it slip away, as long as she could help it.
But never was a very long time.