THE WAR DID not begin with a bang or a melodramatic attempt to seize power, but with whispers of treachery and fear and hope. Rebellion hung in the thick fog of that one Summer morning in early July as witches and wizards alike resisted the corruption that crept its way into all they knew. With the faces of the rebellion hidden in plain sight and the mournful weeks following the death of the great Albus Dumbledore, every day that passed meant the loss of another hopeless rebel.
Mysterious disappearances and suspicious deaths circled the topics of the frankly corrupted Daily Prophet, which was fighting against the reliable Quibbler as it climbed up the ranks. For everyday that passed since Lily Potter and Fred Weasley fell off the map -- out of touch with everyone they knew except for a select few -- she managed to acquire the daily Quibbler without being sighted by the public. Everyday when he returned to their latest place of residence -- a small apartment in a little village in London -- Fred would find the latest edition of the Quibbler robbed of its articles and photographs by a pair of scissors. Lily Potter attacked the list of missing people under the radar of the Ministry, which mostly entailed Fred doing the magic and Lily using her fists; a perfect duo.
On the Fourth of July, Fred returned to the apartment with a sack of groceries held by bloodied hands and split knuckles. As he entered, he spotted today's copy of The Quibbler torn the pieces on the floor. That meant someone from the list was found dead. Lily emerged from the bedroom with the solemn expression he knew she would have.
"Two people were found dead last night: Patrick Hennessy and his eight-year-old son – the wife, Sara Hennessy, is still missing." She put on a blank expression on her face when she crossed another name off of the checklist. Of the dozens of missing people reported, very few of them were found and when they were, it was indirectly linked to the young couple. Fred understood his girlfriend's need to justify leaving everyone to fend for themselves by helping to find the missing. He just hoped it was doing more good that bad.
She eyed his bloodied hands, "Is that blood?"
"No?"
"That's not a question you're supposed to answer with another question."
"I got into an altercation with a Snatcher." said Fred as he stocked the refrigerator with milk, eggs and other cold foods. "He didn't win."
Beyond the closed drapes, the sky was still dark as night and day fought just a little longer. There was no sign of the sun but even if there was, it had not shown itself from behind the blanket of clouds in weeks. The gloomy weather only increased the despair in the air -- it was contagious.
Fred thoroughly washed his hands in the sink once he finished unpacking. With a dustpan and sweeper in her hands, Lily doubled over to sweep up the mess of newspaper shreds still on the floor when they swept themselves into the trash. She rolled her eyes at her boyfriend and as she disposed of the cleaning tools, he snaked his arms around her torso and pulled her to him. A small giggle betrayed her lips as his breath tickled the bare skin of her neck.
"Care to join me for a shower?"
"We have to leave before sunrise for the wedding." she sighed, "We're on a timed schedule and you need to get your best tux out."
He imagined a different time years from now where there was no war or misery, just peace. As his bride, she would say those words to him from the other side of the door as he fantasized about waiting for her at the alter..... But peace seemed like an even wilder thing to achieve these days.
"How much time do we have?"
"An hour at the most." she thought aloud, "Ten minutes for a shower, twenty to get dressed, another twenty to make something to eat and ten minutes to make an undetectable exit."
He smirked and brushed a stray strand of auburn hair from her face. "We can do ten minutes."
"If you say so."
"I know so."
After their steamy shower, Fred and Lily went about their business around the apartment as they planned. Lily dressed into a lacy long-sleeved pastel-pink dress and Fred dressed into his favorite sleek black tuxedo with a pink tie to match her dress. After she made a breakfast of buttered toast and eggs, they spelled the apartment as they usually did to ensure it was Unplottable and protected. They exited the building and slipped into an alleyway nearby. It unnerved Fred when they walked into it everyday as it brought back horrible memories of vivid nightmares, but he decided a while ago it would be best to not tell Lily. It was insignificant compared to everything else going on.
He extended his hand to her and as she took it, they were yanked forcefully from their feet by their navels and were thrown into a rush of air and magic until moment later, they landed again. They found themselves in the garden of a house that looked too plain to not be owned by Muggles. Fred casted two quickly Disillusionment charms on themselves and followed Lily as she slipped out onto the front yard where the grass was a bright green. Down the block and across the street, all of the houses were identical to each other with the same bright green grass -- Fred felt as though he had jumped into some irritating old Muggle film. Lily grabbed the daily newspaper off of the lawn as unfolded it to view the cover page.
BRIDGE COLLAPSE!
Around 6:00am on July 3rd,
London took a devastating
blow. The Brockdale Bridge
which was built over River
Thames a little over a decade
ago, mysteriously collapsed
and killed dozens of drivers
in its wake. Authorities are
still scouring the river for
vehicles and missing persons.
London's best experts are at
a loss on how the perfectly
constructed bridge broke
suddenly in two. As more
details are provided to the
public, the Prime Minister
has set a press date to pay
his respects to the families
of those who lost relatives
in the incident. No news
has surfaced on whether
the bridge is to be rebuilt...
Fred read the article over her shoulder, "What do you reckon happened?"
"I think Voldemort gave Fudge an ultimatum and when he refused," said Lily, throwing the paper back on the grass, "He sent his Deatheaters to target a Muggle bridge, seeing as they can't defend themselves anyway."
The young couple set off down the road and passed the Muggle homes as they did. Fred spotted a man using lawn mower and watched with such interest that it reminded Lily of Mr. Weasley, and then she pulled him along again. It was only a half an hour later that the scenery changed as they entered the town's square where a horse's statue was erected in the center. Just across the way stood a petite Church enclosed by a white picket fencing. They entered the church as silently as they could and absorbed the scene before them. The walls were painted a cream colour with tall stained-glasses windows narrating religious events and long wooden benches in two rows. The carpeted center aisle led up to the altar where a nervous Remus Lupin talked with Edward Tonks, Nymphadora's father. The sun shone through the stained-glass windows and beamed down on him. Lily was surprised and happy to see that Remus didn't look as old and weak as he usually did because of his werewolf curse; he was excited.
Fred casted their Disillusionment charms away and revealed themselves to all those in the church, who were very few in number. The Weasleys, Fleur, and a few Order members were seated together to the front. When they said it would be a small wedding, they meant it. George was the first to rise from his seat upon seeing his best friends, then Ron, and they made their way towards them.
"Hey." greeted George.
"Where have you been?" interrogated Ron in a hushed voice, "Harry, Hermione and I have been worried sick about you since Dumbledore's funeral. Although I reckon they're angry now more than anything..."
"Fred!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed as she spotted them and rushed to greet them, "Lily! We've missed you! Where have you been?!"
They were reminded of the incident five years ago when Fred, George and Ron rescued the Potters from the Dursley house in the flying Ford Angela and Mrs. Weasley went ballistic....even with her sugared tone of voice, they all had an urge to shudder.
"We've missed you, too, Mrs. Weasley." said Lily as she blatantly dodged their questions. "Where's Tonks?"
"In the back, preparing." said George. Lily nodded and slipped away in the direction he told her. She found herself entering another much smaller room where Tonk's was seated as her mother perfected her hair -- which was its birth-given light brown. In the mirror, she saw Lily's reflection, gasped and jumped out of her chair to hug her.
"Oh, Lily! You made it!"
Lily couldn't quite remember Remus or Tonks ever being this happy. "Of course I did. I'm your Maid of Honour."
"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Lillian Potter." Tonk's mother, Andromeda Tonks, smiled warmly at her. Lily found herself wondering which of her two sisters she looked most like and decided she was a mixture of both Narcissa and Bellatrix. With wavy dark brown hair reaching chin-length, light brown eyes, a little make-up and a long-sleeved black dress, Andromeda Tonks was far from her elder sisters in appearance and persona. "I'm Andromeda Tonks. You can call me Andy, 'Dromeda, whatever you prefer."
"The pleasure is all mine." she replied, "And I prefer Lily."
"Is he nervous?" inquired Tonks as she wrung her fingers together. Lily was happy to see that her style didn't change even with her wedding dress: it was an off-white knitted gown that trailed elegantly in her wake. Around her neck hung a blue sapphire on a diamond chain -- something borrowed, blue, and very old all in one.
"I think he's more excited than anything. Excited to spend the rest of his life with you." said Lily. She withdrew a small black box from her clutch bag and gave it to her. "This is your something new."
With a curious smile, Tonks opened the box to reveal a pair of sapphire earrings that coincidently matched her necklace. Andromeda chuckled, "Great minds think alike."
"Thank you, Lily." Tonks hugged her again.
As Lily pulled away, she grinned sheepishly, "This hugging and crying is making me uncomfortable." the women chuckled and Lily took in a breath, "Are you ready?"
Tonks nodded. Lily took a bouquet of peonies and kissed her on the cheek before she exited the room. As she entered into the main room once again and walked up the aisle, the symphonic music began to play. As she reached her spot beside Ginny on the other side of the altar, she winked at Remus who returned it with a broad smile. Tonks entered the grand room with her father guiding her up the aisle, a smile forced upon his face by his wife. As Remus and Tonk's eyes met, their smiles widened and their eyes twinkled -- it was like they were connected in some odd way. Ted Tonks kissed his daughter's cheek and sat down in his place next to his wife as Remus took her hand.
As they joined each other on the altar and the Minister began to speak, Lily caught Bill Weasley's gaze from behind Remus -- he was Remus' best man, seeing as James nor Sirius was there to be part of the ceremony....she liked to believe they were watching down on the wedding, yelling profanities in their disbelief and jubilance for their best friend. Bill maintained this gaze with Lily and smiled at her. She had not seen him since she defended him against the Deatheater Fenrir Greyback and ended up risking her life in return....he saved her life earlier that night and later, she saved his. He wanted to thank her and hug her and tell her that he was there for her through whatever emotional times she was going through. Fleur's fondness of Lily after the events of the Triwizard tournament three years ago only increased on the night of the Battle of the Astronomy Tower. Lily didn't realize how much everyone in that room cared for her....or maybe she did....maybe she resented it somehow...
"I, Remus John Lupin, take you to be my best friend, my soulmate, and my one true love." Remus vowed with tears in his eyes. "I promise to love you, to care for you and to stick by you through good and bad, light and dark. I will forever be there to lift you up when you are down, to laugh and cry with you, and to love you unconditionally."
"I, Nymphadora Tonks, take you to be my husband and my b-best friend." she was trying to stifle her cries and chuckled at herself. After a moment, she continued, "Remus, I will always be there to help you and encourage you in you darkest hours and I will spend every living moment of my life proving to you that you are worthy of every happiness life has to offer."
"You are all of the happiness and thrill in life that I need, Tonks."
"The rings, if you please...." said the Minister. Lily and Bill stepped forth and handed them rings: a diamond set in a gold band and a plain gold band.
From their seats, Mrs. Weasley and Fleur cried silently into handkerchiefs. Fred and George laughed silently and draped their arms around their mother. She smiled at their display of affection and continued bawling.
"...By the power vested in me, I pronounce you, Remus, and you, Nymphadora," Tonks shuddered slightly at the sound of her name, "as husband and wife. You may now kiss your bride..."
As Remus and Tonks leaned in and locked lips, sharing their first kiss as a married couple, everyone began to clap. Amid the applause, Lily was hit with the harsh truth that even if she made it to her wedding day one day, her father or her godfathers would walk her down the aisle. She loved Remus as if he were family -- he was family -- and he would be the choice to do it, but she always thought it would be Severus who would fill the role....the godfather who broke her heart. And something had changed within her, that was for sure.
As everyone readied to leave for Ted and Andromeda's house for celebratory drinks, Lily held Tonk's up and whispered, "Fred and I can't stay at the house very long. We're going to have to slip out without goodbyes."
"Why?" she frowned.
"I'm not exactly the most liked person to the Ministry and wizarding community right now and neither is Harry. They're going to come looking for us and it's best that we don't make it easy." she whispered, "Besides, I have to do deal with everything else going on....Snape..." Tonks frowned at the expression on Lily's face as she said his name with such heavy misery, "He knew too much. I need to put things in order."
"I understand." she nodded glumly and then her expression brightened a bit, "Would you say a few words?" at Lily's hesitance, "Please?"
Suppressing the sigh that desperately wanted to betray her lips, she waltzed up to the altar and cleared her throats for everyone's attention. "If I could say a few words...?" Everyone sat down once again, with Tonks and Remus in front, and they gave her their undivided attention.
"I met Remus on the train heading into my third year at Hogwarts, but I knew him then as Professor Lupin. I was going through a hard time back then," it's expected now, thought Lily, "and when I figured out why he was always so sad, so mellow, he taught me the greatest lesson I've ever learned."
Lily looked at Remus and smiled at his appalled expression. "Remus, I know what you endure every month must be excruciating, frightening, and that words cannot really describe how you feel about it at most times. But I want you to know this: the hardships you have faced and will face shaped you into who you are today and I'll be damned to hear you say that you hate who you are.
You taught me not only how to overcome my troubles, but you also taught me how to open my eyes to the troubles of those around me. I was raised in a horrible Muggle household until age eleven, left only to learn by example from those around me and you were among the few.... So I want you to know that for every life I save in this war, every life that I touch, is all thanks to you."
Remus was in tears. He hastily wiped at his eyes and gave Lily a watery smile.
"Tonks, when I first met you after joining the Order, I thought: wow, I've finally met someone spunkier than I am. As my somewhat older sister and best friend, I want to thank you for inspiring such happiness in Remus' life. I'm sure Sirius and my dad are watching us right now and they'd be thankful for you being in his life....they'd also wonder where the heck you've come from seeing as you're perfect for Remus."
Tonks was crying, Fred was grinning at his girlfriend's restraint for swearing and Remus was laughing as he imagined James and Sirius as his best men, exchanging bets and throwing jokes out there.
"If you both ever need anything," Lily continued, "Anything at all, I'm here for you. If you need some laughs, someone to talk to or lean on, someone to kick some butt," they laughed at this but she grew serious then, "or if you need someone to help you and fight for you, whatever the circumstances, I am here. I will always be here."
Tonks couldn't take it anymore. She jumped up from her seat and hugged Lily. Remus also stood and joined the hug. Lily suddenly wished that she had been less affectionate because she was also crying and she hated crying.
"I saw much of your mother in you just then." Remus smiled. "I like to think she, James and Sirius were here with us today...."
Tonks smiled, "I think they were, darling."
Lily chuckled, "Do you really think they would miss it, even in death? Come on, if you knew anything about them, you'd know they probably placed bets on this very day since your Hogwarts days."
And as it turned out, although they would never know, they did.
▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂
Three weeks had passed since Remus and Tonk's wedding and once again, Fred and Lily returned to their secluded apartment. The only other soul to visit was George who insisted that he could remain unseen seeing as he had done a fantastic job of making his way around Hogwarts which was considerably more impressive then the dilapidated apartment complex. Besides, just because Lily wanted to distance herself from Harry for a while didn't mean she could make Fred do the same -- she wouldn't dream of it.
It was early in the morning on the eve of her birthday when she had the dream again. Dawn had barely bled into the sky when Lily tossed over in the bed, tangled in blankets as she relived the dream -- memory? -- over once again. It seemed, as hard as she did try, it just became clearer in her head and the worst part of it was that when she awoke, she could never remember it. And this had never happened before.
A cloaked man glided over the sloping grounds surrounding a grand old manor, the Malfoy Manor, like a predator hunting it's prey. Moving as smoothly as silk and as silent as a fox, Severus Snape slipped past the wrought-iron gates and entered the manor in the deadest hour of the night. Within, the grandeur of the residence only grew: dark leather love-seats and satin green curtains decorated the forté. Like most of their meetings places, the Manor possessed a greenish gloom that sent a damp shoved down his spine -- or maybe it was the cold drawling voice emanating from the dining room in authoritative waves. He pushed open the doors and entered.
"Severus, I was beginning to worry you'd lost your way...Come, we have saved you a seat." The Dark Lord spoke in a tone that betrayed a hint of fondness for the man. He gestured to the empty seat on his right side. Every Deatheater of the inner circle and every vindictive individual significant to the tyrannical cause was seated at this table.
"You bring news, I trust?"
"It will happen next Saturday." spoke Snape once he set himself down. He stared into the Dark Lord's eyes with such candor, even the great wizard himself knew he was speaking the truth. "At nightfall."
"I've heard differently my lord." A Deatheater by the name of cut in brazenly, "Dawlish, the auror, has let slip that the Potter boy will not be moved until the thirtieth of this month. The day before he turns seventeen."
"This is a false trail." Snape persisted darkly, "The auror office no longer plays any part in the protection of Harry or Lily Potter. Those closest to them think that we have infiltrated the Ministry."
"Well, they got that right, didn't they?" The Dark Lord chuckled humorlessly and returned his attention to his loyal follower. "What say you, Pius?"
A pale man with sharp cheekbones, deceitful blue eyes and dark hair combed back sleekly straightened his posture. He viewed the Dark Lord through calm eyes, "One hears many things my lord, but whether the truth is among them, is not clear...."
He laughed, "Spoken like a true politican. You will, I think, prove most useful, Pius." There was a moment of silence as Pius leaned back in his seat again and the Dark Lord returned his gaze to his right-hand man. "Where will he be taken, the boy?"
"To a safe house. Most likely the home of someone in the Order." responded Snape monotonously. "I'm told its been given protection of every manner possible."
"And what of the girl?"
"Lily Potter remains unseen by the public eye. There has been no sign of her." spoke Amycus Carrow with a sneer. Severus remained stony eyed and nonchalantly regarded this piece of information. "It seems as if she cut all ties with the Order and her brother."
"The little bitch knows how to play hide and seek." cackled Bellatrix Lestrange from her seat on Voldemort's left. On her left, her sister Narcissa sat rigidly in her chair and stared at her entwined hands. She avoided her husband's gaze and she longed to comfort her son as he fixated his horrified gaze on the witch suspended unconsciously in midair at the middle of the table, but she could not.
"She's many things, that girl, but I never thought she would cower into the shadows." Alecto Carrow joined in. The Dark Lord seemed to take much offense to these comments. If they thought so insignificantly of his enemy, a girl who had the power to duel with him as an equal, what did that make him?
"Lily Potter may be weak and too prideful for her own good, but she is not dim-witted." he defended his enemy, "I expect she has plotted some sort of scheme during her time in hiding. She mustn't be underestimated."
"Do you think she will come out of hiding, Master?" The speaker was none other than Draco Malfoy, with a pallid complexion and platinum hair. The Dark Mark was inked permanently on his forearm -- another sight his mother was trying to avoid. "I mean, once Potter is moved?"
The Dark Lord seemed pleased by his participation in the conversation, as if he was a professor and his faction were students. His lips twitched, "I do, Draco."
"Once there it will be impractical to attack them, my Lord." Bellatrix seemed encouraged by this fact. "I'd like to volunteer myself for this task. I want to kill the twins."
The woman suspended above let a dreadful moan betray her dry lips. Her light hair was matted and her eyes were milky from days of torture and starvation. "Wormtail, have I not spoken to you about keeping our guest quiet?!"
A stout and mousy man emerged from the shadows and scurried forward the silence the woman. "Yes, my lord. Right away, my lord."
The Dark Lord returned his attention to his most faithful Deatheater, "As inspiring as I find your bloodlust, Bellatrix, I must be the one to kill the Potters. But in the case of the boy, I face an unfortunate complication." he stood from his chair and circled the table. "My wand and the Potter boy's share the same core. They are, someways, twins. We can wound but not fatally harm one another. If I am to kill him, I must do it with anothers wand."
The room remained silent as his eyes flickered toward Lucius Malfoy.
"Well, surely one of you would like the honor? What about you, Lucius?"
"My lord?" This idea seemed to pain the man, if further pain was possible. He was in a worse condition than his son with dark circles around his eyes, a gray pallor and greasy platinum hair.
"'My Lord'? I require your wand." With masked reluctance, Lucius removed his wand from the tip of his staff and handed it to his master. He appraised it on the spot. "Do I detect elm?"
"Yes, my Lord."
"And the core?"
"Dragon heartstring my lord."
"Dragon heartstring?" he said mockingly and snapped the wand cleanly in two. Lucius flinched ever so slightly as the pieces clatteed uselessly onto the table. The Dark Lord returned to his seat and finally took notice to the semi-conscious woman hanging over the table. "To those of you who do not know, we are joined here tonight by Miss Charity Burbage, who until recently, taught at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."
There was indignant muttering.
"Her speciality was muggle studies. It is Miss Burbage's belief that Muggles are not so different than us She would, given her way, have us mate with them. To her, the mixture of magical and Muggle blood is not an abomination, but something to be encouraged."
The poor woman seemed to detect that her lasts breaths were drawing near. With tears dripping onto the table, she croaked out a plea for mercy to her former co-worker. "Severus."
Snape viewed her with barely a drop of remorse on his face, more so disgust at the sight before him -- or maybe the thought of the sight to come? A terrifyingly large snake slithered into the room through the very same doors Snape entered through a while ago. It glides across the smooth black floor and shimmied onto her master's chair. The woman cried out in a last attempt, "Severus, please! We're friends!"
"Nagini." whispered the Dark Lord menacingly. The snake glided onto the table and with the wave of his wand, the woman dropped onto the table as the spell was released and she laid hopelessly still, dreadfully awaiting the gruesome death to come. The snake neared and opened its unhinged mouth.
"Dinner."
Lily Potter awoke from her dreamless sleep with a gasp. It took a moment for her to realize she was covered in a thin film of cold sweat and another moment for her to wonder why. But what really caught her interest was the empty spot in the bed beside her and the moonlight that bled through the drapes. It had to be at least ten o'clock at night, that was for sure, but she could have sworn she set an alarm for earlier.... She knew Fred and the Order, including Ron and Hermione, would be heading to the Dursley residence to retrieve Harry and transport him safely to the Burrow, but she should have heard something by then.
Something was wrong.
Lily climbed out of bed and stumbled into the attached bathroom where she turned on the hot water. Steam rapidly filled the bathroom and as Lily's feet hit the cold tiles on the floor, she jumped onto the mat and stared into the mirror. Wiping her hand across the glass to clear the vapor, she stared at her reflection. And then she heard it, like a distant echo in her ears...
"Lily, we need you." Her forearm tingled as she stared at a face that wasn't hers, but the young face of Ginny Weasley. Fear was written into her sharp features and the words slipped from her plump lips inna whisper. "Lily, please! Something's wrong! The others, George, oh no! --"
For a millisecond, Lily's own reflection stared back at her with fear and concern and anger. She shut off the water, raced out of the bathroom and grabbed clothes to dress quickly into. Her heart hammered in her ears as she grabbed her jacket, bolted from the apartment. Fred's voice of rational reasoning surfaced in her head: she had the tracker on her for two more hours, if she Disapparated, it could mean mortal peril for all parties. But Ginny wouldn't have used the Phoenix insignia connection if the circumstances weren't dyer. Besides, she couldn't hide forever and if her brother and all of her friends were in trouble, she had to help.
With extreme focus on the destination, Lily closed her eyes and willed herself to Disapparate. Before she knew it, she was inhaling the scent of freshly mown grass and wet wood: she was standing in the outskirts of the Burrow. Mere feet from where she stood, protective barriers and enchantments were casted around the perimeter of the Weasley house and hurtling towards them like meteors were Deatheaters -- Harry had to be inside already.
Drawing her wand, Lily sent a curse into the sky and hit a Deatheater in the chest. From within the barrier, there was a flash as someone Apparated within. The Deatheaters began to circle the perimeter, awaiting the next pair to arrive. In the sky above, another pair of Order members swooped down on a broomstick, whizzing past the Deatheaters. Lily spotted flaming hair -- a Weasley was on that broom. They almost got away, they almost made it unharmed, but almost was a tease. A Deatheater swooped up behind the pair as one drew their wand.
"Sectumsempra!"
The harsh spell erupted from the lips of Severus Snape as easily as the Killing Curse rolled off of his tongue on the night he murdered Albus Dumbledore. It was so easy for him, almost too easy, to hurt her in every way possible. There was a pained shout as the second of the pair on the broomstick was grazed by the curse. With Remus Lupin at the head of the broom, he flew past the barrier and got them to safety. Lily looked right into the eyes of her traitorous godfather and he stared right back. But she could not look at him and say nothing, she could not look at him without feeling every emotion she once felt before that night; she would rather her heart be made of stone. Lily stared right back at him and whispered, "Bombarda Maxima!" and in an epic explosion of earth and fire, the Deatheaters were blasted from the sky.
"Good riddance." she spat. Suddenly remembering the injured Weasley, Lily team through the vast fields surrounding the house as adrenaline pumped through her veins. Was it Fred? George? Ron? The thought made her sick to her stomach and her legs ran faster. She didn't even realize she reached the front yard until Remus Lupin, Kingsley Shacklebolt and Arthur Weasley came charging towards her.
"STOP RIGHT THERE!" shouted Kingsley as they drew their wands. From within the house, Harry, Ginny, Hermione and Ron appeared in the doorway.
They thought she could be an imposter. She laughed bitterly, easily deflected their Body-Binding charms as they cast them at her and pushed past them, "Get the fuck out of my way!"
Arthur immediately lowered his wand, "It's her. It's Lily."
Remus followed and nodded, "It's her, alright."
Kingsley grabbed her arm and held her back from reaching the house. She turned on him with rage. "How do you know?!" After Lily threatened to castrate the man with a very detailed description and frightening swears, Kingsley released her and she ran to the doorway.
"Lily, he's okay." Harry spoke up before she could inquire. "George was hit with a curse--"
Lily caught sight of George laying on the sofa, the side of his face bloodied and bruised. Where an ear should have been was a hole, right where Snape's curse struck him. "--Oh fuck! George!"
Lily ran forth and drop to her knees beside Fred as he tried to talk to his stirring twin. Fred was as pale as George and worry lined every feature on his face. He could barely sputter a single word. Tears streamed down his cheeks as he looked at his brother...people would be able to tell them apart now...
"Come here!" Remus grabbed Harry and pinned him to the wall. Harry looked at him with mixed bewilderment and indignation.
"What are you doing?!" he exclaimed.
"What creature sat in the corner the first time when Harry Potter visited of my office in Hogwarts?!"
"Are you mad?"
Remus yelled fiercely, "What creature?"
"A Grindylow!" he sputtered.
Remus released his grip on Harry and sighed, "We have been betrayed . Voldemort knew you were being moved tonight. I had to make sure, you were not an imposter."
As Kingsley entered the house, he poised his wand at Lupin. Lily only assumed they had gone through this procedure as they had done it to her, "Wait! The last words Albus Dumbledore, spoke to the pair of us!"
"Harry is the best hope we have. Trust him." Remus sighed as they lowered their wands. He turned to Harry, "What gave you away?"
"Hedwig, I think." he frowned. "She was trying to protect me."
George groaned on the sofa and Mrs. Weasley scurried over with Essence of Dittany. Fred held his breath, "How are you feeling, Georgie?"
"Saintlike." replied the other twin. A thin film of sweat formed on his skin and the blood was beginning the dry.
"Come again?" queried Fred and Lily.
"Saintlike. I'm holey." he weakly pointed to his missing ear. "I'm holey, Fred, get it?"
Lily sighed with half a chuckle as Fred's rigid figure loosened. "A whole wide world of ear related humor and you go for holey. Pathetic."
Through closed eyes, he grinned, "I'm still better looking than you."
As the last to arrive, Bill Weasley entered the living room with a solemn expression on his scarred face. In Harry's clothes, Fleur looked behind him. Mad-Eye is dead." everyone bowed their heads with grief, "Mundungus took one look at Voldemort and disapparated."
"He's a bloody coward." If there was anything that Lily despised more than a treachery, it was cowardice. Arthur cleared his throat, conjured up a bottle of Firewhiskey and glasses to spare. When everyone had their own glass of the golden liquid, they raised them in the air.
"To Mad-Eye." toasted Arthur.
"To Mad-Eye." They echoed and downed the liquor.
Tonks wrapped her arm around Ginny, both of their hands free of glasses, and suggested they find some medical supplies to aid to George. With a pale complexion like the rest of her siblings, Ginny obliged and Mrs. Weasley followed.
"Kingsley and I are going to go back and search for his body..." said Bill.
"I'll come." volunteered Remus.
And so after the men left, leaving the teenagers, Tonks, Fleur and Mrs. Weasley at home, everyone gathered in the living room. Lily put on a kettle and Ginny grabbed a plate tea cookies to place on the table. Mrs. Weasley insisted Tonks and Remus take Charlie's old room and Fleur take Bill's. Hermione was to sleep with Ginny, Harry with Ron, but as thy reached Lily, a smirk played on George's lips as he laid weakly on the couch.
"Oh don't worry about Lily, Mum." he said, "She's been bunking with Freddie for months now."
"Thanks George." retorted Lily. And so after the sleeping arrangements were figured out, everyone shuffled off to bed. Fred was to sleep on the sofa opposite his twin -- he wasn't leaving George's side.
A few hours had passed and the entire household was asleep -- at least, Lily thought it was. She walked downstairs to grab a glass of water when she found Tonks sitting on a bar stool at the counter, her head in her hands. In the shadows, Lily watched as every minute or so, she looked up at the clock and sighed: she was waiting for Remus. Lily made her presence known as she entered the kitchen and Tonks greeted her casually.
"So," Lily grabbed a glass and retrieved the water pitcher for the refrigerator. "Does Remus know?"
Tonks furrowed her eyebrows together, " know what?"
"He was practically glued to your side after you arrived. And when we drank to Mad-Eye, you didn't have a glass." she said quietly, "I can put two and two together."
Tonks gave her a lopsided smile, "I can't put anything past you, can I?"
"Nope."
"Yeah, he knows. He's not too happy about it. I found out a few weeks ago and after I told him I was pregnant, he just stood there." she sighed and muttered a thanks as Lily handed her a glass of water. "He thinks the baby is going to inherit his werewolf curse."
"If you're worried about him leaving or getting himself into trouble, then you're as mad as he is on a full moon." she said. "Remus Lupin doesn't abandon anyone. He loves and protects those around him. He'll be thrilled about the baby once he or she comes."
Tonks smiled wryly, "You think so?"
"I know so."
Tonks eyed Lily's sleep attire -- one of Fred's T-Shirts -- and a small smirk played on her lips. "So, I see you and Fred have grown close."
Lily turned her head and smiled at her sleeping boyfriend on the living room couch, "He makes me happy..." she looked at her again, "Happier than I can ever remember being. I love him..."
"Hold onto that kind of love, Lily." Tonks took Lily's hands into her own, "The love you and Fred share is rare and special. It's worth dying for."
"All love is worth dying for."
"I suppose so." Tonks nodded. Lily bid her goodnight, telling her not to stay up too late, and entered the living room. She placed a knitted blanket over Fred and then George. Bandages were wrapped all around his head, covering the hole where his ear once was. As she made her way back upstairs, her resentment for Severus grew. He knew she loved the Weasleys like family, he knew what he did would hurt her and he did it anyway. Severus Snape had a talent for that. Lily didn't realize she was crying until she tasted the salty tears on her lips. She hastily wiped at her eyes as Ginny's bedroom door creaked open and Hermione Granger looked at her in the dark.
"Are you alright?"
"I'm the wrong person to ask."
Hermione shut the door behind her, approached Lily and brought her into a hug. Lily missed her hugs. "I never got to tell you how sorry I was about Snape. You were gone before we could really talk about what happened..."
"I figured you'd say I told you so like Ron and Harry."
Hermione pulled away and looked at her best friend with frustration. "We all knew how much you loved Snape, Lily. We never understood it, but we knew it. Ron and Harry would never be so insensitive about that."
"Thanks, Hermione."
The older girl sighed, "Everything's changed now."
"It has."
"Will you be coming with us? To find the," she whispered, "Horcruxes?"
"Of course." she replied. "The four of us are a team; always have been, always will be. Besides, who's going to help you save the idiots when they get into trouble?"
Hermione laughed quietly and bid Lily goodnight before retreating into Ginny's bedroom. Lily watched the door close and the listened for it to click shut before she sighed. She walked into Fred and George's bedroom, grabbed a blanket and a pillow and made her way back down to the living room where she settled in one of the squashy armchairs. She curled up in it and snuggled into the knitted blanket, listening to the even breaths of Fred and George. They're alive. They're safe. It wasn't long before she drifted off to sleep...
In a hail of curses and jinxes, Severus Snape flew amongst his fellow Deatheaters as they hurtled towards the Burrow like rogue meteors. The sky was as black as pitch and the spells that streaked across it resembled menacing firecrackers as they aimed for the intended target. They flew in pursuit of Remus Lupin and a decoy of Harry Potter on a broomstick who were rapidly nearing the protective barriers of the Burrow. Down on the ground below, Severus saw a flash of light in the midst of the chaos and dark red hair colored the night -- his heart ached, his mind screamed and he was suddenly plunged into a river of melancholy. In his advance on the pair on the broom, he almost didn't realize another Deatheater had come up behind them.
Almost.
The masked Deatheater poised his wand and aimed directly at the Potter decoy who was beginning to morph back into one of the Weasley twins -- George. He couldn't let this happen. She could not lose this boy.The Killing Curse barely touched his lips when Severus raised his wand and directed it at him: "Sectumsempra!" The self-created curse whizzed past the Weasley boy -- a pained scream erupted from his lips as it grazed him -- and the curse traveled just a little ways further until it struck the Deatheater square in the chest. He tumbled from the sky.
As the pair made it through the protective barriers and his fellow Deatheaters scoured the perimeter, Severus returned his gaze to his estranged goddaughter and found her staring back at him with her green eyes; eyes full of pain and rage and....hesitance? Do it, he thought desperately, shoot me out of the sky. The explosive spell spilled from her lips in a whisper but the effect was catastrophic. The ground beneath them exploded and blasted all of them from the sky. He lingered long enough to see her turn and run into the tall grass. As she crossed the protective enchantments Severus Snape Disapparrated from the scene. She would not be seeing him again for a long while to come.
Lily Potter would not remember this dream -- memory? -- until some time later. She would awake the next morning and get ready for the wedding to come later that evening as if nothing ever happened. She wouldn't know what really happened on the Night of the Seven Potters. She wouldn't remember having any mental connection with Severus. Despite this, Lily couldn't help but hate herself as she realized Hermione was wrong before....
"We all know you loved Snape."
Loved...as in past tense...but her love for the man still remained. It was twisted and warped into something less than what she once held for him and as much as she tried to sever the bond which caused her so much emotional anguish, a part of her would always love him.
▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂
The following morning, Lily woke up to a neck ache and the sight of George, wearing fresh bandages, looming over her with a grin on his face. With a groan, she threw her blankets off of herself and stared carefully up at him. "I see you're feeling better."
"I am, thanks."
Lily made a sour face, "You, my dear friend, need to brush your teeth."
He chuckled, "I didn't mean to wake you."
She sat up and frowned, "Are you in pain?"
He shook his head, "I think I'm going to go bother Charlie into making me a sandwich. He arrived last night." And so he promptly stood and climbed up the stairs.
Deciding that she wouldn't be able to fall asleep again, Lily stood and folded the blankets she was using. She placed one of them over a still-sleeping Fred and walked over the front door. She slipped out to get some morning air but instead found her twin trekking through the tall grass, a pack over his shoulder: he was leaving.
"Oi!" she called out.
Harry turned around but before she could speak, Ron walked silently up behind her and called out to him, "Going somewhere?"
"Nobody else is going to die." said Harry guiltily, "Not for me."
"Because of you?" Ron scoffed,
"You think Mad-Eye died for you? Think George took that curse for you? You maybe the chosen ones, mate ... ... but this is a whole lot bigger than that. It has always been bigger than that."
"Come with me, both of you."
"And leave Hermione? Are you mad? We won't last two days without her!..." exclaimed Ron. "Do not tell her I said that."
"Besides we still have the trace on us, we still have the wedding--" began Lily.
"--I don't care about a wedding." Upon seeing their hurt expressions, he sighed, "I'm morry, no matter whose it is....I have to start finding these Horcruxes. They are our only chance to beat him and the longer we stay here, the stronger he gets."
"Try and understand me: you will only be doing him a favor. Let's just have today, Harry." persuaded Lily, "Anyway, if you leave now, I think it's Mrs. Weasley you should fear much more than Voldemort."
Harry sighed and began to stroll back toward them. Ron cleared his throat as inquiries about the Horcruxes circled in his mind, "Do you think he knows? I mean they are bits of his soul, the Horcruxes. Pieces of him. When Dumbledore destroyed the Ring ...and you destroyed Tom Riddle's Diary...he must have felt something?"
"Honestly, Ron, I think he's too inhuman to feel any of it." said Lily with a stony expression. "That'll work to our advantage."
"Lily's right."
"To kill the other Horcruxes, we have to find them..." muttered Ron as they entered the house again. "Where are they? Where do we start?"
▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂
Harry and Lily Potter reminisced fondly when regarding the first time they saw The Burrow. It was the same as ever: a towering, lopsided structure to house each and every Weasley that resided there. Even after the Attack on the Burrow which resulted in the burning down of the house, it was rebuilt to mirror the old in not only image, but in comfort and hospitableness as well. They remembered arriving by the flying Ford Angelia, they remembered Mrs. Weasley's terrifying episode of rage -- although perhaps Fred, George and Ron could recall it more vividly. But today, the day of Bill and Fleur's wedding, Mrs. Weasley reached a whole new level of crazy -- twice, Lily had to brew up a calming draught for her.
The men were raising a huge tent where the wedding would be held, Hermione and Ginny were in the kitchen baking the Potters a birthday cake and Mrs. Weasley was chatting with Mr. and Mrs. Delacour. Harry evaded the frenzy that made up the morning by reading the morning's edition of the Daily Prophet. Lily left the twins to themselves, made her way over to Harry and examined the paper over his shoulder. She was dismayed by what she saw: splayed across the front page was an animate photograph of the late Albus Dumbledore and below it, it was captioned...
DUMBLEDORE'S DARK
SECRETS REVEALED: RITA
SKEETER LAUNCHES NEW
BOOK (see page 13).
DUMBLEDORE REMEMBERED
BY ELPHIAS DOGE (see page 8).
"Rubbish, all of it." spat Lily. Harry grimaced. He couldn't help but wonder if they really knew Dumbledore as well as they had thought.
"Oi, Lily!" Fred called out, gesturing to the east fields with a grin, "Your favorite person is here!"
They followed his gaze to see an aged man with chin length hair and battle scars walking towards them, using a cane to guide his way. It was Rufus Scrimgeor.
"Well, hell." said Ron. "What is the Minister of Magic doing here?"
"Poker faces, big brother." muttered Lily as they met the Minister half way.
"To what do we owe the pleasure, Minister?" inquired Harry. His voice was as smooth and monotonous as running water but his brilliant green eyes held dismay. The Potters never liked the man and if they had to guess, they knew what he was here for and so their dislike for him grew.
"I think we both know the answer to that question, Mr. Potter." Harry, Lily, Ron and Hermione found themselves sitting uncomfortably on a sofa in the Weasleys' living room as Scrimgeor stared at them with glazed blue eyes. In his hands, he unraveled a scroll of parchment and began to read it aloud, "Herein is the last will and testament of Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore. First, to Ronald Billius Weasley... "
Scrimgeor handed Ron a small parcel. He unwrapped it to reveal a small trinket that closely resembled a lighter. "...I leave my Deluminator, a device of my own making, in hope when things seem most dark, it will show you the light."
Why would Dumbledore leave something for Ron? He was a part of all the bold quests the Potters embarked on, after all. He folded it over in his hands and appraised it, "Dumbledore left this for me?"
"Yes."
"Really...what is it?" He clicked it and at once, the lights in the bulbs suspended above them were sucked into it. He clicked it once again and the balls of light returned to their frightful places. "Super."
"To Hermione Jean Granger, I leave my copy of Tales of Beedle the Bard in the hope that she finds it entertaining and instructive." Scrimgeor handed Hermione a particularly worn leather-bound book.
"Mom used to read me those. The Wizard and the Hopping Pot, Babbity Rabbity and the Cackling Stump." Ron smiled. He then noticed his friends' clueless expressions. He still seemed to forget they lived with Muggles most of their lives. "Come on. Babbity Rabbity... No?"
With a suppressed eye roll, Scrimgeour looked to Harry. "To Harry James Potter, I leave the snitch he caught in his first match at Hogwarts as a reminder of rewards of perseverance and skill." He unfolded a lace cloth and held the Golden Snitch out to Harry, clearly expecting something to happen at his touch. Harry took it gingerly and while it fluttered its metallic wings, nothing unusual happened.
Scrimgeor averted his gaze to Lily, whose stony expression he could not hope to crack. "Albus Dumbledore requested that you, Potters, should receive the sword of Godric Gryffindor. Unfortunately the sword of Gryffindor was not Dumbledore's to give away. As an important historical artifact it belongs--"
"... to Harry and Lily. It belongs to Harry." Hermione cut him off cooly. She didn't seem to like the man, either. "It came to them when they most needed it in the Chamber of Secrets."
"The sword may present itself to any worthy Gryffindor, Miss Granger...but that does not make it that wizard's or witch's property." he but back. Hermione's indignant only grew at being proven wrong. "Unfortunately, the current whereabouts of the sword are unknown."
"Excuse me?" said Lily. She vividly recalled the Ruby-hilted sword laying untouched in the glass showcase displayed in Dumbledore's office. Although, she supposed, it wasn't his office anymore...
"The sword is missing." He stared at Lily for long moment, as if expecting her eyes to betray any secrets she may be keeping. When this moment did not come, he resumed to reading the last section of the paper. "To Lillian Rose Potter, I also leave a parcel of the utmost importance. It is not to be seized or searched by any official, high witch or wizard, apart from Lily and those she chooses to disclose it with..."
From the rucksack, Scrimgeor produced the last of the objects: a parcel made from dragon skin. He handed it to Lily who stared curiously at it. When she made no attempt to open it, he read on: "It shall open at the proper moment and only then should you seek the truth behind a clouded truth."
It was then that Lily tried to open the parcel, but as her fingers slid under the seal, the dragon skin burned at the touch and she winced, dropping it. When she picked it up again, it had resealed itself.
The Minister eyed the quartet suspiciously as he stood, "I don't know what you are up, to, Potters, but you can't fight this war on your own. He is too strong."
And he would only become stronger.
***
Fred Weasley and Lily Potter were the second-most enviable power-couple at the wedding. With him wearing a sleek black suit and her a black mid-thigh length dress, arm in arm, they turned the heads of many. Whilst Luna and Harry conversed off to the side, Fred and Lily joined Bill and Fleur, Mrs. Weasley and Mr. Weasley, on the dance floor. Fred was showing off his moves and those around Lily were happy to hear her laugh. It was melodic and soothing; contagious even, for she hardly ever laughed anymore.
"I love to hear that sound." smiled Fred. She blushed. As he twirled her around, he spoke again, "This is quite extravagant, don't you think?"
"All I can say is that you Weasleys can throw a party." Lily winked at Mrs. Weasley who smiled pridefully in return. To the side, she spotted Remus bringing Tonks a glass of iced water and decided to accompany them. She looked at Fred, "I'll be right back."
"I'll be waiting."
Lily waltzed over to the married couple and they smiled at her. Remus was wearing his sharpest of suits: dark green with a black tie. Tonks coordinated with a dress of the same shade that covered her growing baby bump. "Hey."
"Hello, Lily." they greeted. And then, "Hello, Harry." because Harry had just walked over to join as well.
Tonks stood and whispered to Remus, "I think we should do it now." He nodded and grabbed champagne glasses for the three of them.
"Do what?" the Potters inquired.
"Harry, Lily...." began Tonks with a gleeful smile.
"Would you be our child's godparents?" finished Remus.
Harry spluttered and for the first time in Lily's life, happy tears fell down her cheeks. She cursed the pair and turned away to wipe them. "Damn you, Remus Lupin."
"Is that a yes?"
"Of course!" exclaimed Harry.
Lily turned around and smiled a watery smile, "I hope I can live up to the role."
"You will, we're sure of it." said Tonks, who then raised her glass of water to make a toast, "To family!"
"To family!"
It took a while for Lily to stop shaking with anxiety and excitement after she and Harry were named the godparents of Remus and Tonk's unborn baby. They were all very amused to see Lily telling everyone the news with a proud smile on her face. After Fred and George slipped away to set off some Filibuster Fireworks, Harry found a familiar face among those seated at the tables and nudged his sister. The way they thought and acted in sync, it was as if Lily had never left.
"What?"
"Recognize him?" she followed his gaze to an old balding man sitting next to Ron's Aunt Muriel. "I'll give you a hint: from the Prophet."
"Elphias Doge." said Lily and he nodded. She set down her half-empty glass of champagne and glanced at him, "Follow my lead?"
On his nod, Lily waltzed over to the table with Harry close behind. She placed a flattering smile on her face as Elphias acknowledged them. "Harry and Lily Potter..."
"Excuse me, sir." said Harry, "May we sit down?"
"By all means..."
"I found what you wrote in the Daily Prophet really moving, sir." flattered Lily, "You obviously knew Dumbledore well."
"Well, I certainly knew him the longest. Unless we count his brother Aberforth," he sighed, "and somehow people never do seem to count Aberforth."
The fact that Dumbledore had siblings was news to the Potters. "I didn't even know he had a brother." said Harry.
"Ah sell, Dumbledore was always very private, even as a boy."
"Do not despair, Elphias." Aunt Muriel spoke up in a stuffy voice, "I'm told he has been thoroughly unrevealed by Rita Skeeter in eight-hundred pages. Word has it that someone talked to her, someone who knew the Dumbledore family well." she smirked, "Both you and I know who that is, Elphias."
Lily wished to say that Rita Skeeter was a conniving, self-centered bitch but decided it would not be appropriate considering those who were present at the table.
"Monstrous betrayal." Elphias clearly thought along the lines of Lily's own thoughts as he sneered venomously.
"Who are we talking about?" inquired Harry interestedly.
"Bathilda Bagshot." answered the two.
"Who?"
"She's only the most celebrated magical historian of the last century." Lily sounded just like Hermione as she said that.
Elphias nodded and sipped some wine from his glass, "She was as close to Dumbledore as anyone. I'm sure Rita Skeeter thought it well worth a trip to Godric's Hollow to take a peek into that old birds records. Godris Hollow?"
"Bathilda Bagshot lives in Godric's Hollow?"
"Thats where she first met Dumbledore." Aunt Muriel nodded.
"You don't say that he lived there, too?" asked Lily. Clearly they didn't really know as much about Dumbledore as they thought. Why didn't he ever tell them he grew up in the same village where their parents were murdered?
"His family moved there after his father killed those three Muggles. It was a quite the scandal..." Elphias frowned. Lily had to excuse herself from the group, then, for she couldn't handle having her memory of Dumbledore tainted by truths unknown.
She found Fred chatting with Bill and walked over to them. In his sleek tuxedo, Bill quirked an eyebrow as she forced a smile on her face, "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine." she shrugged, "But I must say, your Aunt Muriel isn't pleasant company."
The two men laughed. "No, she never was."
"If you two lovebirds will excuse me," Bill set down his wine glass on a nearby table, "my new wife wants me to take more photographs."
As he made his way over to Fleur who appraised the wedding cake, Lily wrapped her arms around Fred's neck and smiled up at him. He smiled back at her. They watched the newly wedded couple cut the first slice of cake and, with their arms linked together, they ate the first bites. Fred's gaze lingered a bit too long on Remus as Tonks laid her head on his shoulder. He looked at Lily again.
"You know what?"
"What?" she queried.
"What would you say if I asked you to ma--" But Fred never finished his sentence, for he was cut off as shouts of surprise echoed around the tent. A blue Lynx patronus glowed eerily in the center of the dance floor and the hearts of many skipped a beat as the husky voice of Kingsley Shaklebolt spike urgently through it.
"The Ministry has fallen. The Minister of Magic is dead." there were cries of disbelief and fear. Lily paled and Fred tightened his grip around them. Ron and Hermione searched for the Potters before the cursed words continued. "They are coming. They are coming...."
Hell climbed through the cracks of the earth and broke loose in the Burrow. Screams and cries rung through the air as blurs of black smoke ripped through the wedding tent. The guests ran haphazardly about, rushing to and fro to find their loved ones and Disapparate. The Deatheaters had outnumbered them before anyone could figure out how the protective enchantments had broken. Lily could hear Ron shouting out for Hermione, Hermione for Harry, Harry for Ginny. She watched Remus Disapparate with Tonks and she and Fred stood back to back, their wands poised and ready.
Tablecloths were set ablaze, the wedding cake was knocked over and amid the chaos, all of the Order members assembled. Lily readied to hex an incoming Deatheater when she saw him: Severus Snape appeared in the flesh, in the center of the dance floor, wearing a stony expression as he watched everything around him get consumed by chaos. Before she could realize her mistake of getting distracted, Fred grabbed Lily and pushed her behind him as he blocked an Imperius curse headed her way. He turned to her and pressed her forehead against his.
"They're looking for you! You need to get out of here!"
"I can't leave any of you!" she exclaimed, "Not now!"
"They're here for you and Harry." he said. Mr. Weasley and Bill were holding as many Deatheater off around them as they could in order to say goodbye. "You need to find Harry and the others and get out of here!"
"Fred--"
"I love you." He pressed his lips to hers. His lips tasted of salty and wet -- he was crying. "Go!"
And as he watched the love of his life run through an oncoming fleet of flames and spells, he joined his family in the fight. They would pay for ruining this day. Lily spotted Harry, Ron and Hermione as they met up with each other on the other side of the dance floor. They urgently ushered Lily in their direction, but all three of them froze as they saw Severus standing in her path. His wand was held at his side and he viewed Lily with an indecipherable expression. She regarded him with fury. She poised her wand and he followed slowly; she could only barely register that Harry, Hermione and Ron were running around him towards her. The sounds were forming on their lips. As they were overcome by the rushing wind of the Apparition, everything seemed to function in slow motion. Mr. Weasley shouted for his wife, Fleur screamed furiously as she knocked out two Deatheaters, almost the entire tent was ablaze, but all that mattered was The Godfather and goddaughter. The essence of a Remembrance spell barely slipped from his lips and the ghost of the Killing Curse barely escaped hers....
Neither spell was casted on that night.