| A rather raspy voice that struck a chord in Lily�s memory spoke as the adult took his place in the circle, facing the door. �We have a new member of our following, then?� Sebastian stood up, bowing. �Franziska von Berlepsch�seventh year. I know her well.� Dark eyes flickered over to Franziska, who nervously tried a smile, but failed. �She may do well,� the still hooded figure admitted, �but first an examination must proceed.� Lily gulped. Examination? No one had ever said anything about an examination! Her only consolation was that if they forced her to take a Truth potion, James was hiding in a dark corner, wand raised underneath the Invisibility Cloak. �Wha�what kind of an exam?� Franziska quavered. �I�er�I didn�t know�� �Of course not,� the adult said, amused, �We never allow anything to leak out.� Yeah, right, Lily snickered to herself. Then why�m I here, huh? �I�er�I don�t know if I�� �Absolute nonsense,� the leader cut in. �Krum, stand her up against the wall.� Sebastian obeyed mutely, and Franziska found herself with her back against cold stone and her fingers just out of reach of James� Invisibility Cloak.� �What we will begin to do,� the leader informed her, �is to fire several curses at you. If you know our��Uncle Mort��well, you will know that the capability of warding off magic is something you are necessarily required to know.� �Very well,� Franziska managed. �I�I�m ready.� The rest of the circle stood up, pulling out wands, and the adult stood aside, not letting his face be seen. Averting her mind from him, Franziska drew her own wand, facing a havoc of mild jinxes. �Mobilicorpus!� �Petrifocus Totalus!� �Desdemona!� �Caedes Sagmen!� �Naris Caesaries!� �Aculeatus!� �Alapa!� �Pistris!� �Beluosus!� The nine curses came almost all at once, and Franziska could only ward off eight of them (Lily could have protected herself from fifty, but Franziska had limits to her capabilities); the last one wriggled through her shield charm, transforming her insides into ravenous, magnified rats, and she cried out in pain as a sharp shard of something pierced her just below her heart, and small teeth started ripping at her stomach. It was all James could do to make himself stay hidden, but he murmured �Finite Incantatem!� with a viciousness that would have stopped twenty thousand curses. Relief flooding her body, Franziska dropped to the stone floor, breathing heavily as the throbbing started to cease and her organs rebuilt themselves. �Had enough, Miss von Berlepsch?� the adult asked, almost jeering. �This is a taste of what you will have to face�� Blinking hard, Franziska shook her head. �I can take more than that.� Applause broke out between the members of the meeting; she was the first that had replied like that; many had simply lain on the floor, breathing heavily. Carefully, Sebastian raised her up, and Lily felt a swell of hatred against the boy. He�d told her he liked her, and only a few days later he was torturing her willingly, upon a simple order! She shuddered involuntarily as Sebastian draped an arm around her. �Darling, are you cold?� he asked, worried. �Do you want my cloak?� Franziska shook her head. �No!�no, I�m not.� She was put through many more tests that night; ones that were supposedly tortures inflicted by the Ministry if she refused to give them particles of information, ones that she would be punished with if she ever disobeyed the Master, as he was also called, and finally, she was put under the Imperious Curse. It was a strange feeling; aches and sore spots vanished instantly, and she felt as if she were floating, lying on a cloud, and then the orders came� They penetrated her brain distantly, but she understood them. Hop around the room on one foot. Do a handstand on one hand. Throw a curse at Maud that makes her nose bleed. Pretend to be dead. Kick yourself in the shin. Break your little finger. One after another after another� Under the Imperious Curse, Lily surfaced and threw Franziska into the shadows. She was incapable of acting while under the curse, so she couldn�t pretend to be her character. And Lily had a sort of aversion to the Imperious Curse�Muggles would call it an allergy, but it wasn�t exactly that. She just had a magical repugnance for the Imperious Curse, and as the shaft of pale red light pierced through her clothing and delved into her mind, her throat started constricting; she was finding it hard to breathe, but still trying her best not to give in to what the curse was trying to do to her. Her throat tightened around itself, and she felt an impulse to throw up her dinner, which spread downwards and felt like someone pressing two sheets of iron together on either side of her. Her hand grasped her stomach as she lurched against the wall, grasping her throat. Her hand came in contact with a cold metal chain; fumbling along it, she touched the elf-nymph pendant and the bottle of litaleter. Trying desperately not to be seen doing it, with a sharp clench of her hand, she broke the screw and touched the tip of the bottle lightly with her fingers, then raising that finger to her lips. It was a saving idea�instantly, her throat muscles loosened, and she sank to her knees, breathing weakly, hardly conscious of a robed form sweeping towards her. �Curious, I must say,� the form admitted. �The Ministry will have trouble controlling you.� He raised a hand to his cloak, extending the other to her, to help the girl up. �Welcome, Franziska von Berlepsch.� With a sweep of his hand, he swept his hood back, and Lily shrunk back against the wall in surprise. Not his hand, she realized with shock�but her hand. The elderly, slim hand she had mistaken earlier for Karkaroff�s, the alto tone to her voice�Professor Mink! The lady realized her shock, and smiled. �Not whom you were expecting, was it? No, our Headmaster is far to busy to attend�er�meetings of this sort.� Franziska forced herself to her feet, holding out a hand to the professor. �No, ma�am; you�re a wonderful actress. I would never have guessed.� Professor Mink flung her head back and laughed, feebly but loudly. �I may be old, but never too old to do my bidding, I suppose. But you have held yourself admirably.� She waved Sebastian forward. �Krum, take her back to her rooms. She will need rest�the other teachers will wonder about her tiredness tomorrow morning if she does not get at least a few hours of sleep.� Obediently, Sebastian supported her underneath her arms, walking her outside, when he let out his breath in a huff. �Zitka, I was so worried about you! I thought you�d been seriously hurt!�and I wanted to slap myself for leading you into this.� Wryly, Lily thought, James would have intervened on her behalf, as would the rest of her friends, and at least they�d have the decency to say, �I wanted to kill myself for letting you come tonight,� instead of the �Oh, I�d like to hit myself on the cheek!� She leaned on his arm heavily, replying through bitten lips, �Well, it�s all for the best. And I�m initiated now, aren�t I?� Aren�t I. Lily supposed she was being picky, but if she were her own character, she would never have dared to utter the words �aren�t I.� Aside from being a grammatical aberration, they sounded ignorant, something Lily never was, even if she had done everything else to lose her dignity. �Yes.� He smiled. �I�d hoped you wouldn�t regret it. The society has many advantages.� Advantages, Lily thought. Yep, getting a beautiful black tattoo on your arm, under the dictation of a wonderfully powerful controlling genius�who wouldn�t want that? True, the idea of living outside of the law was appealing to her�to continually be running, fleeing, with the wind whipping your hair around your eyes, then taking a stance and fighting to the death, rising victorious, strong, invincible� �Yes, it does,� she replied mechanically, feeling a touch of silvery silk sweep her fingers. �I can walk to the dormitory from here. You go back.� �Okay. See you tomorrow.� With that, Sebastian vanished again, clumping back up the stairs and closing the door behind him. As soon as she heard the door shut, Lily felt a strong grasp on her arm; the next second, the Invisibility Cloak was being pulled on over her. �James?� �Hush. My office. Now.� Silently, both of them swept along the maze of corridors, stopping only in front of his office, where James muttered the password and both of them entered. They took the precaution of leaving the cloak on, and headed for his bedroom. �Hematite.� �Hematite?� Lily asked. �Wasn�t it something else a few days ago?� �I changed it this evening,� he said shortly. �Just in case.� Throwing the cloak off, each of then cast a Silencing Spell on the room and withdrew to the four-poster, sitting down on the mattress. Exhausted, Lily sank down on the pillows, and he, nervously, pulled her into his lap. �Lil, are you all right?� She sighed, closing her eyes and dropping her head into his arms. �I hate Franziska. Too much of a dolt to block the most painful curse.� She winced. �I hate Sebastian for that one.� �Shh.� He kissed her forehead, sweeping her hair out of her face. �It�s all right now. We can leave now, and I�ll make doubly sure nothing like this�ll ever happen again.� Lily smiled weakly. �I love you, too.� He grinned at her, then held up the cap to the litaleter bottle. �I found this. You might find useful later on.� �Where�d you get that?� she almost squealed. �I don�t know what I�d have done without that!�I was almost ready to tape this thing shut.� Grasping it, she screwed it onto the bottle again, breathing with relief when it was on again tightly. Braiding her hair into a long plait, James coiled it out of her way. �I�d prefer to say I think of everything, but it fell within reach of my hand.� She smiled at him. �About everything else�you got what we needed, then?� she asked, breathless. For an answer, he held up a piece of parchment. Lily plucked it out of his hands, finding in it a script-like review of what had happened, with people�s names included before their words. She smiled. �That should do, then. Sebastian cast two of those nine spells on me?� �The Quick-Quotes Quill never lies. A very nice invention, and I suspect the Daily Prophet is drooling over it. Merriwether has a couple of geniuses working for him.� �I see. You�ll be owling that to him tonight, then?� �I�d intended to do it tomorrow, but you�re right. Tonight.� She watched, detached, as he folded the long bit of parchment into an envelope and stuffed it into his pocket, picking another envelope off of his desk and tying it to his owl�s leg. �James?� �Yes?� he asked, opening the window and letting the owl fly out. �Isn�t that the wrong letter?� �It is,� he nodded. �In case it�s intercepted.� �I see.� She fiddled listlessly with the bedspread. �How are you taking it to the Ministry, then?� James sighed. �That would be my weak point. I�ve got to do it myself, and I don�t know how to get out of here inconspicuously. We can�t make ourselves too obvious, because whoever�s sent to destroy Mink has to be above suspicion.� �I see.� Her eyes started to glint, and he looked up expectantly. �You have a plan, I see?� �I�m simply homesick for my parents, and you�ve got to escort me out�and then we�ll get that old Transfiguration professor to take back over. We�ve got no time for anything else�we�d never be able to get that bit of parchment to the Ministry�it�d be destroyed two days from now.� He frowned. �You believe that? I�ve got a most secure office.� �You�ve also got a headmaster that can get into offices without needing passwords, or so I found out from Sebastian. No. We�ve got to leave tomorrow morning.� �Very well.� James gave in. �Need the cloak to get back to your room?� �Yes, please,� she said. �It wouldn�t do us any good at all to be suspected of anything like this.� �Anything like what?� James asked mischievously. Lily grinned and kissed him slowly. �I�ll leave that to your imagination, shall I?� were her last words before she threw the cloak over herself and vanished from view. During the night, around four, Sophia woke to the sound of frantic crying and some indistinguishable cries. Shaking Bella awake, she slipped down the ladder of her bunk bed to Franziska�s; pulling back the curtain, the two saw the girl in the grip of a nightmare. Tears lashed her cheeks as she sobbed out �Mutti!� and �Vati!��her names for her mother and her father. Pounding her fists into her stomach and the mattress, she let out a strangled cry�a last one for her mother. Sophia cast a quick glance over to Bella, and both of them started to try to shake her into consciousness. Franziska awoke quickly, shrinking away from them, but when her bleary eyes sent their images to her brain, she relaxed, slumping onto her pillow in tears. �Zitka, what�s wrong?� Bella wheezed, shaking the girl�s shoulder. �Sophia, what�re we going to do?� �Get her to the nurse�no.� Turning Franziska so that her face was visible, she posed one question. �Was it your parents?� �Yes,� she sobbed. �I felt as if I were in the room with them!�and they weren�t dying normally; they were being tortured�kicked, beaten, everything!� Burying her head in her knees, she let herself go. �I never knew how they died�no one told me�but I keep seeing this�over and over and over�� �Karkaroff. He�ll know what to do,� Sophia said commandeeringly. At seven o�clock that morning, sitting next to her trunk, a tear-stained girl with most disordered hair and robes was hazily blinking at the figure that had just entered the room. A tall man, with brown hair and concerned brown eyes�she recognized a familiar figure, and, running towards him, threw her arms around his waist and buried her face in his robes, unconscious of any embarrassment that showed only too freely on his face. Professor Karkaroff frowned. �I suppose that has chosen her protector in the way of getting her to her aunt. Professor, this young lady has not yet healed from the death of her parents�I do not suppose it would be too much to ask of you to take her to her aunt�s.� Swiftly detaching the distressed and rather unattractive (at the moment) student�s arms, he pulled a letter out of his robes, laying it on the headmaster�s desk. �That�s why I came to see you, sir�your old Transfiguration professor has written; asking for his position again.� An hour later, both of them were on a train towards Franziska�s aunt�s, but as soon as they alighted in Bremen, they visited the restrooms in the train station and never came out�the two had Apparated to the Ministry of Magic in England as soon as they were alone. James appeared first, and Lily materialized next to him a moment later. Without wasting any time at all, they swerved into Mr. Merriwether�s office, asking for an urgent audience. Blustering, Mr. Merriwether received them, but as soon as they were alone, he leaned forward urgently. �Have you got anything?� For an answer, James held out the roll of parchment with the Quick-Quotes Quill�s notes on them, and Mr. Merriwether pounced, catlike, onto the narrowly written paper. Moments later, he looked, up, relief written all over his face. �I must take this in to Rowland. Wait for me, please. You are certain no one suspects anything?� �We had to leave quickly,� Lily put in, �and we could only take so many security measures. We did our best, though.� �Excellent. I will be back in a moment.� The door shut softly behind Mr. Merriwether, and the couple turned to each other. �Rather fine work we�ve made of this, haven�t we?� �Absolutely,� he grinned. �I�ll be thankful to be home again.� She leaned into his coat, beaming. �I can�t wait to ride our horses again. Do you realize we haven�t done that since we returned?� He crushed her into a hug, kissing her forehead. �We�ve just escaped mortal danger and all you want to do is ride a horse?� �We�ve just escaped mortal danger,� she teased, �and all you think of is food and sleep?� �Hey, I�m a guy,� he shrugged, �can�t I give in to natural and animal impulses?� They were interrupted by the opening and closing of the door and the entrance of Mr. Merriwether and Rowland Sikora, the latter of which advancing heartily on both of them. �Congratulations, both of you,� he beamed, crushing their wrists to pulp, �and my most genial and wholehearted thanks. You have provided us with an invaluable service.� �It wasn�t so much,� Lily fidgeted; �we only did our job.� �Speak for yourself,� James grinned, �I should hope I deserve at least this!� The Minister granted him a warm smile. �You will both be presented with the Order of Merlin, Third Class, at the very least. We will have a private ceremony�after all, this is the last thing we want noised about in the Daily Prophet.� �Thank you, sir,� James winced, flexing his wrists. �Might I ask one favor, though?� �Absolutely,� the Minister nodded. �Speak.� �I�d much like to have my wife back to her former state�not that she doesn�t look nice now, but I do prefer her otherwise.� Mr. Merriwether laughed. �We will have taken care of that in a moment�though the tearstained, blotched image isn�t all that bad.� Lily scowled. �I had to do that!� �Franziska removal,� James edged, guiding her towards the door, �is this way.� James was through with his Professor Blunt image before Lily had emerged from what she termed as �Serena creators�, and, plunking himself down on a chair, waiting for her, he relievedly ran his hand through his again black, shorter, and messy hair, while putting his feet up on a table. Across from him, five minutes later, another door opened, and Lily stepped through, green eyes blazing in relief. He grinned appreciatively to see the auburn hair pushed away from her forehead again and the toss of the hair she hadn�t indulged in for weeks. �Let�s go home,� she sighed, fidgeting with the Durmstrang robes she still wore. �They told me I could change when I got home, and I�d give the world for a horseback ride and a nice, normal dress.� �Dress?� James questioned, amused, standing up and slinging an arm around her waist. �Dress,� she restated. �I want my old English dark green one on, and I fully intend to go on a two-hour ride after I take a bath.� Mr. Merriwether shook his head, half-smiling, as the door closed behind them. �That�s a pair in a million, that is, and I suppose we�re just lucky they haven�t joined Lord Voldemort.� The first thing that Lily�s eyes landed on when she appeared in their entrance hall was a small, towel-clad figure that whisked out of the way with a sharp, high-pitched squeal when she saw two humans appear. James frowned. �That might be a house-elf�Remus said he�d see what he could do about getting one. �Course I don�t know if it�ll be any good�respectable house-elves don�t go to the DHE agency; they prefer to ask around for jobs�but I suppose we could take a look at it.� Curiously, Lily knelt down, catching sight of a pair of large, saucer-shaped eyes, batlike ears, and a dirty bathmat pinned around its body, toga-like. She beckoned imperiously to it. �Hello.� Shuffling awkwardly, the elf stepped forward, twisting its fingers. �Miss is Mrs. Potter, yes?� Lily nodded. �That�s right.� Finally looking up, it nervously sank into a bow. �Slenka was instructed by sir to welcome miss most heartily back to her home and to express great thanks at being allowed to enter into service of miss and master.� �Slenka�s your name?� Lily queried gently, and the elf nodded jerkily. �Who told you to tell us this?� �Master Sirius he was called by a friend. Slenka has not been given the title of sir.� James let out a loud laugh. �Leave it to Sirius to frighten our house-elf! Don�t worry, Slenka, we�re not as evil as he made us out to be.� The small elf didn�t live up to James� dire predictions, either; in practically no time, she had heated water for two baths and had their Durmstrang clothing downstairs ready to be washed. Lily only had to point out the dress she wanted to wear before Slenka had taken it down from the hanger and scurried downstairs, where a hot iron was waiting. Lily didn�t really approve of the slavery of house-elves, but she had to admit that this was a luxury she would gladly give up several of her principles for; not having to heat water, to iron or wash her clothing�which she hated above anything else�and to be able to sink mercifully into a large basin of a bathtub, filled with bubbles smelling of a cologne bottle. And Slenka was a most obedient, passive, and shy elf, something Lily preferred above insolence, but she did look forward to making something else for the elf to wear instead of the dirty mat. When Lily finished wringing out her hair and slipping into the dark green dress, Slenka was waiting for her outside the bathroom door with a bundle of slippers in her hands. �Miss may choose slippers, please?� Lily laughed. �Don�t bother with those�I�m going barefoot.� Leaving the rather drawn aback house-elf behind her, she flitted downstairs and outside, running towards their stable. James caught up with her as she picked up a comb for her horse�s mane, ruggishly elegant in an all-black noble�s garb. He held a hand out to her to help her mount, and, gracefully, she laughingly accepted his offer, leaping swiftly onto her horse�s back. Having helped her up, James scaled his own charger�s back; together, they sauntered out of the stable. There was no irritating dirt road made by the treading of endless feet; grass stretched along their property until it turned into a small woodland hill. Urging the black horse into a gallop, Lily laughed in pleasure, feeling a wind whip her hair about her face and her skirt barely miss the ground, flowing out behind her in a manner reminiscent of a rainbow. It had rained the past week, she could tell, for more than once the stallion leaped over a muddy, swampy, creek-like area filled with water, and near the small forest she could see shadows still wet with rain. Small wildflowers bloomed here and there on the ground, reminding her that now was spring, and in one place such a clump of blossoms had flocked together that they made her think of the old fairy stories she used to read at night before she went to bed. The sky was sunny and hardly laced with clouds at all, and the air was filled with nectar. She had missed riding more than she could tell; and now, with her husband next to her, letting her laugh freely and not starting at the wild sounds she rode with, it was more refreshing than it had ever had been. Except for Svordsja, of course, The pentacorn was an unmatched steed, next to which her horse was no better than Sebastian Krum was to James Potter, she thought. �James,� she asked, furrowing her brow, �how do you suppose Sebastian�s taking the fact that I�ve left?� James reined in his horse with such force that it reared up dangerously, almost making him fall off. �What?� She guided her horse into a trot, turning around and stopping in front of him. �I wonder how Sebastian is.� �Krum?� he spat out. �That slimy, filthy�that slughole of a beast�you�re actually spending your time thinking about him? Lily, he�d have killed you upon orders last night, and you know it!� Calmly, she held up a hand, not a bit ruffled, and he fell silent. �I never said I cared about him. I was thinking of you, to be honest, and was wondering what you�d have done in Sebastian�s place last night�and then I simply conjectured your reaction of I had left you forever and only leaving Sirius a message to pass on to you. I wondered what Sebastian was thinking.� �Oh,� he replied, sheepish and quite mollified. �I�m sorry. I�ve got an insanely jealous temper when it comes to you.� He nudged his horse into standing next to her, taking her hand in both of his. �I�d be throwing furniture across the room and through windows if you left me like that.� She grinned. �Well, it�s nice to know I�ve got that effect on one human being, at least.� �Just one? You make up for everything your sister isn�t in so many ways I�d be overwhelmed if I tried to count them by thousands!� Unexpectedly, however, she didn�t laugh or repress him with a stern comment; her mouth closed slowly, and her eyes grew more serious. Anxiously, James cupped her chin in his hand, constraining her to look at him. �Lil, what�s wrong?� She pushed his hand away gently. �Nothing. I�I just wondered about�well, about Petunia. I haven�t seen her for ages, and the last time I saw her, I had just killed our father�� �Hey!� James interrupted sternly, taking her shoulders in both hands. �No. You did not kill your father. It was an accident. It�was�an�accident. Repeat after me and mean it.� Lily turned her head away. �I don�t care. I still feel guilty.� Biting his lip, James drew her onto his lap in one fluid motion, wrapping his arms tightly around her waist. �Lil, if you want, we�ll look her up tomorrow.� The gloom on her face instantly transforming to relieved thankfulness, she passed her arms around his neck, kissing him gratefully. It was funny�Lily had never really wanted to see her sister before�and while she was at Hogwarts, Petunia was the last person she had wanted to see�but now the fussy, nervous, elder girl was all she looked forward to seeing. Looking forward to finally being able to see a part of her family again, she good-naturedly told Slenka to go to bed early that evening and let her prepare supper. James creased his forehead as she entered the library, carrying a wooden tray in her hands. He flipped the book he was reading shut and stood up, taking the tray from her. �Lil, we�ve got a house-elf�you don�t need to go to this trouble�� �It�s no trouble,� she contradicted, a faint smile on her cheeks. �I can�t stand not doing work�all play and no work�s just as bad as all work and no play, if not worse. I like some of each�and, besides, I�d rather practice being a Muggle again. I rather doubt that Petunia likes wizards much. Especially after what happened with my wand.� Before her face could be drowned in a somber flood of thoughts, James reached for a poppy-seed roll, a knife, and a pat of butter. �Lily, do we have jam?� She laughed. �Blackberry, gorseberry, or blueberry? Sirius stuffed our pantry while we were gone.� He pretended to think for a minute, then shrugged. �All three.� Lily waved her wand lazily, and a jar appeared. Hastily, James caught it before it hit the floor, read the label, and frowned. �I said all three, not lettuce!� He did a double-take and stared at the leafy, green sphere on the label. �Lettuce?� �Would you prefer asparagus jam?� she asked, amused. �I could also provide sprouts.� �Okay, okay,� he grumbled. �Just blackberry�ll be fine, then.� He checked the label of the next jar closely, and, after satisfying himself that it was indeed blackberry, he toasted his roll with a flick of his wand and spread a mass of dark red fruit onto the toast. On her part, Lily had lifted a glass of tea to her lips, grimacing at the exceedingly high temperature, and matters weren�t improved much for her when Sirius Apparated right next to her, knocking into her arm and sending the hot tea all over her lap. �Sirius Black!� �Sorry, terribly sorry!� he apologized hastily, making himself utterly useless by scurrying everywhere and sending a lamp flying while he was at it. �Towels�towels�towels�where in this mansion do you people keep towels?� Grinning, James caught his friend�s collar and stopped him just before he went barreling into a bookshelf. �Observe, Padfoot.� He lifted his wand. �Arefacio!� The hot tea in Lily�s lap evaporated, she stopped looking for her wand, which Sirius had accidentally swept just out of her reach, and Sirius snorted. �I�m in a Muggle mindset today. Sorry.� �Pull up a chair,� James invited, patting the one next to him, �and tell us what�s been going on while we were gone.� �We?� Sirius cast a quick glance at Lily. �We,� Lily admitted. �He knew me almost right away.� �Angry?� he sympathized. �Maneagable,� she replied. �We won�t have to go back anytime soon, at least.� �Very good.� Sirius exhaled loudly in relief as he studied his fingernails. �House-elf doing all right?� �She�s a dear,� Lily smiled, before James interrupted her with a laugh. �Padfoot, I insist on knowing what horror tales you told of her before we got back.� �Er.� Sirius looked down at his hands, then at the table, at the lettuce jam, made a grimace, sent a glance at the ceiling, and glared at the floor. �Er.� �Sirius,� James warned. Sprightly, as if he had just thought of it, Sirius bounced in his chair. �I forgot! Tell me all the news of Durmstrang, won�t you?� Lily grinned at Sirius as she teasingly pulled James� hair. �Ever heard the name �Sebastian Krum�?� She laughed merrily as, with a groan, James threw his head backwards and gulped down the rest of his toasted roll, half-choking on it. Interested, Sirius clapped James on the back. �This should be interesting. Tell on.� The next morning, Lily sat up as soon as she was awake�or she was awake as soon as she sat up; she couldn�t decide which. Breathing in a waft of sunlight, she slipped into the bathroom and was out again in a matter of minutes. By the time Slenka had padded into the room with breakfast, she was lying on the sheets, dressed in a Muggle pair of dance pants, her mother�s theatre T-shirt, and was reading Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead by Tom Stoppard. Rolling over, she kissed her husband on the cheek. �Wake up. Breakfast!� An hour later, both of them, he in Muggle jeans, an old yellow T-shirt, and a jacket, were ready to go see Lily�s sister, both of them hoping she was still living in the old Evans house. �Lily, we might not find her, you know,� James warned, as he slipped several Galleons into his pocket. �She could be living in Notre Dame for all we know.� �I know,� Lily sighed, pulling the auburn braid of hair over her shoulder and fiddling with it. �I know. I just want to try.� He hugged her. �And that�s what we�re about to do. And if she�s not there, how about seeing if her old boyfriend�s parents still live nearby? They might know.� �That is an absolutely brilliant idea,� Lily beamed. �Which means I�ve thought of it already. Come on.� Before he could blink, she was gone; following suit, he Disapparated, too. They didn�t even have to go inside the house they had appeared in front of to know that Petunia didn�t live there anymore. A nine-year-old with a long, brown ponytail was removing groceries from the trunk of a red car parked in front of the building, and a petite lady with short brown hair streaked with grey was opening the kitchen window. Twisting her fingers together, Lily walked forward intently, knocking at the half-open door. The lady appeared, wiping hair out of her face. �We�re not buying anything, thank you.� �No�� Lily held a hand out in protest. �I�m not selling anything. I�I�m looking for someone.� The lady�s frown didn�t disappear, and, before she could think of shutting the door in the girl�s face, Lily began to explain rapidly. �I used to live here�just, a year ago, I married, and I don�t know what�s happened to my family since then. I don�t know where they live now, and I wanted to know if you know anything.� It was pointless to add that she had seen Petunia since then, and her sister was screaming like a banshee at the sight of her father�s body. The woman shook her head slowly. �No, dear, I couldn�t tell you. We bought the house from some people named Dursley, and that�s as much as I can tell you.� Her child tugged at her sweatshirt, and she bent down and detached the girl�s fist from her shirt. �I�m sorry, but that�s all I can say. Goodbye.� In higher spirits than before, Lily turned to James, clasping his arm forcefully. �It�s all right! We�ll be able to find them. Come on�let�s get to Vernon�s house.� The Dursleys were still living there, and they welcomed Lily and James into their house more frigidly than warmly. James had an idea that Petunia had been telling fictional tales. �Please,� Lily asked as persuasively as she could, as she stood in the hall with Marge Dursley, Vernon�s sister, her back pressed into the umbrella stand, �I�d like to know where Petunia is, if you know. I�ve not seen her for months, and I don�t know where she�d be.� �I see.� Marge pursed her lips. She was altogether a revolting creation, James thought, as he looked her up and down�she was wearing ratty tweeds covered with dog hair, she definitely smelled like a colony of hounds, and she was uncomfortably fat. Uncomfortably meaning she was taking up half of the hallway and practically not fitting into it herself. �They�re gone,� Marge replied. �They? Vernon and Petunia?� �Yes. They got married about three months ago.� �Married?� Lily leaned on the solitary umbrella for support. �Did�did she try to find me�well, for the wedding�or to tell me?� �She most certainly didn�t,� Marge sniffed. �I wouldn�t want to keep up connections with an out-of-work vagabond and his wife. Stealing cars, too, for all I know. Sleeping in them. As civilized as savages, she said, and quite right, too.� Their cold reception was explained, then, but Lily was still baffled. �What?� �Petunia,� Marge said coldly, �has married my brother. Goodbye.� �Wait!� Lily stopped the woman before she completely turned around. �Where do they live?� Marge hesitated, but the presence of a well-endowed male in the way of muscles standing behind the auburn-headed girl, ready to back her up to the hilt, unnerved her. �4 Privet Drive. Little Whinging, Surrey. Goodbye!� They were practically shoved out of the door, and as soon as they were safely outside, the door was slammed behind them with a crash equal to the Louvre falling on the Crystal Palace. �Well,� James said, amused. �Charming lady, really.� �Oh, isn�t she,� Lily remarked dryly. �Come on. 4 Privet Drive, she said?� �You have a wonderful memory,� James confirmed, kissing her cheek. �Where�s the closest alleyway? Muggles don�t seem to take to Apparition.� Several minutes later, they were walking down the driveway and up to the doorway of 4 Privet Drive, a squat house fringed with pruned shrubs and bestowed freely with cannas. Taking a deep breath, Lily pressed the doorbell, and James pulled her ear as a sort of encouragement to what might follow. Clattering slippery steps were heard padding on linoleum floors, and a bolt was flung aside in moments, the door opening to reveal Petunia. She was obviously doing house-cleaning, or something of the sort, because her hair was swept out of existence, bundled up in a towel, and a large, blue-and-white print apron was plastered onto a brown dress. Lily�s face melted into a relieved smile. �Petunia!� Reaching out to hug the girl, she felt gleefully and honestly happy to see her sister, someone familiar and someone she loved. The schoolgirl had disliked her sibling, but the lady loved her, for the lady could remember the few beautiful hours they had spent playing together as children before they would start fighting. But Petunia drew back, both frightened and disgusted. �Who�re you?� Surprised, Lily bit down hard on her lip. �Petunia, what�� �I don�t know you. Be off, or I�ll have my husband call the police.� Her face was as immovable as if it had just been heavily starched, and she was grasping a whisk-broom threateningly. �Petunia�I�� The next thing both of them saw was a heavy wooden door inches from their faces. Stunned, Lily sank to her knees. �Oh, Lil�� Wrapping his arms around her, James took both of her hands in his. �Sweetheart, it isn�t your fault�� �It is,� she moaned. �I could have done something about this months ago�I shouldn�t have come home at all�I shouldn�t have�� �Lil, don�t think about it.� For a few minutes, they sat there, she, stiff and kneeling, he, trying to be as sympathetic as he could, till James took control of the situation and picked her up, Apparating to their house. |
| Beyond Hogwarts: Chapter X |
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