Lily Evans: A History

Chapter 17 - Visions in the Flesh

It was eerily silent in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Potter. Usually the sound of ranting house elves, running children, and various things blowing up causing running children and ranting house elves ensued. But not now. Today, the long halls produced echoes and whispers, as if an iron curtain had closed around them.

After watching her best friend cry herself to sleep, Lily quietly closed the door to the bedroom she was sharing with Kassie and walked down the hall towards the main part of the house. The portraits on the wall moved, but she paid little attention to James's family as she passed. Her heart was heavy, and her head hurt from not only listening to Kassie scream and cry, but crying with her. After all, she could only imagine what it would be like to loose her own mother. The thought made her chest feel tight and heavy at the same time.

As she came into the dinning room, Lily noted James look up quickly from a copy of The Daily Prophet and then stop himself from hiding it once he realized Kassie wasn't coming in. Lily took the seat next to James as Tator appeared at her elbow with a glass of ice water. "What does it say?" Lily asked James tiredly.

Without a word he pushed the paper towards her, picking up his sandwich with apparent little interest. Sirius was sitting across from them, staring at his sandwich, but not eating. Kassie's tragedy had somehow seemed to have made Sirius withdrawn. James had told Lily he believed it had hit Sirius harder because his own mother had been dead a year this summer. Either way, the house seemed even more depressed with Sirius not bouncing around making people laugh.

Lily tore her eyes from her friends and down to the paper that was resting before her. The article read no different than many before it. It took reading down a bit to catch phrases like "....mother of six children.... believed to be killed because of her marriage to a muggle.... Death Eaters surrounded her...." At that Lily broke away, she couldn't stand to read the details of how her best friend's mother had died. It wasn't information she wanted.

"I didn't even know it was her," James suddenly said, folding the paper up. "When I read it this morning, I mean. Before we came to get you. There's someone new dead everyday, it seems. I didn't know."

Lily didn't say anything, only thanked Tator for the sandwich and started to pick at it. The funeral would be the day after tomorrow, and Lily wasn't sure if she could withstand to go with Kassie, but didn't want to let her go alone. She had owled her mother earlier, but didn't expect an answer anytime within the next few hours.

"Young Master!" squeaked a house elf suddenly as Binkie appeared at James' elbow. James started, glaring at the small creature.

"Don't do that! You'll give someone a heart attack!"

"Binkie is sorry, Young Master!" Binkie replied, squeaking when he spoke. "But there is... Young Master must come to the door. There is a girl child!"

"A what?" James asked, making a face that showed his confusion completely. Sirius looked up curiously, his face showing the first sign of interest in anything all morning.

James got up, half walking, half jogging towards the door. Lily pushed away from the table, following. She hadn't made it to the door yet when she heard a familiar voice saying; "But she is here! Isn't she?"

"Kacy?" Lily asked, springing forward and around the corner. Olivia blinked in a bewildered manner as the child that was standing at the door suddenly bolted into the house and straight at Lily. "Kacy, what...? How did you get here?"

"I don't know!" Kassie's baby sister cried, flinging her arms around Lily and bursting into tears. "I just--" she hiccupped, a sob escaping. "--just wanted to be with Kassie. My mummy... Aunt Grace said she--Lily, where's Kassie?"

Lily picked up Kacy, hard as it was because she was at least half the size of Lily herself. The dark-haired child continued to cry, muttering that she wanted her sister as Lily tried to comfort her. She barely noted James explaining to his mother that he believed this girl was Kassie's sister.

After a few minutes Kacy's cries finally subsided long enough for Lily to pull the child from her. She was wearing a pretty blue sundress, her long black hair tied back in a ponytail. Her right hand was clutching a rag doll, but she seemed to have brought nothing else with her.

Lily sat down in one of the overstuffed chairs in the living room, Kacy still sitting on her lap. James, Sirius and Olivia were all in the room, but so far hadn't said much. Lily pushed a piece of stray hair out of Kacy's face. "Now, Kacy, how did you get here?" Lily asked soothingly.

The child sniffed and brought her hand up to wipe at her nose before Lily caught her and handed her a tissue. "I don't know," Kacy admitted, her voice cracking slightly. "Aunt Grace told me Mummy was dead and that I had to go away. But I wanted Kassie. And I screamed I wanted her, and then," she shrugged, seemingly unconcerned about the technicalities. "I was here."

Lily nodded, throwing a puzzled look to Olivia. The older woman looked thoughtful for a moment before asking; "Is Kacy a witch?"

For a second Lily wasn't sure what Olivia meant. The child was only seven, how could she be a witch? But then it occurred to her, magic started showing itself at early ages. And Kassie had told her, on the train, that her and her youngest sister was the only ones who had shown signs of magic. "She Apparated?" Lily asked, stunned.

"Could have," Olivia agreed. "With a powerful surge of emotion like that and a magical child. She could have homed her magic in on Kassie's aura and... well, anything is possible."

"Where's Kassie?" Kacy asked in a small voice, looking up at the older people in the room with haunted red-rimmed eyes as she clutched tightly to the arm of the rag doll.

"She's sleeping right now," Lily answered. Her chest felt so heavy as she watched the tears fall from Kacy's young eyes. She wanted to hug her tightly and make it all go away. But it wouldn't. This child, only seven years old, now had no mother and no father. And from what Lily could tell, no family except her siblings. "How about we go wake her, hm?"

Kacy nodded, climbing off Lily's lap and hugging her rag doll to her chest. Lily straightened the younger girl's dress a little, then stood up. "Olivia, is it okay...?"

"Of course," Olivia answered before Lily could finish. "I'm going to go fire call Harold, and let him know she's here. There might have been Muggles who saw her disappear and they'll need to get the Accidental Magic Reversal Department on it." Olivia went towards the door, but stopped before going through. "If you need anything, just call for one of the house elves."

"Thank you," Lily replied, grasping Kacy's hand and going through an opposite door that would lead to a staircase. They walked through hall after hall, Kacy only seeming vaguely interested in the vastness of the large house. When they arrived at the room Kassie was in, Lily pushed the door open and turned to motion for Kacy to be quiet, but Kacy was gone.

Before Lily could do more than blink, Kacy had ran in the room and thrown herself on the bed where Kassie was sleeping. "KASSIE!"

Kassie's violet eyes popped open and she sat up, looking at Kacy as if she might be a figment of her imagination. "Kacy?" she mumbled, looking dumbfounded. Lily smiled slightly as Kassie hugged her youngest sister. "How did you get here?"

"Lily," a voice behind her whispered. Lily turned her head to see James standing behind her. Quietly, she shut the door, following James down a ways. "Are you okay?" he asked, again in a quiet voice that sounded odd to Lily's ears.

There had only been one other time Lily had seen James this serious. But it had been under completely different circumstances. It was the night he told her about the powers they both held. But he had been worried about her that night, it had been clear on his face. Just as he was worried about her now. "I'm fine," Lily lied, forcing a smile.

James gave her a lopsided grin that didn't reach his eyes. James had eyes that showed his feelings; whether it happy or sad. They would light up when he was happy, making everyone around him feel the same way. But the smile he gave her now wasn't one of them. "You can't lie to me very well," he whispered.

Lily felt her hands grow sweaty and her heartbeat pick up standing this close to him. Gnawing on her bottom lip, Lily stepped back a bit. "I'm sorry. I'll be okay."

There was an unsettling tension in the air between them, Lily could feel it, even if she didn't understand it. She wanted to get away, but wanted to stay where she was at the same time. She wanted James to stop trying to pry her feelings from her, but wanted him to keep on until she spilled them all out.

Suddenly there was a hand brushing the side of her face. Lily blinked rapidly, not even realizing James had moved. Her breath caught in her throat and James snatched his hand away quickly. "I'm sorry," he muttered. His eyes were clouded with confusion and something else as he stared at her. Something Lily couldn't put her finger on. Before she could try to understand, James turned and walked away.

Lily opened her mouth to call him back, but the words died on her lips as the bedroom door beside her swung open. Sirius blinked at her owlishly, clearly not expecting to see someone standing just outside his door. He turned his head, noted James' retreating form, and turned his blue eyes to Lily. "Something wrong?"

"No," Lily replied quickly. Possibly too quickly, because Sirius didn't look very convinced. She sighed heavily. "I'm going to go check on Kassie."

"Sure," Sirius replied, watching her go the other direction and disappear into a room. Sirius turned his head from where Lily was, to where James had been and shook his head. "Something is going on," he said to himself. And with a purpose in his stride, he set after James.

                *             *

It wasn't easy finding one person in a house this large, Sirius concluded approximately fifteen minutes later. When James wanted to hide, he could do an admiral job of it. Sirius had wondered the kitchens (it would be the first place he would go), the sitting room, the gardens and even the cellar. Still no James.

And he probably wouldn't have found him, incidentally, if a zooming Snitch hadn't nearly gave him a black eye as he wondered around to the back of the house. It was followed quickly by James, on a broom stick, who caught it less than ten seconds later. "Oy! You're going to kill me one of these days!" Sirius shouted up to James, who didn't seem to have noticed his best friend dive away to avoid collision.

"Sorry!" James called back, flying down and landing a few feet away. He dismounted his broom, still holding the struggling Snitch.

Sirius waited as James put his broom away and came back over. He let the Snitch go, allowing it to flutter a bit away before catching it once more. Sirius snorted. "That thing still has an evasive charm on it? I figured it would have died by now."

"Mum reinforced it a while back," James replied, catching the small golden ball again. "My Dad was all up for me being a Seeker. But, well, you see where I ended up."

"You should have been a Beater," Sirius replied. His face took on sternness and his voice a scrowl. "Only position where you have a weapon, boy! Constant vigilance;!"

Both of them laughed, James shaking his head. "Mr. Moody will be glad to know someone was paying attention to him."

"I don't see how your dad works with him, mate. That would drive me bonkers," Sirius said. They walked in silence a bit, James still periodically letting the Snitch go and catching it again. "So, what's going on between you and Lily?" Sirius suddenly asked.

James didn't catch the Snitch this time. It zoomed away, making him scowl. "What are you talking about?"

"You know what I'm talking about," Sirius insisted. "Whatever it was that happened between you and Lily earlier. Both of you seemed a little odd, you know?"

"You're serious?" James said, shaking his head.

Sirius threw his best friend a glare and demanded: "Who else am I suppose to be?"

James sighed. "That got old--"

"Yes, I know, about ten years ago. But you were wide open," Sirius explained, shrugging. "So, what was that scene in the hall about?"

"Scene?" James repeated, nearly tripping over a potted plant and struggling to keep his balance. He sidestepped it with great difficulty and threw another glare over his shoulder. "What do you mean?"

"Well, mind you, I didn't see it all. But Lily looked ready to burst into tears, and you were walking away. What did you do to her?"

James sighed, stuffing his hands in his jean pockets. "Nothing."

"Ah," Sirius nodded dramatically, his face bright. "Nothing. I do that all the time, but still end up blamed for everything." Sirius shook his head. "You've got to give me the secret to how you get away with it, mate."

"Away with what?" James asked, looking confused.

"What you did to Lily."

"I didn't do anything!" James insisted. "I just..." His voice dropped off and Sirius growled under his breath. "I asked her if she was okay, and she said she would be. You just caught the end of it and now you're trying to make something of it."

Sirius didn't look very convinced, but decided to let it go. He would trick James into telling later, when he wasn't so guarded about it. Instead they headed back into the house and towards the kitchens. Besides, when growing boys had nothing to do, the best thing to fill the gap was food.

                *                 *

Two days later Kassie and Kacy left to attend their mother's funeral without Lily. Lily had expressed her desire to go, but Kassie had refused, though she said she appreciated the gesture. Mr. Potter took the girls with him to work that day, dropping them off at the train station in London. Feeling slightly bitter and useless, Lily wandered the gardens at James's house, not paying much attention to the array of Muggle and magical flowers that surrounded her.

She couldn't keep her thoughts from drifting to her best friend, wondering what would happen now. She knew that Olivia had been trying to contact the rest of the orphanages that Grace Phillips had sent Kassie's sibling off to. But Kassie couldn't take care of them, she was barely thirteen years old. And not knowing what would happen to them, and Kassie, was enough to make Lily feel like screaming.

Around mid-day Morgana returned from Surrey, carrying a letter from Lily's mother. The owl found Lily in the sitting room, staring at the empty fireplace and trying to collect her thoughts. It took three large hoots for Lily to even realize she wasn't alone.

"Oh," Lily muttered, taking the burden from the owl. "Thank you Morgana. You can go sleep now, I'll find you if I need you."

With a grateful snip of Lily's finger, Morgana spread her wings wide and headed off. Lily watched her go, then drew her attention to the letter in her hands.

Lily,

Words can not express how sorry I am for Kassie. Had I known what that letter entailed, I wouldn't have sent you both off with Olivia. Of course she is more than welcome to come here next summer, I wouldn't dream of sending her off to any orphanage.

And yes, we did go fetch Petunia. Everything is fine here. Please write back soon and let me know how you are and if you or Kassie need anything.

All my love, Mum

Lily stared at the two paragraphs and felt her fist tighten. Somehow she had expected her mother to say something, anything, to make the burden of grief easier. And then, her mother lied to her. Everything was not all right with Petunia, or she was sure her mother would have wrote more. Lily crumbled the letter up in a ball, wishing there was a fire in the hearth so she could burn it.

Anger welled up inside her. She needed more than that from her mother, didn't she understand? Lily had wrote two feet of parchment in her last letter, trying to get across how everything seemed so wrong. And her mother could only write back a few words, as if she didn't have time to write more. Did she still think Lily was a child? That something as simple as this would make everything all right again?

Feeling tears of frustration build up in her eyes, Lily got up and stormed off to her room. She didn't see anyone on her way, which was fine with her, she didn't have the energy it took to pretend she was okay for the sake of others. Once safely shut in her room, she sat on the bed, staring at the empty second bed across from her. She thought of going to sleep, but with the morbid thoughts she had consuming her, she was sure it would be full of visions.

Instead Lily laid on her back, staring at the ceiling, thinking. What was the magical world coming to? When a witch was killed because she married a Muggle? It made Lily think about her own heritage; how the Slytherins were constantly throwing off on her because she was Muggle-born. What did it have to do with anything that mattered? She was a good witch, in her own opinion. But would that make her a target for Voldemort as well? She shivered to think of it. Kacy: mother and fatherless. She prayed she would never have children that she had to leave like that. Alone in the world without her there every step. A chill passed down Lily's spine, making goosebumps stand up on her arms and legs. She reached down, pulling the cover over her legs to warm them. She had just about fallen to sleep when a sharp rap on the door jerked her up.

"Yes?" she called, her heart pounding her in chest. The door creaked open slowly and a bald knobby head poked through the crack.

"Miss Lily?"

"Come in, Tator," Lily smiled, sitting up.

Tator walked further in, her large brown eyes swimming in tears. She held a rag that she periodically swiped at her eyes with. "Is you being okay, Miss Lily?"

Lily, taken aback by Tator's emotional state, swung her legs over the side of the bed. "I'm fine, Tator. Are you okay?"

The house-elf sniffed loudly and blew her nose on the rag in her hand. Lily watched, perplexed, as a few more large tears fell from Tator's eyes. She looked around, as if watching to see if someone was listening, and then in a whispered voice began speaking: "Miss Lily. Is it true? Did Miss Kassie and that girl child's Mum die from... from... by You Know Who?"

Lily blinked, staring at Tator as if she had not recently seen anything like her. But the house-elf grew even more distraught the longer Lily hesitated, so she forced herself to speak.

"Yes, Tator. She was."

Lily had assumed that honesty was the best policy. What she hadn't expected, however, was Tator to burst into noisy tears. The small creature threw her face into the rag she held, soaking it in a matter of seconds. "Oh, Miss Lily, the world is going to be in bad shape. Just you see. Poor Miss Kassie. Poor girl child."

Lily had no idea what to do. Awkwardly she patted Tator on the shoulder, trying to reassure her. There was a voice from downstairs called Tator's name and she gave Lily a watery smile. Then, as suddenly as she had came in, Tator disappeared with a crack!

Lily stared at the place where the house-elf had stood for several moments, still trying to understand what had happened. Of all the people in the house to be this upset, she hadn't expected Tator. She was just a house-elf. But she supposed the war effected more than just witches and wizards.

"LILY! DINNER!"

Still forcing her mind not to sway too much on what was happening outside of the Potter household, Lily got up and went downstairs to join the family for dinner. Though she wasn't very hungry, she thought it best to put some food in her stomach. She entered the dining room several minutes after everyone else, and was happy to see Sirius back in his mischief making mood. Sometimes it just seemed so much easier to laugh and forget troubles. Suddenly, she thought she might understand the Marauders more than she ever would.

Sirius was as good (or bad) as ever this evening, though if he was trying to cheer everyone else up, or himself, was hard to tell. He laughed, made faces, threw food; anything to distract and cause laughter. And for a while, Lily forgot. Forgot that her best friend was somewhere, comforting her siblings now that they were all parentless. Forgot the problems at her own home, with her sister.

"Have you packed everything?" Olivia suddenly asked, picking up a plate of pudding one of the house elves had brought in and passing it.

"I have," James piped up immediately. Olivia gave him a stern look and his grin faltered. "Nearly?"

Sirius snickered. "I bet Lily has everything packed and ready to go. Don't you?"

It took a minute after all eyes had turned towards her, for Lily to remember the date. August 31. They left for school tomorrow morning. With everything that had been happening, Hogwarts was the last thing on Lily's mind. She bit her lip. "I'm not really all the way packed," she admitted.

There was a loud clunk, followed by a crash as Sirius fell out of his chair and into the floor. "Oh no! The end of the world! Lily's not packed!" He twitched and went on for several minutes, sending his entire body off the floor and his eyes back in his head.

Lily felt her face turn red, but laughed despite herself when Olivia levitated him off the floor and back into his chair. "Behave," she hissed, her eyes twinkling.

"Yes Ma'am," Sirius saluted her, knocking himself in the head.

"Cripes," James muttered next to Lily, rolling his eyes but grinning like they had just pulled off one of their stunts at school.

Sirius took in the remaining contents of his glass in one huge gulp, struggled not to choke and nearly leapt out of his seat. "I must go pack before Lily does!" And with those parting words, he left the room.

Olivia gave a long suffering sigh and shook her head at Harold, who only laughed in reply. "Perhaps you should be getting packed, as well," she said, directing herself to James and Lily. They both stood, departing the room and heading up the staircase.

Lily walked in her room, noting that Kassie's school trunk was still sitting at the foot of the twin bed closest to the window. Biting her bottom lip, Lily began to gather her belongings and pack them away. After she finished with her own trunk, she packed Kassie's up, wishing all the while that she had insisted on going to the funeral.

                *             *

The next morning was chilly and miserable. Lily bundled her cloak around her further, trying to block out the wind that came through the open doorway of the Potter household. The rain beat mercilessly against the grounds, making visibility nearly impossible. Chill bumps sprang up on Lily's arms and not for the first time she wished she had put a jumper on over her shirt.

Harold Potter came down the stairs quickly, checking his wrist watch as he did so. "We're running a bit behind, I'm afraid," he announced as he joined Lily, James and Sirius in the foyer. "Impervious!" He directed his wand at their cloaks one by one, making them repel water. Finally he did so on his own cloak and pulled the hood over his head. "Let's go."

Pulling their trunks (which Olivia had placed weightless charms on that morning) behind them, the three teenagers climbed in the car as quickly as possible. Lily watched as the mansion fell further behind her, but she wasn't sad about going back to school. Olivia had told her that Kassie should be meeting them at the train station and Lily was eager to get there.

The rain didn't let up as they pulled into King's Cross Station. James's father's first assessment was correct, however. They were running late. They barely made it through the barrier to the Hogwarts Express when the final whistle blew. "Have a good term!" Mr. Potter called as they hurried onto the train.

"Bye!" Lily called behind her, James and Sirius doing the same as they struggled to get their trunks aboard. Lily silently sent her thanks to Olivia again for shrinking down Morgana's cage so she could pack it in her trunk. The owl had flew onto Hogwarts the night before.

The train left the station almost as soon as they were aboard and Lily held her hand out to brace herself so she wouldn't fall. Sirius and James disappeared with Remus almost as soon as they boarded, leaving Lily alone to search for Kassie. She found her nearly at the end of the train, sitting in a compartment by herself. Lily knocked on the inside of the door as she came in. "Do you mind if I join you?" she asked.

"Lily!" Kassie grinned, the sad look falling off her face almost instantly. "I thought for a moment you had missed the train!"

Lily's first impression of Kassie was that she looked better than she had three days prior. While still wearing a sad look in her eyes, she didn't look as weighed down my grief and worry as she had been. Lily smirked. "Me? Miss the train? Honestly!"

"Well, with those goof-offs you were with," Kassie replied, helping Lily with her trunk. "Hey! You have mine, too. Thanks."

After they stored their trunks away and bought lunch from the trolley, the girls settled across from each other, their feet propped on the others seat. Lily took a swallow of pumpkin juice and glanced out the window. The rain hadn't let up yet and the downpour was making the glass foggy. "So how did it go?"

Kassie was also staring out the window, and though her eyes never left the glass, Lily knew she was preparing an answer. Finally she spoke, her voice a near whisper. "Horrible," she answered truthfully. "There... there wasn't a mark on her. Her eyes... they were open." She swallowed hard, sniffing a bit as she did so. "She looked so scared."

Silence stretched thickly in the compartment, and Lily didn't even dare breathe while Kassie regained her voice. She smiled a little, suddenly, her violet eyes briefly darting over to meet Lily's. "My Aunt Wanda, Mum's sister, is taking my brothers and sisters. And she's a witch," she added, relieved. "Of course, Blake, Haden, Chris and Alexandra aren't magical. Only Kacy and I. Odd, isn't it? How her and I are witches and the rest aren't?"

Lily nodded, agreeing indeed, it was odd. What had the chances been on herself becoming a witch? Why not Petunia? Or her mother? Why herself? Lily probably would have thought about it longer, but Kassie gave a huge sigh and pulled her cloak from the top shelf and laid down. "I'm sorry to be such boring company, Lil, but I didn't get a lot of sleep last night. Do you mind...?"

"No!" Lily replied, pulling her feet down so Kassie could get more comfortable. "Don't mind me." Kassie smiled slightly, but within seconds was asleep. Lily watched her for a few moments before getting up and leaving the room, softly shutting the door behind herself.

The lights had come on in the hallway, casting a slight yellow glow over the floor and compartment doors. The rain outside continue to beat down in a steady manner as the train traveled due north. Lily was trying to find James or one of the boys when suddenly her search was over. And in a very short amount of time.

"No! Accio Lily!" a voice suddenly hissed. Lily screamed as she suddenly found herself flying back through a door where she crashed into Sirius and both of them fell to the ground. Just then there was a sound like a small explosion and about five screams from the compartment next door.

"Ow..." A voice below Lily moaned, twitching. "Your elbow, Lily, it's.... OUCH! What'd you do that for?" Lily put a bit more pressure on her elbow as she stood up, making Sirius groan and let out a few curse words in the process. "I was saving you, and this is the thanks--"

"You SUMMONED me Sirius Black! I--" Lily stopped, her forehead wrinkled in confusion. "I thought Professor Flitwick said it was really difficult to summon something living?"

"Yes well, didn't go as planned, did it?" Sirius grumbled, rubbing one hand over his stomach.

There was a definite female shriek from the next compartment and Sirius, forgetting his pain, moved to join Peter at the door. Both were grinning madly. "I'm afraid to ask," Lily said pointedly, pushing her auburn hair out of her face. "But I'll do it anyway. What did you do?"

"Us?" Sirius asked, his blue eyes sparkling with mischief. "We did nothing."

Before Lily could properly roll her eyes at him, James and Remus came barreling through the door, laughing loudly. "Did you see the look on her face? Oh, that was priceless..." James said, wiping a pretend tear from his eye.

Remus laughed, until he caught sight of Lily. It was then that his grin slipped slightly and he elbowed James hard enough to get his attention. The black haired boy's eyes grew slightly wide behind his round spectacles and he gave a rather fake cough. "Not that I agreed with it, at all."

Lily did roll her eyes this time. Sirius gave a cough even more fake than James's, and Lily definitely heard a "We're in trouble," added in.

"Hi Lily," Remus said brightly, sitting down. "Did you have a good summer?"

"Don't try to change the subject, Remus. What did you do? And who did you do it to?" she asked, again addressing herself to Sirius, who also happened to be standing next to James by this time. Peter took a seat by Remus.

It just so happened that James and Sirius were spared answering by the compartment door flinging open, this time admitting a short blonde girl with curls bouncing all over her head. She had clear blue eyes that were nearly white and features that looked like a doll's. From her small nose to her small hands. She was very pretty, and very obviously a first year.

"Rictusempra!"

And judging by her spell and wand usage, Lily could pretty much guess her parents were a witch and wizard. James fell to the ground, holding his sides as he laughed uncontrollably. "You want a good laugh? There! Have one!" And with a toss of her curly blonde hair, she turned and stalked out the door.

Sirius was nearly unable to breathe and very unable to help James, who was gasping for air as well. It was Remus who finally had pity on him. "Finite," he said, grinning madly. James sat on the floor gasping for breath for several minutes.

Lily held a hand over her mouth to contain her laughter. James glared at her sourly after he could breathe properly again, crossing his arms. "What is so funny?"

Lily shook her head, going towards the door. "You, James. Getting caught off guard, and paid back, by a first year. I'm going to congratulate her." And before he could retort, Lily closed the door.

In the next compartment over Lily found four first year girls sitting together, all of them eagerly listening to the blonde girl's account of what had happened. When Lily opened the door, they stopped, eyeing her like she had come to revenge James.

Lily clearly saw the surprise on their faces when she held out a hand to the blonde girl. "I wanted to shake the hand of the only person I've known to actually hit James with a jinx."

The blonde girl blushed and smiled, her face lighting up and making her all that much prettier. "Thank you," she said, throwing a grin back at her friends.

"So what did they do to you?" Lily asked, shutting the door so that none of the Marauders could listen in.

A brunette by the window made a face of disgust at the memory, but elaborated anyway. "They told us they had a spell for making the answers to some of the questions in our text books appear. But when we tried, these roaches started shooting from the end of our wands."

Lily pulled a face, shivering despite herself. "That's horrible."

"I got him back, though. And this means war," the blonde girl added, her eyes small.

Lily laughed, she couldn't help it. "Oh, if you start a war against them, you'll have your hands full. Professor Binns swears they are the worst he's ever seen, and who knows how long he was teaching before he died."

"Died?" a girl sitting cross legged across from where Lily stood asked. She looked slightly pale at the mention of the word. "How is he still teaching, then?"

"He's a ghost," Lily replied easily, which only made what little color was left in the girl's face drain. "Anyway," she added, feeling the need to change the subject. "You're first years, then? What's your name?"

The blonde girl who had thrown the jinx at James sat down, pulling a hair tie off her wrist and pulling her hair back. "My name is Allana Longmire, this is Sydney Rockwood, Ashleigh Shipley and Willow Winthrop," she said, pointing to the girls as she spoke.

But Lily only barely heard what the blonde girl had said after her own name. Her head felt slightly light and her heart beat picked up. Her name... so familiar, but where?

And then it clicked and Lily found herself staring at the petite blonde in awe. "Are you okay?" Willow was asking, uncrossing her legs and holding a hand out to Lily worriedly. "Should I get someone?"

Allana also stood up, her eyes darting between Lily and the door. Lily shook her head, sitting down heavily on the seat. "I'm fine," she whispered, still staring at Allana. Allana Longmire. The girl in her vision that was dead. But she had stopped it... and now this young girl was standing here, in perfect health, in front of her. Her parents were alive. She was alive.

And Lily's vision had saved them.

"Allana," Lily breathed the name. She wanted to say something, but what should she? "I- My name is Lily Evans."

For a split second the shock that Lily felt was reflected in Allana's white-blue eyes. The other girls looked on in confusion as Allana brought a small hand up to cover her mouth. "Lily?"

The red-head nodded and suddenly Allana launched herself at Lily, hugging her tightly. After a moment Lily hugged her back, smiling a little. Never had she felt so complete. For the first time she really didn't think her visions were burdens. Not when she saved this girl's life. Not when she could possibly save others.

"I have really missed something," Willow stated, crossing her arms and looking between Allana and Lily as they stopped hugging. Allana laughed. "Lily... helped save my family. Last year."

For a split second an understanding passed through two of the three other girls in the room. Only Willow looked confused, and Lily thought she may be muggle-born. She was the same girl who had looked frightened at the prospect of ghosts at the school.

Allana, still smiling hugely at Lily, squeezed her hands tightly before letting go. "I knew I'd get to see you this year. Thank you. So much."

Lily nodded, ignoring the unanswered questions in the room. She knew that Allana knew a vision had saved her family. She also knew that Allana was made to promise not to reveal anything. Feeling more lighthearted than she thought possible, Lily went back to her own compartment to tell Kassie who she had met. But not before she poked her head in on James and informed him under no circumstances was he to prank Allana Longmire again, lest she deal with him. Then with a happy smile on her face at his confusion, she shut the door.

--End Chapter 17. 09.08.03