Lily Evans: A History

Chapter 48 - Fight, flight and fight some more
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The compartment on the Hogwarts Express that held the majority of the Gryffindor fifth years was a very subdued one. Since it was usually the loudest, there were many curious people on the train wondering whether the Marauders had perhaps had a falling out, or if Kassie and Lily had finally cursed them into the middle of next week as they had been threatening to do for several years. But none of these far-fetched stories were anywhere close to the truth. Because the truth was that the Marauders weren't even in the same compartment.

James had taken up residency in his newest girlfriend's compartment, Remus was with Lily in the Prefects’ compartment, Kathleen was with Michael and that left Madison, Gabrielle and Peter with a very upset couple on their hands. While everyone else in the train was happy to be going home for the holidays, Kassie and Sirius looked as though they had been given death sentences. Sirius was sitting beside the window, with Kassie as close against his side as possible, and with his arm was draped over her shoulder. That is where they had sat when they first boarded the train some five hours ago. That was where they still sat, only now Kassie had curled up beside Sirius and rested her head on his shoulder so that both of them were staring out of the window.

Peter had beaten Gabrielle and Madison four times each at exploding snap but they had long ago stopped playing. Peter feared they were starting to suspect he was playing with a trick deck. They talked little and anything they asked Kassie and Sirius was met with only a yes or no, then silence. To sum it up, it was more boring than History of Magic.

The door slid open and Remus came in, followed shortly by Lily. Peter looked like he could have hugged them both and Madison's face lit up. "It's about time! I thought you had forgotten us!" Gabrielle said before the Prefects could even sit down.

Madison moved so that Remus could sit beside her and he did so without looking at her. Lily felt a slight pull of anger; could he not see how much she liked him? Before Lily could talk herself into saying something she would regret, Remus said, "Where's James?"

"With Olivia," Peter said in the same dejected voice that just about everyone had been using today.

Sirius shuddered. "It isn't right to go out with someone that has the same name as your mum," he said without looking at any of them. He did manage to pull his gaze away from the window and look at Kassie, who was asleep against him.

"What's wrong with you?" Remus muttered in Sirius' direction. "You’re acting like you've lost your best friend."

"Sleepy," Sirius replied, punctuating this statement with a huge yawn.

"What were you doing all night?" Peter asked.

Lily threw him a look that was clearly meant to make him shut up. "Don't answer that," she added before Sirius could. "We'll just leave it that you’re sleepy."

Sirius grinned at them all and the majority of the room rolled their eyes in response. Lily bent down and unlatched a basket sitting in front of Kassie and pulled out her puffskein. "What's this thing’s name again?" she asked, placing it in her lap and petting it. Bast jumped up on the seat and peered at it curiously.

"Ginger," Sirius said, yawning again. He moved so that he could prop his head up in the corner of the compartment without waking Kassie and closed his eyes. "Wake me when we get there."

"Some company they are," Lily commented.

"You have no idea," Madison grumbled and pulled out a novel she had been reading. Remus looked over at it interestingly. "Have you read it?" she asked.

"Actually, I just finished it," Remus replied. "Very good."

The compartment door slid open once more and Will came in. Lily moved over as best she could, but there wasn't much room on the seat. Sirius pulled Kassie practically onto his lap to make room for Will and Lily smiled at him gratefully.

"So how'd all your Prefect stuff go?" Will asked, settling in next to Lily and reaching over to pet Ginger the puffskein.

"As well as ever; Snape sat there and glared, smirked and went on, Hestia talked a blue streak about what a great year we had had and then we split up to make sure everyone on the train was behaving."

"And were they?" Will asked, his eyes sparkling.

Lily shrugged. "For the most part."

Remus apparently liked the book Madison was reading so much, and Madison was so near the end of reading it herself, that they talked about it for the better part of the next hour. Lily grew tired of petting the puffskein which did nothing but purr, and put it back in it’s basket. Bast was very happy about that and curled up in her lap. Gabrielle got up to find her sister, leaving the compartment in much the same state it was in before Remus and Lily had joined it.

By the time they arrived in London, Lily felt as though she had tried to sleep on a porcupine. Her back protested angrily when she stood up, making several loud popping sounds that Will found amusing although he was obviously trying hard not to let it show. Peter had fallen asleep not too long before, Remus and Madison had started reading their respective books and Kassie and Sirius slept on. Lily and Will had talked quietly for a while before deciding that the rain that had started outside the window would make perfect sleeping weather. And even though it wasn't very comfortable, they ended up taking a small nap, as well.

But the pistons were whistling and the mass of students on the train were moving around, followed by the announcer coming over the speakers to let everyone know it was safe to disembark from the train and wishing them a good holiday. Lily somehow managed to get Bast back into her basket, although she wanted no part of it, and Will levitated both her and his trunks out to the platform.

Kassie and Sirius emerged behind them and from where they stood they could see that Harold and Olivia had already found James and were being introduced to Olivia Mann, James' girlfriend of the week. Sirius dragged himself over to them, greeted Olivia and then waited while Kassie did the same. Will waited patiently while Lily said hello to Harold, hugged Olivia and commented on her new robes, then said her goodbyes to Kassie and Sirius.

Kassie looked thoroughly miserable. "Don't worry," Lily assured her. "You can always come to my house for a while and Sirius is always welcome there. You know my mum loves him, even though I'm not sure why."

Kassie allowed herself a small smile. "Thanks Lily. Have a good holiday. Write to me," she added, hugging her a second time.

Will escorted Lily to the brick wall that separated the wizarding platform from the muggle world. Lily looked back once and saw Sirius and Kassie hugging. Not far from them stood Kassie's aunt. She looked impatient to leave and had her arms crossed. Lily felt a pang of pity for the couple. Will shifted his weight uneasily. "Er-are your parents here?" he asked.

"I would think so," Lily replied, tilting her head. "William Roberts, don't tell me you are nervous about meeting my parents?"

Will grinned. "A little, perhaps."

"Nonsense," Lily grabbed his hand and dragged him through the barrier. Once on the other side Will grabbed Lily's trunk and carried it over to where an auburn haired woman was waiting with a man in a wheelchair.

It was easy to see the resemblance between this woman and Lily, so Will was fairly sure that he was looking at Lily's mum and dad. He swallowed nervously and trailed along behind as Lily ran over and threw her arms around the woman. "Lily!" Christine Evans greeted, hugging her daughter tightly. "Oh, I swear every time you come back from school you've grown taller!"

"And prettier," Daniel Evans said. Lily bent down and hugged him, too. Daniel's dark eyes met with Will's over Lily's shoulder and his smile took on a forced look. "Who's your friend, Lily?"

Lily felt herself blush a little as she straighten back up. She reached over and took Will's hand, tugging him forward. "Mum, Dad, this is my boyfriend Will Roberts. Will, this is Daniel and Christine Evans, my parents."

Will shook hands with Daniel and found himself surprised at the strength in the grip. But he refused to flinch. Lily was beaming as if Daniel and Christine had just sworn that he was the son they had never had, and he wasn't going to let her know how nervous he felt. "Nice to meet you Mr. and Mrs. Evans."

Christine greeted him with a lot more warmth. She held hisand in both of hers and smiled knowingly at Lily. "You are every bit as handsome as my daughter claimed," she said, making Lily blush and mutter under her breath. "I'm very glad to finally meet you. You must come over for tea very soon."

"Thank you, I will," Will replied. He wasn't entirely sure spending any amount of time with Daniel Evans would be fun, but at least he would get to see Lily.

The heavy feeling in Will's chest only intensified when Daniel said; "Lily, where are James and Sirius? I haven't seen them come out yet."

"I don't know," Lily admitted, turning to look at the barrier as if it they would emerge any second. "Olivia is probably trying to drag Sirius and Kassie apart. They aren't happy."

"Oh, those poor dears," Christine said, turning Daniel's wheelchair about. "Well, Lily, I'm afraid we're going to have to go, too. Anna is coming to dinner." Lily watched as Christine purposely pushed Daniel off and winked back to her.

The redhead smiled and turned to her boyfriend. "Well, I suppose I have to go."

"Yeah," Will muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. "I feel weird wanting to kiss you with your mum and dad so near."

Lily grinned. "So pretend they aren't," she told him. Unlike Sirius, though, Will had reservations about public displays of affection. Well, in front of Lily's parents, at any rate. He kissed her quickly, hugged her and blushing madly left to find his father. Lily picked her trunk up with one hand and Bast's basket with the other and followed her parents.

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The house was very quiet when Lily arrived. Daniel went straight to his greenhouse to pick fresh flowers for the dinner table, Christine went to start cooking dinner and Lily climbed the stairs to her room to unpack. As always Morgana had beaten her home and was asleep on her perch. She removed her head from under her wing long enough to blink slowly at Lily, then she went back to sleep.

As Lily had been looking forward to this summer so much - her first ever summer without Petunia - she couldn't put her finger on why she felt so depressed to be here. Her school books were stacked up on her desk, but she wouldn't have a need for them during this holiday because she didn't know which classes she would be taking the following year. For the first time, she didn't have holiday homework. Her wand was lying on her bedside table, but she wouldn't be able to use it for two entire months. She always missed using her wand during the holidays. She couldn't wait until she was seventeen and was able to use magic outside school.

But there it was again, the feeling that she didn't want to be a part of the muggle word. Lily hated herself sometimes for the feeling of not belonging to the world in which she had been born and raised in. But magic flowed in her veins. It was a part of her that she just found very hard to forget about during the holidays.

"Knock, knock, may I come in?"

Lily started and looked up to see Anna standing in her doorway. For a long moment Lily nearly didn't recognise her. Anna looked as though she had aged ten years since Christmas when Lily had last seen her. Her hair was completely grey now and the wrinkles on her face seemed much more pronounced. Lily smiled. "Of course."

Anna walked with a cane now, since her last heart attack. She slowly made her way into the room and sat down next to Lily on the bed. "What is wrong, child?"

Lily smiled. There was something about older people that allowed them to always tell when something was bothering someone, and they usually jumped straight to the point. The redhead sighed. "Anna, why do I feel so detached from my parents now? When I come home I feel like I'm coming to visit, and that I don't belong here anymore. Am I horrible?"

Anna chuckled to herself. "No, no, dear. You are far from horrible. I don't know exactly what you are going through, but I can tell you that when I was around my dear late husband's family, I felt like I was in a different world. Magic is to them, and you, is like breathing to me. It's completely natural. And when you’re at home it’s bound to feel unnatural not to have that magic around you like it is at school." Anna surveyed Lily over the rim of her glasses. "And I'm sure Christine and Daniel would understand, if you talked to them."

"I do want them to understand," Lily explained heavily, "and I know it frustrates them that they don't."

"They are proud of you, though," Anna said, getting to her feet slowly and a little painfully. "They are so proud. I'm happy to see one of their daughters making them so proud. Lord knows after Petunia they deserve it."

Lily laughed although she hadn't meant to. Anna put her finger over her mouth. "That can just be between us, though. I know Christine and Daniel love her regardless. Now," she added, a bit louder now. "What say we go downstairs and help Christine get dinner on the table? I'm starving."

Lily did as Anna suggested and went downstairs to help her mother finish preparing dinner. It was the first of what would be many wonderful meals over the holidays. Lily was brought up to date on all the latest news from the family. It turned out that Petunia was pregnant, a fact that made Lily nearly choke on her steak. Petunia had sworn up and down that she didn't want to start a family for many years, yet not even a year into their marriage she was expecting. Lily wasn't sure how she felt about becoming an aunt. After all, she had no idea what an aunt did since she had none of her own. And since Petunia hated the very ground she walked on, it was hard to know if she would ever set eyes on her soon-to-be niece or nephew at all.

Only a week into the summer holiday Lily received the first of many long and mournful letters from Kassie. Apparently she had had a huge row with Wanda just after getting home which resulted in half the household not speaking to each other. Kassie pleaded with Lily to ask Christine if she could come over, but without Wanda's permission Christine wasn't going to allow it. And Wanda refused to give her permission because she knew it would permit Kassie to see Sirius.

Lily wasn't sure she could follow Wanda's reasoning behind keeping Kassie and Sirius apart; after all, forbidden fruit was always the sweetest. And Sirius had never done anything to Kassie to warrant such treatment from her aunt. Unless you counted him forgetting her birthday, but even that wasn't bad enough to forbid him to see Kassie, at least in Lily's eyes.

Will wrote to Lily every single day. There was an owl on her window sill every morning and Lily found out that first morning that if she didn't write him back right there and then, the owl didn't leave and started pecking at her hands. She had tried to go downstairs to be rid of it, but that didn't work because when she arrived in the kitchen it was sitting on Morgana's perch outside the back door. But now it was a habit to get up, write to Will, be caught up on Kassie's latest name calling towards her aunt, and only then could Lily go down for breakfast.

In final week of July, Lily was sitting at the breakfast table eating, listening to her mother talk about baby items she wanted to look at for Petunia and writing a letter to Kassie when there was a sudden roar outside the house. Lily ignored it at first as several people who lived on her road had motorbikes and she thought it was probably just one of them. But then there was another roar, followed by the dog in the back garden barking. Christine wiped her hands on a tea towel and peered out of the kitchen window just as a motorbike fell out of the sky and into the back garden. Christine screamed.

"Mum, it's ok," Lily said without thinking, nearly knocking her bottle of ink over as she hurried to get to the door. "I have a good idea who that is."

In reality Lily had no doubt that when she opened her back door she would find Sirius Black. But it was still an amusing sight just the same. Daniel came wheeling himself out of the garden just as Sirius got off the bike and took his helmet off, looking so insufferably proud of himself that one would just think he'd destroyed Voldemort. But that wasn't what shocked Lily the most. What shocked her was the black haired girl that got off the same motorbike.

Lily's jaw dropped. "Kassie?!"

"Lily!" Kassie dropped the helmet she was holding and rushed up to the redhead, hugging her. "Thank goodness you’re here, it feels like forever since I saw you last!"

"I-" Lily blinked, looked at Sirius, then at Kassie, at the motorbike and back again.

But she didn't have a chance to say anything when suddenly there was a gasp from behind her. Lily spun around to see Christine coming out of the house and she looked furious. Kassie backed up so that she was nearly on top of Sirius. "Hi Christine," she said meekly.

"Young lady, if you tell me that your aunt doesn't know where you are, I'm going to march straight to the fireplace an--"

"Oh, please don't!" Kassie lunged forward, her hands clasped in front of her in a prayer position. "Mrs. Evans, please don't be angry with me. Please. I left my Aunt Wanda a note. And my brothers and sisters know where I am. I just couldn't stand it any longer! You know my aunt wouldn't let me see Sirius and it was driving me stark raving mad!"

So far Sirius hadn't spoken, and Lily thought for a moment a voice inside his head was probably telling him it wasn't a good idea. But just as Lily thought this, the voice must have given up trying to persuade Sirius to listen to reason because he opened his mouth to speak. Christine cut him off. Lily wasn't sure she had ever seen her mother so angry. "Don't say a word to me, Sirius Black! Does Olivia know you have her on that dangerous thing? How could you two be so irresponsible, is beyond me! I know you’re upset with your Aunt, Kassie, but she loves you and she is surely sick to death with worry."

Kassie and Sirius both looked ashamed, Daniel and Lily looked shocked. Lily tried several times to inject her opinion, but every time she did Christine would head straight into another rant and Lily was cut off before she began. Finally someone besides Lily's mother spoke and Lily was floored by what she heard come from her father's mouth: "Christine, my love, you are a hypocrite if I've ever heard one. How many times did you and I sneak off? You can't blame these kids. Wanda should have realised that if she forbade Kassie to see Sirius that she would resort to something like this."

Christine's mouth opened and closed several times, but no sound came out. Sirius was looking at Daniel as though he had just found a new respect for him, but Daniel waved his hand at him. "I'm not saying what you did was right, son," Daniel said, wheeling himself forward so that he was between Christine and Sirius. "It's understandable, but not right. When Chris and I used to sneak out we weren't parents, and we didn't understand the worry we put ours through. Now that I am a parent, though, I can understand what they must have felt like. What Wanda must be feeling. Kassie, you really should let her know you're ok."

Kassie swallowed. She looked as though she was going to cry as she nodded shakily. Christine pursed her lips together for a minute then turned and went back into the house. Daniel offered each of them a small smile before rolling in after her. Lily watched him shut the door before she spun around. "Oh my God."

"No kidding," Sirius muttered. "Was that your Mum speaking, or has she been possessed?"

"I think it was my Mum," Lily replied. "But I've never seen her like that before. I-I don't know what to say, really. How are you going to contact your aunt and let her know where you are? How did you get out, anyway? And when did you get that motorbike?" Lily fired her questions one after another, her hands gesturing wildly towards her visitors.

"Er--I can telephone my aunt. She's really big on having muggle things in the house since my brothers and sisters are non-magic. And I sort of snuck out of the house last night and met Sirius a little way from my house and he's had the motorbike for about two weeks." Kassie summed up all of this and then leant against Sirius as if searching for support. She kept glancing at the house, expecting Christine to come rushing out it and jump down her throat again.

"Why did you come here?" Lily asked.

"That," Kassie said, nodding towards Sirius, "was completely his idea. I wanted to see you and let you know what was going on in case my aunt came bursting into your house. But I didn't know how your Mum would react, with good reason, but--"

"We could fly here faster than sending an owl," Sirius finished. "Obviously I didn't think Christine would blow her top like that."

"Me neither," muttered Lily.

"Lily!"

Lily felt like hiding under a rock. Instead she bit her bottom lip, turned and went back into her house through the back door. When she came into the kitchen, though, she wasn't expecting to find Olivia Potter standing at the sink. Even though Lily had done nothing wrong, she still felt very guilty. Olivia was looking out a window and watching Sirius and Kassie talking. Lily stood in the middle of the room, feeling foolish and anxious. Finally Olivia turned, but she wasn't angry. "I'm glad they are all right," she began, looking at Lily rather than Christine. "Thank you for calling me, Christine. I'm afraid that just after day break this morning I had a rather hostile visitor. To say that Wanda Knight was livid is putting it mildly." She sighed deeply and moved her gaze away from Lily and onto her mother. Was it pity shining in her eyes? And if so, who for?

"I told Kassie that she had better contact her aunt before I do," Christine said hastily. "I just can--"

"That's probably not a good idea," Olivia inserted. Both Lily and her mother's heads jerked towards the black haired witch. James' mother sighed heavily. "Wanda said that as long as Kassie insisted on seeing Sirius she doesn't need to come home."

"What?!" Christine stormed, getting up from her seat so fast that the chair skidded across the tile floor. "Surely she’s just angry with her? She isn't kicking her out over this? Olivia?"

Lily felt her heart pounding in her chest. No matter what she or Petunia had ever done, she knew her parents would never kick her out. And Kassie had already lost her father, then her mother, her one aunt had tried to send her away, and now this? "Can't you just have Sirius take her home?" Lily asked in a small voice. "They'll be able to work it out, I'm sure..."

Olivia shook her head. "I don't have any control over Sirius. He has his own flat. As long as he doesn't live under my roof, I can't tell him what to do. I can suggest things, but in the end it's up to him."

"His own flat?" Christine said, sounding as if the word was foreign. "How? He's only sixteen!"

Lily vaguely heard Olivia explaining about the money Sirius had inherited over the past year. But her mind was spinning off in so many directions that she couldn't think straight. Sirius had his own flat... Wanda had told Kassie not to come back... but did that mean...? Without excusing herself Lily went back out the door and into the back garden. She grabbed Kassie by the arm and dragged her into the greenhouse. When the door was shut she turned on her. "Kassie, I don't know what is going on, but I would really love some answers. When did you leave your house?"

"This morning," Kassie replied, looking very shocked at Lily's behaviour. "Lily, what are you--"

"When did Sirius get his own flat?"

"Two weeks ago, but I don't know what this has to do with--"

"What is the real reason you left your aunt’s house?"

Kassie stared at her a moment, angry tears building in her eyes. She crossed her arms over her chest and looked out the window where Olivia was talking to Sirius. "You don't understand, Lily. And it's ok that you don't. I wouldn't expect you to. Your Mum and Dad love you and want you. But it's different for me. My Aunt Wanda doesn't want me or my brothers and sisters. But especially me. And especially since I started going out with Sirius." Kassie rubbed her eyes to wipe away tears and inhaled deeply. "We've been fighting all summer. Every day, over and over again. She called me--" Kassie took a deep breath. "She called me a lot of names. Said I was just like my mother and would go out and get pregnant, die in the war with Voldemort and leave her with more kids she didn't ask for."

Lily felt her own eyes watering, but she didn't allow them to fall. She just couldn't believe that anyone could be so mean to their own flesh and blood. Kassie was unsuccessfully fighting her tears now and her shoulders were shaking. "I owled Sirius and told him that I wanted to get out and he said that he would come and get me. I knew he got a flat in Hogsmeade the next day, and his motorbike. And this morning when I left my aunt’s house, I knew what I was doing. And I don't want to go back there, Lily. I won't."

The redhead took a deep breath to calm herself before speaking. She looked straight into Kassie's violet eyes and smiled grimly, "That's good. Because she told Olivia that as long as you are seeing Sirius you’re not to bother coming back."

Kassie shrugged, but Lily could tell the words meant something to her. She would find out what, soon enough. "It's the same thing she told me, actually," Kassie said quietly. Her anger seemed to be replacing her sadness very quickly. Her tears vanished and her spine straightened. "She told me if I left not to come back. Good thing I'm not going to."

"Kassie, you can't live with Sirius. What if...?"

"”What if” what?" Kassie snapped, her eyes narrowing.

Lily desperately did not want to finish that sentence. But Kassie was staring at her hard. She swallowed. "What if you become pregnant? What would you do?" she asked in a small voice.

"First of all," Kassie said, her hands on her hips now and a blaze in her eyes that made Lily sincerely wish she had thought a lot harder before speaking, "it's none of your business. But since you seem to think it is, I'll have you know that I'm not, nor have I ever, done anything like that with Sirius. And if I stay with him the rest of the summer, it doesn't mean that we will. But if we wanted to, he's got enough money to support us."

"I didn't mean to make you angry, Kassie, I'm just trying to help you see all the consequences," Lily defended herself. "I'm your best friend and you know that whatever you decide I'll still be here for you. I just don't want to see you give up school and all the fun you should have before having kids. I have no doubt that you and Sirius will stay together for a long time. But we are very young."

"You sound like Wanda," Kassie muttered.

"Then maybe the only reason you’re fighting with her is because she’s telling you things you don't want to hear!" Lily insisted. "You are a very stubborn person, Kassie. But don't ruin the rest of your life by making rash decisions!"

"Forget rash, Lily! You have two parents that love you and you can see Will or any of your friends any time you want. I can't! If Wanda had her way I wouldn't even go to school!"

Lily felt a headache coming on. She rubbed the bridge of her nose with her thumb and forefinger. "I don't want to fight with you. I just want you to be careful about what you are doing."

There was a long pause in which Kassie and Lily just stared at each other. The silence was interrupted by a knock on the greenhouse door and Lily motioned for Sirius to come in. He did so quietly, looking between Kassie and Lily with no small amount of anxiousness on his face. "Um, I've talked with Olivia..."

"And?" Kassie asked, the tone of her voice sounding very strange.

"Well, she thinks it would be a good idea if you stayed at Lily's for a few days and then tried to talk to your aunt." Sirius waved his hands up in front of him before Kassie could say anything. "But if you don't want to, then we'll leave. It's entirely up to you."

Kassie sat down in a chair and buried her face in her hands. Lily half wanted to leave her and Sirius to talk this out; the other half of her wanted to stay and hear what her decision was. Finally her mind and manners defeated her curiosity and she left the greenhouse quietly.

When she came back into the kitchen, Olivia and Christine turned to her expectantly. "She's talking it over with Sirius," Lily announced and promptly fell into a chair at the table. "I have a headache."

"Do you need some potion?" Olivia said at once, looking ready to jump to her feet in search of a cauldron. "I can have James fetch some."

"Is he here?" Lily asked at once.

"No," said Olivia, giving Lily a searching look. "But I meant I could firecall and ask for some. Lily, are you ok?"

"It's just stress," Lily told her. "Gosh, and here I thought today would be uneventful."

"Is Will still coming for tea tomorrow?" Christine asked, getting up and searching around the kitchen for something to keep her busy. Lily covered her mouth with her hands. "You've forgotten, haven't you?" Christine accused, refilling Olivia's tea cup. "Well, with everything going on, perhaps you should tell him tomorrow isn't a good time."

"But Mum, I haven't seen him since the holiday started!" Lily protested. "Besides, it's not like he doesn't know Kassie."

"Your birthday is coming up, you could invite him over then," Christine ploughed on as if Lily hadn't spoken.

"Tomorrow will be fine. Are we still going to be able to go out for my birthday?"

Daniel wheeled himself in the room just in time to hear the last comment. Before Christine could reply, he said, "Why wouldn't you be able to? Olivia, will James be able to come?"

"I--"

"Daddy," Lily said in a warning voice. "How can y--"

What Lily was going to say was lost in the crash of the backdoor opening and Sirius cursing lightly under his breath. "Sorry!" he called as he came on through, Kassie behind him. "The eh-well, what is that thing called again?"

"Hinge?" Daniel inserted helpfully.

"Yeah, that's broken," Sirius said stupidly, closing the door very easily. "I didn't know it would slam open. Sorry."

Olivia rolled her eyes. "Sirius, hinges are not just muggle inventions."

"I do Quidditch, not door frames," Sirius replied, grinning. Kassie rolled her eyes good-naturedly at him and Lily felt herself start to relax. "Anyway, we've talked it over."

Kassie watched Sirius to see if he was done, then satisfied that he was, turned to Christine. "Would it be a terrible burden if I stayed for a while?"

Lily watched as her old mother, the mother she had known before the out burst in the back garden, came back to the surface. There was something very motherly about Christine that made her unable to refuse to help anyone. "Of course not, Kassie." Then to the surprise of everyone, Christine hugged Kassie, her eyes watery. "I'm sorry if I overreacted earlier. I just know how upset I would be if you were my daughter."

Kassie awkwardly hugged her back, and then reclaimed her position next to Sirius. Olivia checked her watch and stood. "Well, I'm glad that’s taken care of. Sirius, I'll expect you for Sunday dinner, young man. Six o'clock. Don't be late."

"Yes Livie," Sirius quipped, mock saluting her.

Olivia shook her head resignedly and gave Lily a one-armed hug. "I'll see you later girls, Christine, Daniel."

"Bye Olivia," Christine said from where she was fishing through the refrigerator. "Kassie, Sirius, are you hungry? Have you had breakfast?"

"Food?" Sirius' eyes lit up and Kassie and Lily groaned.

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The next day found Lily nervously pacing back and forth in her living room, occasionally checking her watch and then going back to pacing. Kassie was forcibly reminded of the last Christmas holiday when she had been so anxious to see Sirius that she had been in much the same shape. At the moment, though, Kassie was sitting in an armchair by the fireplace, filing her nails. Lily wasn't paying much attention to anything except the fireplace, so when the doorbell rang she nearly jumped out of her skin. "I wonder who that is?" Lily demanded.

Kassie grinned to herself, not looking up. "I suppose you could open the door and find out," she said nonchalantly.

"I suppose I could," Lily muttered sarcastically and went out of the living room and to the front door just as Christine was coming out of the kitchen. Lily didn't bother looking through the peep hole, just opened the door, expecting anyone from the neighbour to the postman. She blinked several times, her mouth dropping open. "Will?"

Will Roberts smiled widely before Lily finally let go of the door handle and hugged him tightly. "I was expecting you to floo. How did you get here?"

"Apparated," Will replied, grinning. "I got my license yesterday."

"And you didn't tell me?" Lily said, acting hurt. "Ooh, how exciting! Was the test hard? You didn't almost splinch or anything, did you?"

"No, no, it was quite easy, actually," Will explained as Lily dragged him into the house. Christine was still standing in the kitchen doorway, smiling slightly. Kassie poked her head out of the living room and Will's eyebrows furrowed together. "Hi Kassie."

"Hello, Will," Kassie replied easily, putting her file back in her hand bag. "Christine, do you need any help with tea?"

"If you wouldn't mind," Christine said, turning and going back in the kitchen. Kassie winked at Lily and Will, then followed Christine through the doorway and out of sight.

Lily turned around again, this time wrapping her arms around Will's neck. "Now that I can say hello properly," she said before kissing him. It wasn't a long kiss because Lily wasn't entirely sure where her father was.

"I've missed you so much," Will said as he hugged Lily tightly. "I wanted to come straight here as soon as I got my apparition license. But I didn't want to get you in trouble or anything."

"It would have been ok," Lily reassured him. They went into the living room and sat down on the sofa. "James, Sirius and Kassie come bursting through here any time of the day and night and my parents don't mind."

Will looked as if he wanted to say something, changed his mind and brought Lily's hand up to his mouth to kiss the top of it. "If you don't mind me asking, when did Kassie get here? You hadn't mentioned it in your last letter."

"That's a long story," Lily said. She could faintly hear Kassie and Christine talking and it was getting louder. "I'll have to tell you later."

"Daniel! Tea!" Christine called up the stairway as she passed into the living room. She put one tray down and Kassie came in behind her with the other. Lily jumped up to help Kassie pour the tea while Christine went to check on Daniel.

"So, having a good summer Will?" Kassie asked as she sat down, a steaming cup of tea in her hand and a plate of biscuits in front of her.

"So far, you?"

Kassie took a sip of her tea, presumably to think her answer over. She gave a small smile that Will assumed Lily knew the reasoning behind. "Erm, I've had worse."

"Hello, Will," Daniel Evans said, wheeling himself into the room.

Will felt as though his stomach had just dropped to somewhere around his knees. He couldn't put his finger on it, but he had the distinct feeling that Daniel didn't like him. He swallowed his tea. "Hello Mr. Evans. How are you?"

Lily felt that tea went rather well, if she had to compare it to when Sirius had gone to Kassie's for tea. Daniel and Christine didn't jump down Will's throat, accusing him of being a dark wizard. Of course, they were muggles and didn't know anything about the pure blood families anyway. For once their ignorance of the wizarding world worked to Lily's advantage. She couldn't help but notice, though, that Daniel seemed very short with Will. And for the life of her she couldn't work it out.

After Will left for home, Kassie went into the kitchen to help Christine with the dishes and Lily decided to find out exactly what Daniel's problem was. Never in her life would she be more shocked by what her father would have to say.

She followed Daniel to the greenhouse, where he spent most of his days now. It had gotten to the stage where, if Christine or Lily didn't call him in for one thing or another, he was always there. The plants were magnificent, though. Every colour and size, the magnitude of the flowers was simply amazing. Lily wondered through the rows of roses to the back of the greenhouse where Daniel was getting another bag of dirt. "Why don't you sell some of these, Daddy?" Lily asked by way of announcing her presence.

Daniel looked up from where he was gathering pots and smiled sadly at his youngest daughter. "Petunia asked me the same thing only the other day. But I don't think I could get rid of them. I've grown them from seedlings, nurtured them and watched them grow. I don't want to let them go."

Lily felt her heart began to pound, though she couldn't imagine why. There was something in his voice, something that made Lily think that her father was depressed somehow. Lily carried a bag of dirt, following Daniel into another room. "You could make good money, I bet."

Daniel stopped watering a tray of seeds and looked off into space. "We’ve let so many things go in this life already. I'd like to hold on to these, if I can."

Lily knew she didn't understand. They were plants, not people. But then it occurred to her; what if Daniel meant people when he said that? Lily grabbed a pair of gloves, put them on and started helping Daniel plant seeds in the dirt. They worked in silence for a few minutes while Lily struggled to gather her thoughts. But it wasn't she that broke the silence, it was Daniel. "Will's a nice kid, he seemed well mannered."

Lily nodded. "So why don't you like him?" she asked bluntly, pushing a stray piece of red hair out of her face and looking at her father.

"I never said I didn't," Daniel corrected her. Lily was surprised, she had expected him to jump to the defensive, to deny that he didn't feel something besides just general liking. "I just… don't think he's right for you."

"How so?" Lily was trying to keep herself calm. What right did her father have to say who was right for her and who wasn't? Her father barely knew her anymore. The redhead felt a sudden burning in her eyes but blamed it on the fertiliser next to her.

Daniel continued working in silence and Lily thought he may not answer. When he finally did speak he kept his face to the plant he was pruning instead of looking at Lily. "You seem… different around him, Angel, like you are not comfortable. Not completely. Not how you are with--well, never mind."

Lily stopped what she was doing, her eyebrows wrinkled together in confusion. "Not like with who, Daddy?"

Daniel shook his head. "No-one. Forget I said it."

"No, who?"

Daniel sighed, took his gloves off and turned to Lily. "Lily, don't get cross with me for saying this. Just remember that I've been through a lot more than you, and I can pick up signs of these things. And I've always felt that there was something much more than friendship between you and James, that’s all. You act like yourself around him, only much, much happier."

Lily dropped the seeds she was holding and they scattered at her feet. Quickly she bent down to pick them up, her mind screaming thoughts at her left and right. The messy knot she had tied her hair into came completely undone when she bent down and she was glad that her hair was covering her face. She was sure she was expressing much the same shock that she was feeling. Finally she got all the seeds back into the packet. She made a big fuss about taking her gloves off and putting her hair back up, determinedly not looking at her father. When she thought she had regained control over herself, she turned to him. "James and I are just friends, and barely that anymore."

"What do you mean?"

"We had a small fight about some things, and haven't really talked much since then. I'll tell you what I told Will, because he said the same thing. James doesn’t like me in that way. He has a different girlfriend nearly every week."

"But you like him, don't you?" Daniel said, his green eyes peering into Lily's. She swallowed and put the seeds away without answering. Daniel studied her for a minute, then put his gloves back on. "Angel, I'm sorry. I shouldn't pry. I can't pretend to know what happens with you anymore."

Lily felt the note of depression come back into Daniel's voice and she forced a smile. "I'm happy with Will, Daddy. I just want you to be happy for me."

"I'll be happy as long as you are," Daniel said. "And if Will makes you happy, then so be it." Lily bent down and hugged him tightly, feeling some of her sense of security leaving her when she did. Because she knew Daniel was lying to her. And that knowledge felt as though it could eat her alive.

---End Chapter 48.