Lily Evans: A History

Lily Evans, A History
Chapter 50 - Summer woes
By: Bethany
Rated: PG
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Lily felt as though every noise in the room had suddenly become extremely loud. She shook her head, staring at Kassie but not really seeing her. Someone knocked into them, muttered an apology and disappeared into the crowd. The person in front of them got in the fireplace and spun off, but Lily didn't move. She swallowed, looking at Kassie. "Are you sure?"

Kassie nodded just as James called for them to come on as the fireplace was free. Lily and Kassie didn't say another word as they flooed to St. Mungo's, but Lily's mind was ablaze. Death Eater or not, she didn't know if she could kill someone. Had Kassie meant to? Or was it self defence? She couldn't imagine Kassie hurting anyone intentionally. But then again, if the Death Eater had just hurt Sirius, it may have motivated Kassie to act rashly. Lily just couldn't take it in about it, she was shocked to her core.

If Lily was in shock by what Kassie had admitted, it was nothing compared to how Kassie herself was acting. The black haired witch moved mechanically. Lily feared she was going to break down entirely. They practically carried her through corridor after corridor to the floor where Sirius was being treated for spell damage. James, Remus and Madison thought Kassie was just upset about Sirius and Lily wasn't going to tell them any different. But Kassie kept looking at her, her violet eyes full of an emotion that caused Lily to feel worry nagging at her mind. She hoped Kassie would be all right.

Apparently whatever curses Sirius had been hit with weren't life threatening. Within twenty minutes of them arriving at St. Mungo's, the Healer came out, said he was fine and that they were free to see him. All five of them piled in the room. There were three beds, and Sirius was in the one furthest from the door. The other beds were empty, but they wouldn't stay that way for long. Diagon Alley was a mess and surely they would need every available bed for the injured. Kassie perched on the side of Sirius' bed, holding his hand in hers and not saying much. James said the most, clipping Sirius on the shoulder, congratulating him on a good duel and joking that they could have taken on more. Remus just smiled as he watched them, but he didn't join in on the teasing. Lily also found that she couldn't say much, but not because James was doing all the talking. But because she was afraid she would start asking Kassie questions about what had happened.

Finally Remus got up from his seat, stretching. "I'm going to take Madison home," he announced. "I'll drop by your place tomorrow, Padfoot. Take it easy."

"See you," Sirius replied, watching him and Madison leave.

"I should probably take Lily and Kassie home," James said, noticing the time. "I'm amazed my Mum isn't here fussing over you, mate. I imagine she's heard about what happened."

"They didn't know we were in Diagon Alley, though," Sirius replied. "But Christine is probably worrying about them anyway."

Lily went ahead and left the room, James following her reluctantly. Kassie didn't move. "I'll catch up with you in a minute," she told James when he turned to her questioningly.

James left the room without comment, shutting the door behind him. Kassie was still staring at Sirius' hand, a slight frown on her face. Sirius leaned forward, touching the tip of his index finger to her nose. "What's wrong?"

Kassie didn't say anything for a long moment; then suddenly she started crying silently. Sirius watched her for a second, confused. Slowly he eased up off the pillows, hugging her. "Hey now," he said soothingly. "Come on. We're all right. I'm fine, it's ok."

Kassie cried silently for several minutes, not taking much comfort in the words Sirius repeated over and over again. Several times she took deep breaths, hoping it would help her tell him what was really bothering her, but every time she thought about actually saying the words to him, she started crying harder. Her chest felt like it would explode and her body was shaking madly. After several minutes Sirius started to take on a very worried look and he pulled Kassie's face up so he was staring her straight in the eye. "Kassie, tell me what's wrong." His voice was gentle, but very demanding. Kassie sucked in a deep breath, trying to calm herself.

She opened her mouth, but the words simply refused to form. Sirius moved so that he was sitting beside her, his hands still tilting her head up to his. "Kassie."

"I killed him," she blurted, her tears coming faster now. She gasped for air, her hands shaking. She looked up, into Sirius' eyes, and completely fell to pieces.

Sirius, very unsure about what she was talking about, pulled Kassie to him and hugged her as tightly as he could. She sobbed for nearly five minutes before calming down enough that she could string two words together. But even then her muttering about "Azkaban" and "Hell" wasn't making sense to her boyfriend. And the longer she cried, the more on edge Sirius' nerves were growing. Finally he gently pulled her away from him and took the edge of the sheet to wipe the tear stains off her face. "Kassie, whatever it is, tell me. I won't let anything happen to you. I swear." Kassie, for once, looked very unconvinced. She sucked in a deep breath, trying to even her breathing. "I can't help you if you don't tell me what's wrong."

Kassie, wiping the back of her hand across her face and sucking in a deep breath. She took several more breaths before she could speak. "The Death Eater," she managed, her hands still shaking no matter how badly she wanted them to stop. "That cursed you. I-I..." Kassie's voice trailed off.

But Sirius had been able to put two and two together and for some reason he felt relieved. For a few seconds he had been afraid she had done some real damage. But the idea of one less Death Eater in the world wasn't something Sirius could conjure enough energy to care about. He imagined, though, that to Kassie, who never intentionally hurt anyone, this was causing quite a shock. He pulled her into his arms just as the door of his room opened. Lily peeked in, her red hair falling in her eyes as she did. "The Healer said you can leave, Sirius. You coming?"

"In a minute. Have James take you home. We'll be along shortly," Sirius replied in a dazed voice, not really looking at Lily.

Lily nodded, gave one last worried look to her best friend and shut the door. She turned to James. "He said they'd follow in a few minutes, and for us to go on."

"We'll have to give a statement to the Aurors," James said in reply.

"Can we do it tomorrow? I just want to go home," Lily replied in a small voice. James looked as if he was going to move towards her, but stopped when she said, "I need to firecall Will and make sure he's ok."

James, who had been half way to putting his arm around Lily, scratched the back of his neck instead and nodded. If he seemed a little uncomfortable, Lily failed to notice. She walked out of the hall and to the stairs. James kicked hard at the wall and followed her.

Seeing Lily home wasn't actually necessary. He could have walked her to the fireplace and then gone straight to his own home. But James knew that if he didn't actually see Lily inside her house he wouldn't sleep a wink. So he flooed in after her, his wand in his hand just in case. And though he felt foolish for it, he had been off his guard in Diagon Alley tonight and look how that all ended. After stepping out of the fireplace he pocketed his wand and dusted himself off. Lily was standing awkwardly in the living room, staring around. "You ok?" he asked.

Lily nodded, still not looking at him. James could have sworn he saw someone move in the entrance hall, but when he turned his head there was nothing. He looked back at Lily.

"James?" she asked, finally meeting his eyes. "What are dementors?"

James felt a little shocked at the question. Of all the things he expected her to say, that wasn't one of them. But, then again, Lily was a muggle born. Something that James sometimes forgot because she just seemed to know everything. He stuffed his hands into his pockets. "They are creatures that drain your happiness away. And make you feel only the worst things you've ever felt. And if they are given the chance, they can, eh--" James tossed different words around in his head, but there was really only one way to explain it, "suck your soul out."

Lily gasped, her face turning slightly green. "They kill you?" she whispered.

"No. You can live without your soul," James said darkly. "It's not pretty, though. My dad's seen it. Nearly enough to scare you to death. The dementors usually guard the Azkaban prison, but judging from what I've seen tonight, I think it's safe to say they have joined Voldemort."

Lily shuddered, goosebumps springing up on her arms. She hugged herself. "That means they are running around just attacking people?"

James nodded.

"What charm was it that Sirius did to make them back off?" Lily asked.

"It's called the Patronus charm. It's very advanced magic. But we, Sirius, Remus, Peter and I, started studying it in second year. My dad had said something in passing about some of the dementors going missing from Azkaban and that's just not something you want to take chances with."

Lily nodded, feeling nearly as cold as she had when the dementor had first got close to her earlier that night. The pressing weight on her must have been the side effect of being close to them. She didn't want to think about what might have happened if James hadn't been there. She looked up. "Thank you."

"For what?" James asked, honestly looking confused.

Lily frowned a little. "For saving my life tonight. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't been there."

It was on the tip of James' tongue to say something along the lines of how her boyfriend certainly hadn't been around to save her, but James couldn't say it. Just because he wasn't happy with the current relationship between himself and Lily, that didn't mean he didn't want her to be happy. And for whatever reason, Will seemed to make her happy. He swallowed and tried to chuckle, though he thought he sounded rather forced and dry. "You owe me one."

Lily didn't get a chance to reply, she could hear her mother and father talking and the voices were coming closer. "You're home rather late, Lily," Christine said lightly, turning the corner into the living room and sitting down. She peeked behind Lily. "Well, hello James. I didn't expect to see you."

"Hello," James replied in a rather small voice. He shifted awkwardly. "Well, I just wanted to make sure Lily got home alright. I'd better get going..."

Lily turned away from her mother to face James. His mouth opened slightly at the emotions playing across her features. He started to say that he would stay a while, just to be sure she was ok, but Lily smiled at him shakily. "Thank you for seeing me home."

"You're welcome," James said hoarsely. He wanted to say more, so much more. But Christine was looking at him strangely and Lily was still wearing the same frozen smile. "Well, goodnight, then." And without wanting to, James stepped into the fireplace and left in a flash of green flames.

Lily turned to her mother, her smile fading. Daniel rolled into the living room, looking around curiously. "I thought I heard James? And where is Kassie?"

Their daughter sat down shakily on the coffee table in front of the sofa, her hands twisting her in lap. "Kassie is at St. Mungo's with Sirius. Or at least, that's where I left her. She may be at his flat by now."

"Whatever for?" Christine demanded urgently, tossing her magazine aside and sitting up further on the edge of her seat.

"Lily, you'd better tell us everything that has happened," Daniel said, not in his usual kind voice, but the sharp voice of worry that he only used when one of his daughters might be in danger. And Daniel considered Kassie a daughter, in his own way, because she had been around for so long.

Staring at her hands, because she couldn't stand to look at the shock and worry that would soon be on her parent's faces, Lily told them exactly what happened as she knew it, only leaving out the part where Kassie had killed the Death Eater. That wasn't her secret to tell. When she finished she was surprised to find she was crying and hastily she wiped her face.

"Are you ok?" Christine asked in a gentle voice. She got up and sat down on the table next to Lily, putting one arm around her. "God, Lily, you... you could have been killed."

"I know," Lily replied in such a small voice that it was hard to hear her at all. She turned and buried her face in her mother's embrace. "I was so scared. And I kept thinking I'd never see you again, or Daddy, or anyone. And then James was there. He saved me. If he hadn't, I would probably be... be.."

"Shh, don't say it," Christine warned, hugging her tightly. Daniel was the only one who could see the horror struck look on Christine's face. He couldn't help but admire his wife for the way she was holding herself together for Lily's sake. He didn't feel as strong as Christine sounded. He wanted to lock Lily in her room and never let her leave it again.

The living room fire roared to life and Kassie stepped out, followed shortly by Sirius. Kassie seemed especially clingy to Sirius and her face was blotched red from crying. "Is she ok?" Daniel asked before Lily or Christine could.

"Yes. She's just experiencing a little shock from everything that's happened," Sirius replied, giving them a weak smile. "Come on, I'll walk you up to your room." Lily watched as Sirius led Kassie out of the room as one would a toddler. They disappeared into the room Petunia used to claim, but now belonged to Kassie.

A few minutes later Sirius came back downstairs, looking much more weary than he had going up. He ran his hand through his hair. "Did James go home?"

"I think so," Lily replied. "How do you feel?"

"I've been better," Sirius muttered, rubbing his left ribcage gently. "Then again, I've been worse. So no complaints."

Lily offered him a weak smile. "And Kassie?"

Sirius stared at her, an underlying message in his gaze. He absentmindedly rubbed his ribcage again. "She'll be ok. It's just going to take time." Lily nodded and said goodbye as Sirius stepped into the fireplace and left for his flat.

Lily stood up. "I'm going to go to bed. Goodnight Mum, Dad." Lily bent down, hugging and kissing them both. She turned to leave the room and nearly ran into Petunia. "Oh. I didn't know you were here."

"I had hoped to keep it that way," Petunia snarled.

Lily stared at her sister, thinking. Just a few hours ago she might have died. She wondered if Petunia would even care. By the way the blonde turned and sat down on the sofa as though there was nothing more interesting than the latest neighbourhood gossip to discuss, Lily doubted it. Lily felt detached from the entire situation; detached from the part of her life that had once held Petunia in it. Before her parents could find anything to keep her downstairs, Lily rushed up the stairs and went directly into Kassie's room without knocking. Kassie was laying on her stomach across the bed, her chin propped on the pillow, staring out the window. Lily sat down gently on the side of the bed. "Kassie? Are you ok?"

"No."

Lily gnawed on her bottom lip, not sure what to say. She sat in silence for a moment, watching Kassie stare out of the window. No matter what possible words she tossed around in her mind, nothing seemed right. Kassie took a deep breath and sat up, wiping her hand across her face. "I will be, though," she added quietly. "Because I have to be. It will just take some getting used to, that's all."

"Kassie, whether you meant to or not, you killed a man tonight. It's going to take more than getting used to," Lily said softly, her insides clenching. "What did Sirius say?"

Kassie swallowed. "He said it would be ok, because it was a Death Eater. They kill people without rhyme or reason. But Lily, I don't know that I believe the punishment should fit the crime. Before it happened - before all of this - I thought so. But now I'm not so sure. That could have been someone's father, someone's husband...." Kassie sucked in a deep breath. "A kid out there tonight may feel just like I did when my dad died. And I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy."

"Then, what happened?" Lily asked, her voice soft and betraying exactly how much she wondered whether that was a good question to ask.

Kassie's face contorted, but she didn't cry. Her fists were clenched on the edge of the sheet and Lily tried to imagine what kind of agony Kassie must be going through. But she couldn't. It was hard enough to witness. "I-I don't know. This man just came up out of nowhere. I didn't see him, or hear him. Neither did Sirius. And he said this curse, and Lily I swear I've never heard anything like it. I think it was dark magic. But he said it and Sirius fell. I just stood there, staring at the blood. I-I felt like I was going to just die." Kassie started crying again, but her tears were silent. She sniffled. "I was so angry with Sirius just before that. And it was so stupid, fighting over something so stupid. And I kept thinking, he's going to die. He's going to die thinking I'm angry with him. And Lily, no matter what, I love him so much it hurts. Really hurts. And I was thinking I'd never see him smile that stupid smile again. You know, the quirky one that is so aggravating. When he's done something so utterly stupid that all he can do is smile...

"The man said something to me, but I don't know what it was." Kassie reached up and moved a strand of hair away from her eye. Lily couldn't help but notice she looked like an automaton, completely unconscious of her actions. Her eyes were dry again. "I raised my wand," Kassie brought her arm up, as if she was back in Diagon Alley and seeing the man in front of her. Lily tried to swallow, but couldn't. "And I said the first thing that came to mind."

Kassie's breathing was growing ragged again, her eyes so wide they looked like they would pop. Lily finally managed to swallow over the lump in her throat; but just barely. "What was it?" she whispered.

"Reducto."

Kassie continued to stare straight ahead, but Lily cringed, feeling her stomach turn. Hot stomach acid rose up in her throat, splashing into her mouth. Kassie's lip was trembling. "He-his body just kind of froze. And then..."

"Don't," Lily said, her hand over her mouth to keep from vomiting.

Kassie didn't stop though, she looked possessed. "His entire body split in half..." Lily swallowed the burning taste of acid that rose up in her throat just barely, half gagging on it. Kassie's arm dropped and she lay back down across the bed, curling up in a foetal position. "I'm scared, Lily. I don't want to go to Azkaban."

Lily moved beside Kassie, hugging her. She propped her chin on Kassie's shoulder and rocked back and forth like she was comforting a child. "You won't go to Azkaban, Kassie. I promise. No one knows. We just won't tell anyone. It'll be ok."

"Will it?" Kassie asked, her voice thick with tears. Lily couldn't answer.

---------------

The final few days left of summer holiday wasn't happy ones. They all had to go down to the Ministry of Magic to give their story. With Sirius and Lily's help they had managed to concoct a reasonable story to cover for Kassie. Sirius, being a trouble maker by heart and a Marauder by choice, was very familiar with lying to get his way out of trouble. So this really wasn't hard. Getting Kassie to tell it without breaking down into tears was another matter.

They sat in the hall outside of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement in hard wooden chairs for what seemed like hours. Remus was on the end, he kept scuffing his trainers back and forth on the tile floor and occasionally looking around with a sense of someone very bored. Next to him sat James, then Madison, Will, Lily, Kassie and finally Sirius. Aurors and Ministry officials walked up and down the hall, going in and out of doors, but still no one came to fetch them. Occasionally Benjy Fenwick would come and tell them it would be a few minutes more, but then he disappeared again.

Lily glanced beside her at Kassie. Her right hand was clutching Sirius', her left playing with the necklace around her neck. Her eyes were staring straight ahead, unblinking. Finally the door beside Remus opened. "Remus Lupin."

Remus got to his feet, gave a sort of grimace to his friends and followed Fenwick inside the room. The door shut behind him sharply, making a noise like a gun going off. Kassie twitched. Will reached over and took Lily's hand in his, squeezing it reassuringly. But Lily wasn't nervous about herself. She was nervous for Kassie. The door reopened in a surprisingly short amount of time and Fenwick stuck his head out. "Madison Greene." Madison, looking perplexed and a bit nervous, went into the room and the door shut behind her. Again they all waited. It seemed that forever passed before Remus and Madison came out. Before anyone could ask anything, Fenwick said, "James Potter."

James got up and went into the room. The door shut again and again Kassie twitched. Lily kept trying to think of some small talk, something to take Kassie's mind off what was about to happen, but she couldn't think of anything. And to make matters worse a hit wizard went by with a wizard magically bound, a wand pointed in his back. Sirius squeezed Kassie's hand. "Lily Evans."

Lily spun around. She hadn't heard the door open or saw James go out. Will gave her an encouraging smile and she got up, went in the room and heard the door shut behind her. "Just have a seat there, Miss Evans," Fenwick ordered, pointing to an armchair next to James. Lily gave him a questioning look and sat down, looking around the office. It was sparsely decorated and looked like either it wasn't used much or its owner wasn't fond enough of it to bring anything personal in. Fenwick pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and set a self note taking quill up on its point beside him. "Now, Mr. Potter says that he was with you during the attack."

"Yes," Lily replied, recalling that it was only minutes after the raid at began that James had found her.

Fenwick looked at Lily expectantly. Looking slightly irritated he waved his hands in front of him. "Well, what happened?"

Lily shifted in her seat, throwing a glance at James. He smiled slightly. "I-eh, was standing in front of Quality Quidditch Supplies, waiting for a friend of mine to get something from the Apothecary. And these wizards starting coming towards us from the direction of Gringotts, just attacking people. Sirius, one of my other friends, yelled at us to run and we did. The lights had gone out--"

"Who was this friend you was waiting for?" Fenwick interrupted, glancing down at the parchment in front of him.

"Oh, my boyfriend, Will Roberts," Lily replied. James shifted in his seat.

"I see. And this Will, did you see him at all during the attack?"

"No," Lily answered slowly. "Like I said, Sirius said to run and I did. That's when I met up with James an--"

"When did you next see your boyfriend again, Miss Evans?" Fenwick pressed, this time looking up from his parchment. He took his glasses off and laid them aside.

"After the Aurors arrived," Lily said. "We found him being treated for injuries."

"Did he say where he got the injuries?"

Lily felt her face turning red. "I hope you are not implying, Mr. Fenwick, that Will is a Death Eater?"

"I am only looking at all possibilities, Miss Evans. It's my job. Tell me," he continued, without waiting for Lily to answer, "did Will act strangely towards you at all during the day? How long were you with him? Do you kno--"

"I know he's not a Death Eater!" Lily spat, her voice rising despite her attempts to stay calm. James was staring at her, his face blank. Lily felt her temper rising faster than she could keep up. "He says he was hurt while duelling with a Death Eater and I believe him. Will hates dark magic as much as I do."

Fenwick replaced his glasses, picked up a quill and wrote something on the parchment in front of him. Lily sat back in her seat, silently fuming. James finally stopped staring at Lily and bent forward. "Mr. Fenwick, I've known Will Roberts for five years and I think I can safely say that he is not a Death Eater. He's a Gryffindor, for crying out loud. Gryffindors aren't Death Eaters."

"And Ministries workers aren't either, Mr. Potter," Fenwick said sarcastically. "Yet, if you read the papers, you know that we arrested two just last week. Don't tell me who is and who is not on the wrong side here, Mr. Potter. I can assure you the fine line is crossed every day. Now, we found the Death Eater you spoke of unconscious in front of Ollivanders. The other one is unaccounted for."

Lily felt her the blood drain from her face but she strived to keep her calm collected appearance. James said, "Sirius was fighting him. I don't know where he went."

"Sirius Black?" Fenwick asked, making a note on his parchment.

"Yes," James confirmed.

"Very well. You may go." Lily got up slowly, her legs feeling as though they would give way any second. James, unaware that there was any reason for Lily to be nervous, opened the door for her and gave her a little smile as she went through. "Sirius Black, Kassandra Phillips," Fenwick called. Lily wanted badly to say something to Kassie as they passed, but Fenwick was at the door and she felt it wouldn't be a good time.

Lily reclaimed her seat next to Will. Remus was standing against the wall across from them, watching Lily closely. "I think I'm going to go get something to drink. You want to come, Moony?" James asked, stuffing his hands in his pockets and determinedly not looking at Lily.

"Yeah," Remus replied. "You coming, Lily?"

"No, I'm just going to wait for Kassie, I think," Lily said. "But maybe we can all meet up with you when we're finished here?"

James nodded. He didn't want all of them to meet up. Lily, yes, Will, no. But he gritted his teeth. He still couldn't believe he had stood up for the ignorant wizard to Fenwick, but if there was anything James couldn't stand, it was dark magic. And no matter how much he loathed (or envied) Will, James knew he wasn't a Death Eater. He was just a prat who didn't deserve Lily. But not a Death Eater. "We'll be at the Three Broomsticks, then. Just Floo over when everyone's finished." James told them and then followed Remus and Madison back to the main lobby of the Ministry and to the fireplaces.

James would have preferred The Leaky Cauldron, but since it was attacked merely three days ago, there was no way to get in. Having to go all the way to Hogsmeade had its perks, though. At least they knew the butterbeer was good, the firewhiskey better and the people wouldn't bother them. Rosmerta was about the only one to even speak to them, and she was usually so busy she didn't say anything but a quick hello. James wanted to go somewhere he was familiar with and drown in his sorrows.

For months now he had dated any girl that even looked remotely interesting. And at first he was fairly sure he was getting over Lily, but Sirius had a point in what he said. James was trying to find another Lily and he just wasn't going to. The thought was a miserable one, actually. And after the attack on Diagon Alley, James was fairly sure that he couldn't trust Will as far as he could throw him to keep Lily safe. He shuddered to think what might have happened to her had he not found her that night. Lily was a great spell caster in her own right, but stealth she hadn't mastered. That was one of the perks of being a Marauder.

James brooded over all of this as he, Remus and Madison took their normal table at the corner of the pub and ordered drinks. James ordered a firewhiskey, causing Remus to raise his eyebrow in question. James downed his drink rather quickly and finally Remus spoke what was on his mind. "Problems, Prongs?"

"You could call them that, yeah," James spat. He motioned for a refill, glaring at the empty glass instead of meeting Remus' all too knowing gaze.

Remus nodded and Madison looked up from her drink, politely puzzled. But neither wizard said anything for a long stretch. Madam Rosmerta refilled James' glass and walked away, her sequined shoes catching the sunlight coming through the window and causing colours to shine over the room momentarily. Remus watched James take another huge swallow of his drink and frowned. "You think this is going to help?"

"Help what?" Madison asked in a small voice, pushing a curl out of her face and peering at James as if the answer would suddenly appear on his face. "What's the matter, James? Is it Olivia?"

James snorted. "I wish. If that's all it was, I'd be fine."

Madison didn't understand this at all. She gave a questioning look to Remus, but he had his butterbeer bottle up to his lips, finishing it. "Then what's the matter? I hate being in the dark."

"Trust me, this isn't something you want to get in the middle of," James said, finishing his drink.

Remus frowned again. "Madison won't say anything. I doubt she knows."

Madison felt irritation tugging at her. She wasn't daft or anything. She was only trying to get James to say, instead of her having to spell it out. But instead he was acting like she was some stupid little girl who wouldn't understand. Quite frankly she was getting tired of people thinking that. Just because she was normally quiet didn't mean she didn't notice things. She sat her bottle down. "I imagine drinking yourself into a stupor is going to impress Lily, so keep at it Jamie," she said slyly. She motioned for another butterbeer and the barman sent one over. She popped it open, smirking as James stared at her in confusion. "Don't think you're so clever, James. Anyone with eyes can see how long you've had it for Lily."

"Had what for Lily?" James asked. At the same time Remus grinned, looking at Madison with a new respect.

The blonde rolled her eyes. "I won't justify that stupid question with an answer."

James' mouth fell open. Madison supposed he was trying to figure out what she had meant, but his alcohol induced brain wasn't allowing it. The fireplace at the end of the pub roared to life and Lily stepped out, followed by Will. James quickly drowned the rest of his drink. "Hello," Lily said, sliding into the booth next to Remus. Will sat beside her and motioned for the barman to send over two butterbeers.

"Where's Sirius and Kassie?" Remus asked, taking his eyes off James and looking at the redhead at the end of the table.

"They’re coming on Sirius' bike," Lily replied, brushing a bit of soot off her travelling cloak. "I'm glad that's over with."

"Me, too," Will muttered, opening his drink. "I didn't much care for Fenwick. He seemed too eager to point fingers."

James snorted into his empty glass, but didn't say anything. Lily shot him a questioning glance, but if she was going to say anything it was cut off by the door to the Three Broomsticks opening and Kassie and Sirius coming in. They came over to the booth. "Budge over," Sirius told James, sliding in. Kassie followed his lead, saying nothing to anyone. "What'd we miss?"

"Not much," Remus muttered. "This is the deadest lot I've been with in a while. So how did your meeting with Mr. Anti-Social go?"

What little colour Kassie had left in her face drained out. Sirius put his arm around her shoulder. "Eh, pretty boring, actually."

They talked for a little while about the meeting, then moved on to other things. Lily tried to coax Kassie into talking, but she really wasn't convinced Kassie was alright until the subject turned to when she was going to talk to her Aunt Wanda. Apparently Remus and Madison weren't familiar with the story, so after being filled in, some of Kassie's old spunk returned as she proclaimed that she wasn't in any way ready to go home.

"What about Kacy, though?" Lily asked thoughtfully. "Doesn't she start school this year?"

Kassie's eyes grew huge. "She's supposed to...." she muttered. She looked at Sirius as if he had the answers to all the world's problems. "What if she won't let Kacy come to school?"

"Then we'll go get her," Sirius said simply. "If I can kidnap you out of there, I can get her."

Kassie didn't look very reassured. She tore off the wrapper on her butterbeer bottle, stuffing the paper inside it. "Maybe I should talk to her, about Kacy, I mean," Kassie said thoughtfully.

Lily checked her watch. "I should probably be getting home. Mum and Dad didn't know we were coming over here, and they might be getting worried."

"Did Christine about have a heart attack when you told her what happened?" Madison asked curiously. "My Mum and Dad nearly had a fit. But Remus," here she smiled shyly and Remus reached under the table for her hand, "talked to them. I'm still surprised they didn't try to lock me in my room until I am thirty."

"My Dad looked like the thought might have crossed his mind," Lily laughed. "It's not really funny, actually. They were very worried. But at least everyone's ok."

Lily slid out of the booth and took her money bag out, but Will beat her to it. He laid a few sickles on the table and grabbed his cloak. "I'll take you home. I need to head to the house anyway."

Lily and Will bid everyone farewell, then went through the fireplace. When they emerged in Lily's living room it was very empty. Lily took her cloak off and threw it over the back of an arm chair. "MUM! DAD! I'm home!"

There was no answer. Lily shrugged, looking out the front door. "Well, the car isn't here. I wonder where they went. Mum didn't mention going anywhere today."

"Does that mean we get some alone time?" Will asked, coming up behind Lily and sliding his arms around her waist.

Lily felt the urge to turn around and kiss him, but reality stopped her. "What if my parents come home?" she asked.

Will shrugged. "We could always go up to your room..."

There was a definite heat in Lily's face as she thought about all the things he might be implying. Even though Will was every bit the gentleman, he was also male. And innocent snogging could lead to more than she bargained for. She swallowed. "Yo-You don't want to see my room. It's messy."

Lily was just about suggest they watch some television in the living room when Will's face lost its smile. Even though he didn't sound angry, there was a definite coolness in his tone now. "I'll bet James has been to your room."

Lily felt irritation gnawing at her gut. She spun around. "When are you going to stop with this? James is just a friend. He hasn't done anything to you."

"Really? It seems to me like he'd like to get his hands on my girlfriend," Will retorted.

"Are you still on about that? Merlin, Will, you're being silly. If I've told you once, I've said it thousand times; James does not like me like that. Jealousy doesn't suit you, Will. James even stood up for you today with Fenwick!"

Will's arms were limp at his side and he stared at Lily for several long moments. Lily felt her patience was on a thin string today and he wasn't helping by staring at her like that. She swallowed. "Maybe you should just go."

Will opened his mouth, shook his head and closed it without saying anything. "Perhaps I should." And without so much as a second glance at Lily, Will raised his wand and Apparated. Lily half sat and half fell onto the sofa, burying her face in her hands.

Several hours later the roar of a motorbike filled the air. Lily was making something to eat and looked out the window above the sink in time to see Kassie and Sirius in a rather heated kiss. She turned away, not wanting to watch and had put her plate on the table when the back door slammed open. "Sorry!" Kassie called, laughing a bit and closing the door. "That really needs to be fixed," she added, coming in and sitting down at the table.

"Where's Sirius?" Lily asked in a tone that suggested she really didn't care but was asking to fill the silence. She had never really fought with a significant other before and she wasn't sure if she should be crying or angry at the moment.

"He went to James' for dinner, but I decided not to go," Kassie replied. "I'm going to try to call Kacy and see if Wanda is going to let her come to school or if I'm going to have to do something drastic." Lily shook her head and picked up a spoonful of pudding with very little enthusiasm. Kassie peered at her curiously. "What's wrong?"

Lily shrugged, chewing her food without really enjoying it. She swallowed. "Oh, nothing much. I'm tired, irritated and Will and I got into our first real fight."

"Over what?" Kassie asked, looking worried. Her eyes was huge. "You didn't break up, did you?"

"I don't know," Lily admitted, pushing her food away. She ran her hands through her hair. "I'm so confused." Lily proceeded to tell Kassie everything from the night that Will had first said he thought James liked her to the present. "...and so I got angry and told him maybe he should leave. And he did," Lily finished lamely, running her hand through her hair again out of frustration. "What do you think?"

Kassie sat back in her chair, stunned. She blinked several times, opened her mouth and then shut it. The second time she tried this, she managed to form a word; "Well."

Lily glared at her. "Is that all you have to say?"

Kassie grinned sheepishly. "Eh-no. Actually, I don't think you've broken up. You've just had a little row. If Sirius and I split up every time we had a disagreement, well, we'd spend a lot of time apart, I think."

"You don't have many disagreements with Sirius," Lily pointed out.

"We do," Kassie corrected her, "but we usually keep our actual fighting to a minimum." Kassie giggled slightly. "Making-up snogging is the best. But I'm getting off the subject." Lily nodded her agreement with that statement. "The question here is… do you like James or do you think James likes you?"

"No and no," Lily replied quickly. Very quickly. Kassie raised an eyebrow. "Ok, so maybe he did once..."

"Trust me, he did," Kassie said without thinking. She slapped her hand over her mouth. "Eh, continue!"

Lily didn't speak. She waved her hand towards Kassie, looking shocked. "Is there something you might want to share with me, Kassandra?!"

"Not particularly," Kassie squeaked. "So, did you like him? More than as a friend?"

Slowly Lily nodded. Kassie looked like she would explode. "I knew it! I did! I was so shocked that you went out with Will because I just knew that you liked James!"

"It's not my fault he went out with someone else!" Lily retorted, crossing her arms and giving Kassie a disdainful look. "If he had asked me out, I would have said yes. But he went out with Crystal instead." Lily glared. "And so I said yes to Will, which is the subject of this conversation, I might add. I no longer like James as any more than as a friend, and if I could just get Will to stop being so jealous for a minute he might realise that."

"Jealousy only occurs in relationships where one person isn't secure," Kassie said wisely, reaching over and taking a bite of the pudding Lily had abandoned. "Obviously Will isn't very secure or he--" Kassie and Lily looked towards the wall where the phone had begun ringing. Kassie jumped up and answered it. "Hello, Little Whinging 24810," Kassie listened for a minute, the colour draining out of her face. "Just slow down, it's ok. Where are you?"

Lily got up, coming around the table worriedly. Kassie nodded. "Just stay there. No, Kacy, just stay put, I'll have Sirius come to get you. Ok. Bye."

"What's happening?" Lily asked as Kassie bolted for the living room and grabbed the floo powder. She threw some in the flames and said, "Potter Manor!" For several seconds the flames just flickered green, then a small house elf's head appeared. "Binky?"

"Tator, Miss. Can Tator get Young Master for you?" the house elf asked anxiously.

"Sirius, yes," Kassie replied. Tator's head disappeared. Kassie was rocking back and forth, looking anxious. Lily, still unsure what was going on, sat down on her knees beside Kassie and waited for Sirius. Only seconds later his head appeared in the fire. "Hey Kassie, what's wrong?"

"It's Kacy. She ran away," Kassie replied, sounding nearly hysterical. "She's in some muggle town not too far from where you picked me up at. Can you go and get her?"

"Yeah. Do you want me to come and get you first?"

"Will we all fit on your bike?"

"Good point. I'll get her first and then come straight over there." Sirius' head disappeared from the fire and Kassie sat back, scrubbing her hands over her face.

Lily put her hand on Kassie's shoulder gently. "It'll be ok. Did she say why she ran away?"

Kassie looked very upset. She nodded, chewing on her lip. "Wanda wasn’t going to let her go to school. This is my fault," she added. "I should have gone home before now and talked to her. What if someone grabs her? What if Sirius can't find her?"

"He will," Lily said, reassuringly. "Come on, let's get something to drink and wait in the back garden for them. If Sirius really puts his foot to the metal, he'll get to her in no time and be back here."

----------------

Lily wished she had been right; but it was hours before Sirius arrived with Kacy. Kassie paced back and forth, watching the skies. Lily kept wondering where her parents were. Night was closing in fast and she hadn't heard from them. But with Kassie in such a panic over where Sirius and Kacy were, it was hard to think about them and try to calm her down. Finally, at half past nine, the roar of a motorbike filled the air and Kassie looked up. But there was no familiar motorbike falling out of the sky. Lily and Kassie shared a puzzled look, then walked around the house.

Sirius was getting off his bike and helping Kacy off when they got there. Kassie ran up to them both, throwing her arms around her little sister. "Kacy Lynn Phillips, I was scared to death! Don't you ever run off like that. You should have just called me an--" Kassie trailed off, her face horror struck. "Oh dear, I sound just like Christine did when I arrived, don't I?"

Sirius chuckled, but it was short lived. Kassie whacked him in the arm before throwing her arms around his neck. "Where have you two been? I've been worried sick!"

Lily rolled her eyes and sighed. Kacy offered her sister a small smile that she returned and Sirius began untying Kacy's trunk from the back of the bike. "My flying booster stopped working, so we had to ride in under muggle power. It takes a lot longer by road, let me tell you. I didn't think I'd ever find Lily's house."

After finding that out, Kassie decided to stop badgering him about being late and let him worry about his bike. Sirius moved his bike up to the side of the house. "I'll just have to Floo home and work on it tomorrow."

The four of them made their way inside and into the living room. Kacy was looking particularly apprehensive as she sat down on the sofa and stared at Kassie as if she expected her sister to jump down her throat again. Far from it, though, Kassie half fell into the seat across from her and scrubbed her hands over her face. Kacy opened her mouth, closed it with a snap and stared at her folded hands. Lily stood uncertainly by the doorway next to Sirius, feeling very out of place. Her eyes searched the room for anything to look at besides the sisters, and a noise from the front of the house provided the distraction she was seeking. Lily quickly made her way to the window to see who was in the drive, half hoping it was her parents. Instead she was greeted by an angry black haired woman storming out of a green car and stomping up the drive. Lily barely moved back from the window when the door bell rang several times.

"Who is it?" Sirius asked, pulling his wand when Lily only stared at the door.

Lily swallowed. "Wanda," she replied simply.

"Bloody hell," Sirius muttered. Lily nodded an affirmative, still staring at the door like she expected it to burst open of its own accord. Wanda had stopped pushing the doorbell and was now banging on the door loudly, her voice muffled through the wood.

"KASSANDRA! KACY! I KNOW YOU ARE IN THERE! OPEN THIS DOOR!"

Lily looked back at the doorway to the living room and met her best friend's eyes. Slowly Kassie edged her way forward, took a deep breath and opened the door.

--End Chapter 50.