ALL IN THE NAME OF LOVE- PART II

Chapter 10 - Flashing Lights

          Back at Hogwarts, the eight of them got back into their routine of midnight watches, and full days.  If Flick was inclined to grump about the amount of time they wasted when nothing happened, nobody seemed to mind.  Life was fun, and they knew it.  They were blissfully unaware of the full extent of evil in the world, and even if they had known, they were invincible.  To them, life was just one big adventure, and one to laugh and joke about.

          There was little time to do any joking, however.  The teachers were piling work on them, in an effort to ensure good

NEWT results.

  "Alleluia!" Lily said, thankfully, as she put her quill down for the last time.  "Five rolls of parchment later, and it’s finally finished.  I think Professor McGonagall thinks that all we need to worry about it Transfiguration.  And then Professor Flitwick gave us all that Charms work to do!  It’s a wonder James and Sirius have time to worry about joking!"

  "You’re surprised that James and Sirius joke?" Flick looked at her, with raised eyebrows.  "Lil, lovey, that’s all they ever do.  I don’t know when they do all this work that’s heaped upon us, but somehow they manage to cram a million and one things into every day."

  "Look who’s talking!" Lily said, ponitedly.  "Who is it who turned Snape’s robes multi coloured, sneaked into Hogsmeade for butterbeer, and somehow managed to complete a History of Magic essay all in the same day?"

  "Snape deserved it!" Flick protested.  "He turned poor Kat’s Cat blue, and made the poor thing hide in our dormitory for a week.  And we deserved the butterbeer.  After all, it’s not every day that someone gets the better of McGonagall - even if it was Sirius.  So there!"

          It was three days later, and Lily had got up early, in order to complete her Potions homework.  Flick flew downstairs in excitement.

  "Lily!  He was there again, signaling!  Look!" and Felicity showed Lily a crumpled piece of parchment.

  ‘DUMBLEDORE NOT SUSPICIOUS YET BUT IN NEWS  ORDERS TO BE CARRIED OUT ON 16 OF 6 CANT WAIT.  MORE TOMMORROW  LEAD Z’  "Flick!  We need to know what the orders are!  Otherwise someone’s going to get hurt."

  "Come on Lil, June’s ages away.  We’ve got plenty of time to come up with a solution!"

  "Flick, how to we solve a problem when we don’t know what exactly the problem is, only that there is one?"

  "With difficulty.  But we’ll just have to wait won’t we.  From what that message says, more will happen tommorrow.  And it’s your night.  I’ll come with you, and we’ll see what we can do.  And we need to tell the others."

          On seeing the new message, Remus suddenly looked thoughtful.

  "We should tell Dumbledore, but we can’t because it would show we’ve been breaking rules again.  I have this feeling that we’re getting mixed up in something - again!"

  "Ah, come on Remus, it’s fun!" Felicity exclaimed, her cheeks flushed with excitement.  "It beats studying, anyway."

          Consequently, the next night eight students squeezed under one invisibility cloak - with difficulty.

  "Ouch!  Sirius that was my toe!"

  "Well if you stick you’re feet in awkward places what do you expect?"

  "Remus, you’re hugging me!"

  "Sorry Cee.  It’s a bit of a nightmare getting all of us under here!"

  "Shhh!" James hissed.  "Otherwise it’ll just be me, Peter, Lily and Ellie.  At least they aren’t bickering."

  "Touchy touchy!"

  "Shut up Sirius, he’s right - and you’re still standing on me!"

  "Flick!  Get a life!"  Eventually everyone was covered, just.  And not comfortably.  On arrival at the tower, Lily took charge.

  "Right, you bunch of lemons.  Really that cloak is only meant for one, but we need two, so the one person can write while the other holds the cloak - if you get my drift?"

  "Just about.  Carry on, bossy."

  "Well, Flick and I will stay out here, and the rest of you can go in the cubby hole behind that portrait.  Okay?"

  "Wait a minute!  It’s my cloak!" James protested.

  "Fine.  You stay with Flick.  But we need to hurry."

          Six pairs of arms and legs heaved themselves behind a portrait, as the sound of footsteps approached.  After the flashing had been completed, the dark figure disappeared.

  "It’s alright!  You can come out now!" Flick murmured.  They reappeared.

  "Flick.  We have a problem."

  "What?"

  "That cubby hole, it’s full of Lead stuff.  And we read it."

  "Really!  Well don’t beat about the bush.  What did it say?"  James was interested.

  "You’re not going to like this."

  "For goodness sake Lily!  Get on with it!"

  "Flick?  It’s you they’re after.  And I can’t see any way of stopping them!"

Chapter 11 - Hidden Plans

          Felicity looked at her friend in horror.  Why would anyone be after her?  She voiced her thoughts.

 "Why would anyone be after me Lil?  I know no one of importance.  I’m not even a particularly good student."

 "That’s not true!  You’ve been doing just as well as I have this year.  Only those two," she jerked her head towards James and Sirius,

"have ever done better than us.  So yes, your intelligence could be a reason.  Only if that was it, why didn’t they go for a Ravenclaw?"

 "I thought you already had." James looked at him in confusion.

 "Only Lily and Sirius.  There wasn’t enough space for anyone else to look."

          So they all huddled together, looking at the evidence that was to make a world of difference to Flick’s perspective of the whole affair.  Considering it was the middle of the night, they were suddenly wide awake.

 "I say we tell Dumbledore."  Flick said, stubbornly.

 "Felicity!  We’ve been through this more times than I can remember.  We CANNOT tell Dumbledore because we’re not supposed to be here.  And I’d like to see his face - ‘How do you know all this Miss Evans?’  ‘Well sir, we’ve been having midnight watches.’  Get a grip!"

Sirius looked ready to shake her.

 "Get a grip?  GET A GRIP!!  Some psycho group devoted to a leader who’s been gone for twenty seven years is after me, and you’re telling me to get a grip?  I’m only seventeen, that’s way too young to die.  What’re you going to do?  Spend every hour of every day looking for an unknown foe?  Fantastic, I don’t think!"

 "Calm down!" Lily said, hurriedly.  "You’ll wake everyone up!"

 "Oh excuse me for being scared.  I didn’t realise it was against the law.  Next time, Lily Trevallion, future Minister of Magic I’ll make sure

I consult the rules!"  Lily looked at her, hurt.

 "Well, fine.  If that’s the way you want it!" she spun around and left the room, cheeks pink with anger.

 "Great one there Flick.  She’ll be in a temper for days!" Ellie looked at Flick with undisguised anger.  "She was right.  You are too loud - way too loud.  And she didn’t deserve that.  I’m going after her."  And Ellie too left the room.  James looked around at the six of them remaining.

 "Forgive me for ordering you around, but maybe we should go back to bed now, and discuss this tomorrow!"  His idea was a good one, and they left the tower room for their dormitories.

          They awoke late the next day, but fortunately, it was Saturday.  They met up in the Shrieking Shack, which they had termed their DADA HQ.  (Defense Against Dark Arts Headquarters) it was here that they had talked about the whole Endommager incident, and they were going to worry about Felicity’s problem in the same place.

 "Maybe it has good luck in the walls." Peter said thoughtlessly. 

 "Good luck for some." Remus muttered.

 "What was that Remus?" Ellie asked, curiously.

 "Nothing!" Remus said, hurriedly.  "Where’re Flick and Lily?"

 "Having a shouting contest across the Gryffindor dormitory." Cee said solemnly.  "Last thing I heard was Felicity ‘You are a-" Cee was silenced by a glare from Ellie.

 "You really don’t want to know what they were screaming at each other.  It wasn’t pretty.  And Lil’s supposed to be the shy sensitive type!"

 "Only Madam Flooey thinks that she’s the shy sensitive type.  Everyone else knows she packs a good punch!" Sirius said, feelingly.

 "When did she punch you?" Cee was curious.  She hadn’t heard about this.

 "In the first year, after I called her Carrots.  I think she was too mad to speak." Sirius looked sheepish.  "I admired her after that.  The girl’s got guts."

 "'The girl' is also my girlfriend." James said good naturedly.  "Find your own."

           Before Sirius could reply, Lily and Felicity rushed in.

 "Sorry we’re late.  We were just…um…"

 "Discussing the Transfiguration homework." Flick helped Lily out, with a smile.

 "I don’t recall McGonagall telling us to heap as many insults as we could on to our best friends."

 "Don’t know what you’re talking about.  Come on!  Have you come up with anything good?"

 "We thought we’d wait and consult you, your highness." Sirius replied with mock reverence.

 How charming." Felicity graced him with a sweet smile.  "Perhaps you’d like to hear our," she gestured towards Lily "idea then.  If you think it will work, we’ll take it from there."

 "You're actually talking to each other then?  I thought you hated each other.  It sounded like that this morning."

 "Don't know what you're talking about." Lily replied, in an offhand manner.  Flick winked at her.

 "Well?" Ellie said, impatiently.  "What's the plan?"

 "Who said anything about a plan?" Felicity asked, with a wicked smile.

 "You're idea then."

 "Okay.  Have you read the plans recently?" Lily asked.

 "Sure, last night."

 "That's not quite what I meant.  Last night we were all a little touchy, half asleep, and probably didn't read it properly."

 "Definitely didn't read it properly." Flick said, firmly.  "No one's after me, exactly.  Which is definitely a good thing, for me, at least. 

However, I'm somehow interwoven into their little plot."

 "Wait a minute.  How do you know all this?  I thought you two were having an argument."

 "Yeah right!  Lil and I don't argue!  We just had a difference of opinion.  Anyway, I was  up early this morning, and we went back to the tower, to have another look at the plans."

 "And I was already there." Lily added.  "There was something that didn't make sense about the whole affair last night.  Why would someone be after Flick?  After all she's not exactly high profile.  So we talked and made up, and then we looked at the plans again.  And Flick, in her wisdom, copied them.  So when Cee and Ellie entered the dormitory, and Flick was yelling insults at me, it was because we were trying to decipher the whole problem.  And she thought she could do it, only Jet was sitting on them, and I didn't want to move him.

We've figured out as much of their plans as we can, which is always a good thing.  Going in blind is a bad idea.  After all, you need to know what the problem is in order to solve the problem." Lily looked at Felicity expectantly.

 "Right.  What we've established for sure is that this neo-Lead group is not being led by Grindelwald.  So thank the stars for small mercies. 

And never believe what you read in the Daily Prophet.  And the second most important point is that they don't want to hurt anyone - we think.  Whoever is co-ordinating the operation merely wants to discredit Dumbledore."

 "But how do you-" Sirius began.  Felicity silenced him with a glare.

 "If you don't believe us, then you can have a look at the plans.  Lil's got them.  But that is irrelevant.  What we need to do is figure out who it is that's got this bunch of low down-"

 "Felicity!" Lily said, warningly.

 "Sorry.  We need to know who their leader is, and what their motive is.  That means that we'll be spending a lot of time in the library."

 "You see, Flick and I have a theory.  Whoever it is that's ordering this had to have been close to Grindelwald.  A brother or sister?  Did he have a wife?   Was she as bad as him?  We, Flick and I, think that our best line of attack would be to find out about the old Lead group. So we'll have to go to the library and get the advanced Dark Arts books out.  Then, hopefully, we'll get more information on all of them, and can form hypothesis'.  Okay?"

 "I'm not going to argue." Remus replied, after a period of contemplation.  "It makes sense.  The more we know, the less we have to guess."

          The others agreed with his philosophy.  There was little else they could do, and having looked at the plans once again, they discovered that Lily and Flick were right.  Further discussion led them to conclude that there was no point in continueing midnight watches.

Chapter 12 - In The Library

          Considering that Sirius Black hated the Library, in the last couple of days he had been spending a lot of time in it.  Along with various friends.  It was all very well for people like Flick and Lily to say research, but research what exactly?

  "How’s it going Sirius?" Flick came and sat opposite him, large book in hand.  "I would have been here earlier, but I had to get all that

Potions stuff done.  Have you found anything?"

  "His middle name was Johann?"

  "That’s not exactly what we had in mind." Flick said, grinning.  "Any siblings?"

  "One brother - Himlert.  Am I the only one who thinks all of this sounds a bit German?"

  "Nope.  What do you know about this Himlert character?"

  "Evil.  Once he killed seven muggles, wiped out an entire family in cold blood."

  "There’s potential for it to be him."

  "Sure.  Only one small problem..."

  "That problem being..." Flick asked, frowning.

  "He’s been dead for twenty years.  Obviously there are ghosts, but something tells me that this guy wasn’t going to come back."

  "I’d ask why, but I don’t think I’m going to like the answer."

  "I don’t think you would either.  Am I the only one who’s actually going to look at something?  Or is that book there more than a pretty ornament?"

  "Gee Sirius, you’re oh so funny." Came Flick’s sarcastic reply.  All the same, she opened the book and began to scan it, and Sirius went back to his own research.

          An hour on, and Sirius was beginning to get bored.  There were only so many tales of evil that he could be bothered to read in one day, and he was fast reaching his limit.  He was about to tell Flick he was calling it a day, when he heard her hiss

  "Yes!"

  "What?"

  "He was a womaniser."

  "Fabulous.  Glad he had a good time when he wasn’t killing people.  Flick, how exactly does that help us?"  Felicity began to count points off on her fingers.

  "We know his parents are both dead.  His brother is likewise, and we know that Grindelwald himself isn’t behind any of this.  He’s probably dead as well.  So there are very few people with a motive.  However, his girlfriend - that’s a completely different matter."

  "Flick, he probably had more girlfriends than I had hot dinners."

  "Yes, but right at the end, he obviously found his Mrs. Right.  Because he was engaged to be married."

  "To who?"

  "I don’t know!" Flick looked at him in exasperation.  "But I’d guarantee that she’s the one behind all this."

  "Yeah, but why wait for twenty seven years?  Why not get it over and done with?"

  "Oooh!  Big word!" Flick said, with typical sarcasm.

  "A perpetrator - his finacee.  And we have a setting - Hogwarts.  As far as I can see the only thing we’re missing is a plan of action."  No sooner had Sirius finished than Lily appeared, James in tow. 

  "Guys, we need to talk.  Now!" Lily said, in hushed tones.

  "Why?"

  "Because why’s a crooked letter.  Come on!  Don’t stand there asking questions.  We’re going to HQ.  Now!"

  "You know, for someone so small, she does a good impression of a lion, tiger and hippogriff!" Sirius grumbled, to no one in particular.

          Back in the Shrieking Shack, James relayed their findings.

  "Lil and I were checking to see if anything had been added to the paper selection," he began.  "It had.  A plan of action."  Felicity shot Sirius a triumphant look.  "I’d offer you the good news or the bad news, but there’s no good news.  The bad news is that Flick is involved."

  "But not as the victim." Lily put in, hastily, seeing the protest that was forming on Flick’s lips.

  "No." James agreed.  "It’s like this.  Whoever it is that relays the orders has sent them to the secret agent here at Hogwarts.  And before anyone asks, we don’t know who he is.  The aim is to frame Dumbledore as the leader of the neo-lead group."

  "But he defeated Grindelwald.  Why would he want to be leader of the group?"

  "Use your brains Peter!" Cee retorted.  "It could be made to look like a coup.  He defeated Grindelwald so that he could take over the group."

  "But why wait twenty seven years?"

  "No one will be paying all that much attention to him.  They’re too busy chasing Voldemort.  So it’s an ideal time for the less than legal organisations to surface." Ellie answered Sirius’ question.

  "More to the point," Flick added, "why would I be needed."

  "You’re a good forge." Lily said, in a matter of fact way.  "They need you to forge Dumbledore’s writing, giving someone orders.  It would be incriminating."

  "Why not use a spell?" Cee asked.  "It would be pretty simple."

  "Because a spell can be reversed.  If it was written properly, then there could be nothing done to alter the handwriting."  Lily replied. 

  "And once Flick’s done her bit, they can go to the Ministry, and offer it as proof that Dumbledore’s behind the uprising.  Plany a few more such letters in his office, and who’s in a position to defend him?" James finished his explanation.

  "And how long have we got to sort this?" Ellie asked the obvious question.

  "If they’d stuck to their original plan, four months.  But they’ve brought the date forward again.  The aim is to put the plan into action in three weeks, the middle of March.  Which leaves us precious little time to plan a solution."

          They looked at each other.  Things seemed to be going from bad to worse.  They’d had four months to plan in originally, now there was less than three weeks.

  "Let’s face it, guys.  We’d have to have our part plotted a week in advance, then we’d have time to sort out any problems we come across.  As things stand, we’ve got a fortnight to foil a potentially disastrous plan." Flick said, glumly.

  "Cheer up guys!" Lily said, smiling.  James looked at her, bemused.

  "You mean you can actually see some good in all of this." He asked her.

  "James, there’s good in everything if you look hard enough.  And if we’ve got all this and out NEWT’s as well, then we’re not going to be bored.  And you four-" and expressive hand singled out the boys, "might manage to escape detention.  And before Sirius goes on about how that’s a bad thing, you have to have at least one detention a week, blah blah blah, I’d like to remind you that the trophies will need a good rub soon.  If you’re lucky, you won’t be the poor souls in their helping Flich to finish it."

  "And," Flick added, "you might manage to avoid Snape in the next fortnight.  Whatever anyone else says, that has got to be a good thing."

  "Scared of ghosts Remus?" Ellie asked, curiously.

  "Oh come off it Ellie," Lily jumped to his rescue.  "We’re in a school full of them.  And Remus is right.  This place is creepy."

          Eleanor looked at her curiously, but left it.  One thing she had learnt long ago, if people wanted you to know their business, they would tell you.  Otherwise, it was best to let sleeping dogs lie. 

Chapter 13 - Flick and Sirius

          James Potter observed Sirius who was stuck in a book again.

  "Okay Padfoot, spit it out!"

  "What?" Sirius asked, innocently.

  "Come on Sirius, you never read library books voluntarily, and in the last three days you have done nothing to warrant a detention. 

Clearly something is bothering you.  Either you tell me, or I tell you.  Got it?"

  "If you know what it is that’s bothering me, although nothing is, then why do you bother asking?"  James chose not to answer the question, instead he went off on a completely different tack.

  "Do you remember when we figured it out about Remus?  We didn’t tell him what we knew, just that we knew it.  Because we wanted him to tell us.  That way he wasn’t deceiving us.  And you remember how angry you were, because he wouldn’t tell us the truth.  Well, just because I know what’s bothering you, it doesn’t mean that you don’t have to tell me."

  "So you want me to tell you.  Fine.  Tell you what exactly?"

  "For goodness sake Sirius, do you want me to spell it out for you.  Because I will."

  "Go away."

  "No.  For one thing if I do you’ll just sit here and live in a fantasy world, and for another you still haven’t admitted it."

  "What?"

  "You - love - Felicity." James said it slowly, clearly enunciating every syllable.

  "No I don’t.  You love Lily.  I love no one.  It’s that simple."

  "Which is why the two of you spend so much time in the library together."

  "And even if I did fancy Flick we wouldn’t get anywhere - she feels nothing for me.  Besides, I told you ages ago that I’m one for a platonic relationship.  We’re friends.  F R I E N D S.  Got it?"

  "No.  You act like friends.  It’s different."

  "Prongs, you don’t know how much you sound like an old woman."

  "Sirius-"

  "James!  Drop it."  So James did.  But that didn’t mean he was happy.  Not at all.       

     Meanwhile, Lily and Felicity were having a similar conversation.

  "Lil, it wouldn’t work.  We argue too much!"

  "Yeah, because Sirius really wants to go out with me.  I’m only his best friend's girlfriend.  And the reason James, Sirius and Remus are such good friends is because none of them will let the others dominate."

  "It would never last."

  "Flick, going out with him does not necessarily mean that you have to marry the guy."

  "Yeah - James seems dead set against it."

  "Yeah right!  And pigs might fly!  He just doesn’t want to admit he loves me.  And you and Sirius are just as bad!  It’s like living with a load of children."

  "Lily, stop worrying about my love life, and start worrying about the approaching deadline we have.  It may have escaped your notice, but I’m actually the primary target of a bunch of crazed lunatics.  If we don’t come up with a plan soon, then you won’t have my love life to worry over.  There won’t be any love life - there won’t be any me!"

  "Calm down, lovey.  Didn’t we decide that they planned to keep you alive."

  "Who’s to say that they won’t dispose of me once they have what they want?"

  "Flick, it’s not going to happen.  We’ll figure something out.  Why don’t we just forget about Sirius, James and the rest of the world, and see Hagrid.  Maybe Rattie will actually let you play with her today."

  "Yeah right.  And pigs might fly!"

  "Wingar-"

  "On their own!"

          A few days later Felicity burst into the Gryffindor Common room, cheeks flushed with anger.

  "I think that’s our cue to disappear!" Sirius muttered.

  "SIRIUS!!!!" Flick yelled.

  "What’ve I done now?" He exclaimed.

  "What have you done?  Lily, bless her, her mind works in strange ways, thinks you and I love each other.  Last time I checked, a burning desire to yell at someone until they were nonexistant did not constitute love." Her words were soft, controlled.  Too controlled. 

  "Felicity, if you’d tell me what exactly it is I’ve done wrong-"

  "You know."

          But that was the problem.  Sirius didn’t know.  He and Felicity left the room, barely containing the shouting match that was waiting to happen.

  "Okay, I’ve changed my mind.  Those two should never get together.  Can you imagine what it would be like?  They run more hot and cold than my hot tap - and that’s saying something!" Lily murmered to James.

  "Spoil sport!  It would be fun!  We could charge for- Hey!  Stop it!"  Lily had picked up a cushion, and was bashing at him, until he begged for mercy.

  "We won’t charge!  They can argue in private!  Lily!  Give me that cushion!" And he prised it from her grip, sprawling across the floor with the effort.  Lily laughed, the merry sound pealing prettily.

  "That’ll teach you to be mercenary.  Go and find Remus, and then the two of you might want to dress Sirius’ war wounds.  I think that Flick was feeling a bit, um, zealous!"  And she went of in search of Cee and Ellie.

     Sirius. meanwhile, wasn’t faring too well up against Flick’s wrath.  She was mid tirade when he decided he’d had enough.

  "Felicity!  FELICITY!  Would you shut up for just one minute and tell me what exactly it is that I’ve done wrong?"

  "Okay smarty.  You’ve done nothing.  And that’s what’s wrong."

  "Yes.  Because you don’t know the charm, and I’d end up with absolutely no memory.  And I have things I need to remember."

  "Well, in that case, once I’ve said this, and we’ve hit each other a few times, if you could just forget it happened, I’d appreciate it."

  "Fine.  Now will you please-"

  "I’m going, I’m going!  Okay, so when I said that I didn’t love you in there, I wasn’t being truthful, strictly speaking.  I sort of...love and hate you...you understand?"

  "Um...no."

  "Okay, see if you understand this." And before he could stop her, she’d leant forward.  Sirius was quite concerned that she was going to hit him, so when she planted a firm kiss on his lips he was slightly shell-shocked.  Before he had a chance to respond she was gone.

          Much later, before they went to sleep that night, Flick told Lily the whole story in hushed tones.

"You mean you yelled blue murder at him because you hate him because you love him. Very refined Flick. You handled it really well."

"This from the girl who told her boyfriend she loved him in the library. The library of all places."

"Never mind lovey. It'll work out all right in the end. What will be will be and all that."

"I feel so much better!" Came the wry reply.

Whatever happened between Flick and Sirius the next day, no one knew, and neither were prepared to tell. But when Cee and Lily saw them later, no one could doubt that they were a couple.

Chapter 14 - Planning

The two weeks were almost up, and the eight seventeen year olds had come up with a solution. They were sunning themselves in the school grounds. The March sun was warm, and it wasn't really fair to Remus to continue to use the Shrieking Shack. Lily looked over at Flick and Sirius, and did a double take. Then she turned to James.

"I swear we were never that bad." Ellie, hearing her words looked at her frankly.

"You don't know how much I'd love to say you were worse, but sadly, I'd be lying. They're awful, and we thought you were bad."

"They were. Awful." Felicity looked at her friend and winked. "Now, I believe that someone had a plan."

"Right. And about time too!" Cee added. As Ellie and Remus decided to turn intellectual, and make it up, perhaps they should explain."

"Okay." Remus said easily. "It's like this. Lily and Flick will stay together all day on the fourteenth of March - D-Day if you like."

"What?" Cee asked.

"Muggle saying." Lily informed her. "Don't worry."

"As I was saying," Remus continued, "Lil and Flick stay together. If they can't get Flick alone, then they'll probably take Lil too, but that's fine. If there are two of you, you'll figure out an escape route easily."

"Hold on a minute!" Flick interrupted. "Why do we have to go at all. Couldn't we just detain our mysterious assailant."

"Sure you could. But then you wouldn't have anything incriminating, and they'd get away scot free. So you have to go with them. But the two of you will be fine. Anyway, there's more. Obviously, we need a contingency plan, in case Flick and Lil don't quite manage to find an escape route. So Ellie and Peter will shadow them all day, and then they'll be there if they need help. Ellie will brief you four later, okay?"

All four of them nodded their heads. "Good. Meanwhile, James, Sirius, and Cee will be staking out Dumbledore's office. Then, when our unknown intruder comes to plant the papers and letters there, you can detain him. Obviously, the three of you'll need the Invisibility Cloak, so no one sees you."

"What're you doing?" Cee asked, curiously.

"I'm monitoring the situation on the map." Remus announced. "That way, if it looks like anyone needs extra assistance, I can help them.

Everyone clear?" There was a general nodding, and then Flick spoke.

"Sometimes I wonder about our sanity. Surely the sensible thing would be to go to someone in authority."

"Don't go there again!" Ellie moaned.

"I'm not. But you have to admit we're all stark raving mad."

"Speak for yourself." Lily replied. "The rest of us know exactly what we're doing."

Talk turned to other affairs, but later Ellie and Lily were discussing their plan.

"I know it'll work," Lily began, "But I don't particularly like the idea of going along with it. I can see where Flick's coming from when she says about talking to someone in authority about everything, but I don't see how we can. They'd never believe us."

"I don't know. There's a minuscule possibility that they might believe us, but we don't have enough evidence to prove our point. All the plans have gone-"

"They've what?!" Lily exclaimed.

"Exactly." Eleanor said. "So there's no evidence. And we don't know who our spy is. So we're better off dealing with it ourselves."

"Ellie, I've just remembered one small problem - I promised Hagrid I'd look after Rattie. I have to for Care of Magical Creatures anyway, but he's doing some business for Dumbledore then, and I said I'd keep her."

"Oh well," Ellie said, philosophically, "Maybe she'll bite." Lily laughed at that.  

"Oh, I think we can guarantee that!"

They had three days before all their plans had to be put into action. Ellie was briefing 'her' team.

"I suggest that we follow the two of you in the next couple of days, and you two try to stay together at all times. It's good practice you see."

"You'd never guess her maternal grandfather was a hit wizard would you?" Lily said to Flick, dryly.

"It shouldn't be too hard - your together a lot of the time anyway. Peter and I will follow you."

"It's fortunate that we can't apparate, or we'd have a problem." Flick commented.

"Once they hole you up - if they whole you up, then Peter and I will get you out. Understand."

"Clear as mud." Flick said cheerfully. "How many house points are we going to lose."

"Don't be so pessimistic." Lily scolded her. "We might actually win some."

Chapter 15 - Moving In To Action

March 14th dawned bright and cheerful.

"You'd think that the weather might be dull." Flick said groggily. She had a habit of getting up when she was still half asleep, and consequently was never quite with it in the morning.

"I prefer it bright." Ellie said, conversationally. "Makes me more optimistic."

"All right for you to say," Flick grumbled, under her breath, "you aren't the one they're gunning for."

"Who got out of the wrong side of bed this morning?" Cee asked cheerfully.

At breakfast their chatter was usual. There was no sign that they were planning to do anything that they wouldn't otherwise do. Except, perhaps, Felicity's irritability.

"Come on Flick! Snap out of it!" Sirius said to her grinning.

"Excuse me? Read my lips - do not say snap out of it to me. Got it?"

"I think so. Flick?"

"Snap out of it." Flick replied, grinning back.

"Hallelujah! She smiled. Score Sirius a point!" Lily exclaimed.

"Shut up Lil!" Sirius and Flick said at the same time. They looked at each other and burst into gales of laughter.

"See I told you!" Came Lily's triumphant cry.

Flick and Lily were fortunate in that they had the same lessons on Tuesdays. Unfortunately, while they were in lessons, Ellie and Peter weren't always with them. However, when they had discussed this they had decided that it was very unlikely that they would be ambushed between lessons.

Care of Magical Creatures was followed by Divination. But Lily and Flick didn't make it to Divination. A mysterious somebody took care of that. One minute they were walking down a corridor, the next they were somewhere that they had never seen or heard of before. A figure cloaked in black was with them, and a woman stood on a raised platform.

"You have done well, Lead Z." The cloaked figure pushed back the hood, and Lily and Flick gasped. The man who had been sending messages wasn't a man, but a woman.

"She's a- She's- Her-"

"Flick! Stop stuttering!" Lily said sharply. I'd say look surprised, she thought to herself, but something tells me I don't need to!

"However," the woman on the platform continued, "You have one girl too many. Which is Felicity Evans?"

"She did her homework well." Flick muttered. "If she thought to investigate it'd be obvious who I am. Since when was I about a foot shorter and a red head, I'd like to know."

"The tall girl with the dark hair is Felicity." Lead Z replied.  

"Zephyr darling, you could scarcely call the ginger one tall!" The platform woman laughed, a cold evil laugh. Felicity felt Lily stiffen beside her. If there was one thing her friend couldn't stand it was being called ginger. The beautiful russet curls were anything but.

"Don't let her get to you." She murmured. Lily relaxed slightly.

"Do you think I'd be able to hit her at some point?" She asked, sweetly.

"Lil, once she's in custody I hope we never see her again. And don't get violent."

"Felicity Evans. Come here." The woman on the platform demanded.

"Make me." Came Flick's reply. It wasn't sullen, rather challenging.

"Believe me girl, you don't want to play games. Once I was the most powerful woman on the globe. Now look at me! Forced to rely on silly schoolgirls to help me gain power."

"You should know I don't take kindly to insults." Flick's reply was clear, and devoid of emotions.

"Don't mess with me. You'll regret it. I am Gretl. Once I was the fiancé of the great Grindelwald. Now I am nothing. For this Dumbledore will pay. You think I shall let a stupid child get in my way? For that is what you are - a child. I will have what I want, and it is in your best interests to do it my way. Any other way, and your little friend." She emphasised the little. "Will feel the worse for wear. Now, will you work with me?"

"No." Flick said calmly.

"Here we go again." Lily muttered, calmly. "What is it about me and curses."

"Crucio!" Gretl shouted, pointing her wand at Lily. The girl stiffened, but that was the only sign of the pain she was feeling.

"You need to do better than that." Lily spat, through gritted teeth. "I've been done over by the best, and believe me, I'm a lot harder than I look."

"We'll see about that." Came the calm reply. "I am not interested in you. It is your friends cooperation I need."  

"Fantastic. Do you think you could vary curses? Only I get bored after a while." Lily's reply was almost bored. Flick marveled at the strength of character her friend demonstrated.

"Crucio!" The curse was shot at Lily again, and Flick winced in sympathy. The only thing that kept her from breaking throughout the long session of torture that followed was Lily's courageous banter between curses. Flick could never give in when her friend was prepared to go through far worse.  

After an hour, neither Lily nor Flick showed any sign of relenting, although Lily was leaning heavily on Flick. Gretl was growing desperate. In the end, she said the words that chilled both girls to the bones.

"If you won't help, I kill her." Lily looked at Flick, eyes widened in horror. That was no empty threat. The heartless shell of a woman before them would carry it out. What she had said was true. She had no need of Lily, it was Felicity that she wanted. To her Lily was just another tool.  

"Don't worry." Flick muttered at her friend. "It's not over yet." She raised her voice.

"All right. I'll do it." Lily sagged in relief, and Felicity did not miss the strain showing in her eyes. What were usually emerald green orbs were cloudy with pain.

"You know something Flick?" Lily's voice was hoarse. "I hate adventures."

Chapter 16 - Major Rethink

          Back at Hogwarts Ellie and Peter were concerned.

  "I can’t find them anywhere!" Ellie hissed at her counterpart.

  "Neither can I.  Oh, do you think they’re dead.  Have they been killed.  Flick was right!  We should have-"

  "Peter, you are not helping!" Ellie told the boy, sternly.  "We need Remus and the map.  If they’re in the castle it will show them.  If they’re not, we’ll have to hope that we’re not too late."  The two of them hurried off in search of Remus.  They bumped into him on the way to the Gryffindor Common Room.

  "We have a problem." He told them grimly.

  "Flick and Lily?"

  "Gone.  In between Care of Magical Creatures and Divination.  Completely vanished, along with someone called Zephyr Howkins.  Do you know her?"

  "Ravenclaw.  Left last year.  Not particularly friendly.  Never saw her as being the type for the Dark Arts, mind you."  Eleanor rattled off facts.

  "Marvelous.  Hold on, they can’t have apparated-"

  "They used a port-key." Ellie finished the sentence for him.  "Absolutely fabulous, I don’t think.  Now what do we do?"

  "Find the others.  They have to get whoever it is that’s off to Dumbledore’s office.  Then we can launch Operation R."  Remus informed her.

  "Um, Remus," Ellie began, tentatively, "we don’t have a plan R."

  "Rescue.  We’ll go after them."

  "If they’re not already dead." Peter said gloomily.  Remus and Eleanor glared at him.  "What?  What did I say?"

*  *  *  *

          Lily and Felicity were far from dead, but not particularly happy.

  "Why is it I always end up enduring the Unforgivables?" Lily asked, suddenly.  They were in a dark, wet, smelly dungeon.  Apparently Gretl had to make plans.  "What happened to fair shares and everything?"

  ‘I don’t know." Flick replied honestly.  "But do you think you could warm it up in here.  And where on earth is Rattie?"

  "Here." Lily replied, removing the creature from her robes.  "Maybe she’ll attack Gretl or something.  And how exactly am I supposed to warm it up in here?"

  "You’re a witch."

  "Without a wand." Lily finished.  "And my name is not Halfreda.  Wandless magic is her speciality."

  "Lil, what’s Rattie got."  Lily picked up the ratunike, and pulled a wand from between the animals teeth.

  "Maybe we should wait.  Remus said-"

  "Yeah, and look where that plan got us!  A prolonged stay in a dungeon.  Marvellous.  Or not."

  "I see your point." Lily said dryly.  "And I hurt all over."

  "Better than being dead."

  "No, it would be much better if I woke up about now, and realised that it was all a nightmare.  Sadly that’s not going to happen.  But you’re right.  You’ve done their forging, and can you honestly see them letting us go?"

  "Um no." Flick said bluntly.  "we know too much."

  "Precisely.  So we wait until we’re out of this hell hole, and then we make a break for it.  The only problem I can see is that I don't have a clue where we are."

  "Right." Flick said.

  "Oh, come on Flick give me some help here!" Lily said, exasperated.

  "Well I don’t know where we are either."

  "Rattie." Lily said, suddenly.

  "Lily, she’s here."

  "No, stupid!  Ratunikes can apparate, the only magical creature that can, except for wizards and witches.  If we give Rattie a note, then she can take it to Remus or Ellie, and then perhaps they’ll be able to get us out of here!"

The two of them constructed a note using the quill and parchment that Flick had in her robes. 

GUYS, DON’T HAVE A CLUE WHERE WE ARE.  COULD BE IN TIMBUKTU, BUT WE DOUBT IT, IT’S TOO COLD.  SOME

CRAZY WOMAN CALLED GRETL IS THE MASTERMIND BEHIND THIS WHOLE LEAD THING.  SHE WAS

GRINDELWALD’S FIANCEE.  THE THINGS PEOPLE DO FOR LOVE!  IF YOU COULD USE RATTIE TO FIGURE OUT

WHERE EXACTLY WE ARE, WE’D APPRECIATE IT.

JAMES, YOU CAN MAKE USE OF ALL THAT RESEARCH WE DID FOR FLICK, HOW TO TALK TO ANIMALS.  AND HURRY UP.  WE’RE HOPING TO GET OUT OF THIS JOINT, BUT HAVE NO WAY OF RETURNING TO HOGWARTS.  AND ZEPHYR HOWKINS IS THE DOUBLE AGENT THERE, IF YOU HADN’T WORKED THAT OUT ALREADY.  FLICK HAS DONE THE FORGED DOCUMENTS, YOU CAN’T ALL COME, SOMEONE NEEDS TO GUARD DUMBLEDORE’S OFFICE.

NONE OF YOU HAVE TO COME, IF YOU COULD GIVE RATTIE DIRECTIONS SO WE CAN GO HOME.  ALTHOUGH WE MIGHT NEED TRANSPORT.  AND I STILL SAY YOU SHOULD TELL DUMBLEDORE.

LOVE

*  *  *  *

          When Rattie appeared in front of him James Potter was nothing if not surprised.  As far as he knew, she was supposed to be with Lily, and Lily was the only person, with the exception of Hagrid, who could actually go neat the little creature without the risk of losing fingers.

  "What on earth is that doing here?" Sirius asked him curiously.

  "She’s supposed to be with Lily." James said, concerned.

  "Damn.  Next time I say we let Flick do the planning." Sirius said, gruffly.

  "There won’t be a next time." James replied grimly.  "I swear those two only have to breathe and they run into trouble."

  "What did Lily mean, talking to animals?"

  "I’ll explain later, we need to find- Remus!  Excellent, we were just going to look for you."

  "Lil and Flick are in trouble." Remus told him breathlessly.

  "WE know."  Sirius said calmly.  "They told us."

  "How the-  I don’t want to know.  So, what’ve we got to do?"

  "Talk to that rodent-" Sirius began.

  "Rattie." James interrupted.

  "And figure out where they are, then give them directions back.  And someone should go to get them transport."

  "It’ll have to be broompower.  They can’t apparate, we can’t make portkeys, and there are no handy hippogriffs." Remus told them.

          An hour later, the rescue party was formed.  Remus and James would go with Ellie, while Sirius would stay at Hogwarts along with Cee and Peter, and capture their elusive spy.

  "I still say Remus should stay here and I should go with you and Ellie." Sirus told James.

  "Exactly why you’re staying.  If you and Flick get together she’ll probably screech at you for half an hour, and then our cover will be blown.  So you stay here and detain the plant, and we’ll go and rescue your lady love.  Okay."

  "No.  You get to go."

  "Lily isn’t quite as vocal as Flick in times of trouble.  Besides which she only yells at me when I do something wrong."

  "Prongs, she never yells at you."

  "Because I’m perfect."

  "Yeah.  You just keep thinking that.  Good luck, and don’t get yourself killed."

  "Ditto.  Be back soon.  Come on Ellie, Remus.  The sooner we go, the sooner we’re back, the sooner it’s out of our hands."

          So they separated, Sirius, Cee and Peter to watch for hours, and James, Remus and Ellie to help their friends.

Chapter 17 - Cave By The Sea

          Lily and Felicity had made their escape route.  They had spent hours exploring their dungeon, and Felicity had discovered a secret passage that would hopefully get them out of the dungeons.  All they needed to do was enter it.  So they were profoundly grateful for the wand Rattie had salvaged for Lily.  A simple exploding spell left a gaping hole in the floor, and a quick mutter and it was restored, the two girls safely underneath the ground.

  "It’s even more damp down here!" Lily complained.  "Whose brilliant idea was this?"

  "Yours." Flick replied.  "And anything is better than spending the next ten years of out life rotting in a dungeon.  So stop moaning."

  "Easy for you to say." Lily retorted.  "Your not the one who spent several hours being cursed.  Not that I’m complaining."

  "Not at all." Flick muttered.  "Hurry up will you.  It’s cold down here as well as damp.  And if we don’t move fast they’ll realise that we’ve gone."

  "Probably has something to do with the fact that prisoners don’t generally come equipped with escape tools.  We’re just lucky."

  "Really." Flick said dryly.  "I’d hate to be with you when we were unlucky."

  "Ha ha!  You know exactly what I mean." Lily grasped the handle, and opened the door firmly.  An almighty creak, and they were free.

  "Thank heavens!" Felicity breathed a sigh of relief.

  "Flick!" Lily muttered to her friend.  "What do we do now?"

  "Wait for the rescue party.  You couldn’t magic up some food, could you?  I’m starving!"

  "Trust you to think of you’re stomach!" Lily laughed.  All the same, she conjured up some sandwiches, and a jug of butterbeer, and the two of them hid in a little cave that was conveniently situated a few metres from the door.  The stone structure had two entrances, and chance made Felicity look out of the one they hadn’t used, about an hour later.  What she saw made her screech in horror.

  "LILY!!"

  "Shhh!  Someone will hear.  What’s up?"

  "That’s what’s up!" Flick gestured towards the entrance, where water was rising, rapidly.  "We seem to be trapped by an incoming tide. 

We could go back-" but an almighty crash drowned out the rest of her words.  Startled, the two girls turned to see that the hole they had entered the cave from had been blocked by a fall of rock.

  "Fantastic!" Flick exclaimed.  "Now we’re stranded in a cave with no way of leaving, and on the way to a watery grave.  Forgive me for being hysterical, but WHAT DO WE DO NOW??!!"

  "Keep calm Flick!" Lily chastised her friend.  "We’re okay for now, and if we’re lucky the water might not reach us.  When the tide’s gone out again, we’ll be able to get out, and then the others will turn up, and we’ll leave this dump for good!"

  "Or we could use that wand, and make some kind of shield, so that we don’t drown."

  "Why don’t we wait until it’s desperate before doing that.  What’s the point of doing that if we’re not sure whether we’ll be affected.  

And incidentally where would you rather be?  Here, or being tortured.  And don’t say being tortured, because you never have been. 

Personally, I’d rather be here.  We are witches after all!"

  "You just want lover-boy to race to the rescue!"  Felicity retorted.

  "Flick!  Shut up!"  Lily glowered at her friend, and they sat in uncomfortable silence.

          Meanwhile, the rescue party had arrived at the castle.  Somehow, they had managed to transport themselves and Rattie without any of them coming to harm.  And for some peculiar reason, the ratunike was straining to get away from the castle, towards the rising tide.

  "What on earth is that creature doing?" Remus asked curiously.

  "I don’t know.  But Lily and Flick said to listen to her, so that’s what we do."  Ellie stated, firmly.  Before either of the boys could stop her, she was off after Rattie.  James and Remus followed.  When they reached the sea front, the ratunike plunged into the water, and started swimming towards a distant opening in the rock of the cliff.

  "I didn’t know ratunike’s could swim!" James said worriedly.

  "I didn’t know ratunikes existed." came Remus’ exasperated reply.  "Ellie!  What are you doing?  ELEANOR!!" For as he had spoken, Ellie had plunged into the water and followed Rattie.  James looked at Remus and raised him eyebrows before plunging in after her. Remus followed, muttering something about women.

          Within half an hour, the four of them, including Rattie, were inside the cave.  The water was shallow enough to wade in here, and James was just about to ask what exactly it was that they were doing, when a squeal startled him.

  "ELLIE!!!  You don’t know how pleased I am to see you!" It was a rather irate Felicity.  "James!  Remus!  Where’s Sirius?" She asked frowning. 

  "Guarding Dumbledore’s office with Cee and Peter." Remus told her.  "Where’s Lil?"

  "This is not the time for pleasantries!" she retorted.  "Some of us have been freezing in this, well, I’m not sure exactly what it is, but all we want to do is get back to Hogwarts.  But Hi Remus, how are you Remus, thanks for coming, now we can go!"  Remus laughed at her reply.  Then he frowned.

  "We have a minor problem," he began.  "We left our brooms on the other side of that," gesturing towards the watery expanse, "so we’re actually stranded."

  "Or not." Lily replied.  "Honestly, don’t you listen to anything.  We spent a whole lesson on summoning charms and the one time they have a practical use, you act defeatist."

  "Oh.  Yeah.  Accio broom!" Remus spoke the charm, and his broom returned to him.  Ellie and James did the same.

  "Okay, peeps, Lil, Flick, you need to share a broom with someone else." Ellie informed them.  "Flick, you can fly mine if you like, you’re better at it than me."

  "It’s not hard to be better than you." Lily told her, lightly.

  "I wish I could say the same about you, but sadly it’s not true." Ellie stated sorrowfully.  "I’d have offered to let you. but I thought you’d like to spend time with him." she jerked her head towards James, smiling. 

          They all settled on to the three brooms, and then they were off.  It was beginning to get dark, but the sky was clear, and the stars were bright.  As they traveled, Lily grew drowsy in James’ arms, and by the time they reached Hogwarts, she was half asleep.  He shook her gently.

  "Lily!  We’re back!"

  "Leave me alone!" she muttered, eyes closed.

  "Lily!  Come on Lil, we’ve got to go in!  It’s freezing out here!"

  "You might as well try and wake the dead for all the good that’s doing!" Ellie exclaimed.  She grabbed her friend’s hand and squeezed it, before pulling a lock of hair.  Lily’s eyes opened, and she blinked a couple of times to focus.  "Easy when you know how!" Ellie smirked at James.

  "What the- never mind!" and so they straggled into the entrance hall where they were met by a grim looking Sirius.  He smiled when he saw them.

  "Good!  You’re back!" But then he frowned again.  "Peter, Ellie and I have seen Dumbledore.  We’re to go straight to bed, and he’ll see us in the morning."

  "Did you get Zephyr?" Flick asked, anxiously.

  "Lets’ just say we got a little more than we bargained for." Sirius replied grimly.  One look at his face told the others they would get nothing more from him, so wordlessly they entered the Gryffindor Tower, and went to bed.

Chapter 18

          The next morning the girls were the first down to breakfast.  All of them looked tired, Lily and Flick both had huge dark circles under their eyes, testimony to the nightmares they had indulged in.  But in spite of this, all were incredibly cheerful, as they helped themselves to sausage, bacon, and eggs.  When the boys turned up they smiled at them.

  "Tired boys?" Flick asked, genially. 

  "Fine thanks." Remus informed her.  "Slept like a log."

  "We noticed." Cee told him.

  "How?" Sirius demanded.

  "Hey, you guys aren’t the only ones to enter other peoples’ dormitories uninvited." Lily informed them.  "We just thought we’d take a peek, and maybe get a picture or two!"

  "You didn’t- You couldn’t-"James stuttered.

  "Oh, but we did." Ellie cackled, gleefully. "You looked incredibly sweet.  On, and Peter, what’s your bear called?"

  "My-!  You know-!  I’ll-!" He stuttered.

  "Don’t worry about it." said Cee, feeling sorry for him.  "Lily still has all of her teddies."

          After breakfast, they made their way to Dumbledore’s office, seemingly happy, if not without trepidation.  At the door, Lily paused and turned to Sirius, inquisitively.

  "So what happened yesterday?" she asked.

  "I suggest we go in, and I have no doubt Dumbledore will make us tell you." he replied.  They piled into the study, and Dumbledore greeted them.

  "Ah!  You’re here then!  Marvellous.  Right, after yesterday’s events, perhaps you should explain what it was you were doing.

  "We told you about what we suspected ages ago," Lily began.  "But we weren’t sure that you’d take us seriously, so we investigated for ourselves.  And we found out that Flick was involved in a plot to discredit you.  And we found out when it was going to happen, so we planned to prevent it."

  "I take it that events didn’t go quite to plan." Dumbledore stated.

  "You could say that." Flick told him.  "Lily and I ended up in a castle somewhere, and then this woman, Gretl told us her plan, and said I had to forge some documents, because I’m good at copying other people’s handwriting." she blushed as she said that.

  "You’d never use that gift for illegal purposes of course."  Dumbledore said, smiling.

  "Of course not." Flick agreed.  "Well, anyway I said no, and she said I had to, and I said I didn’t have to do anything.  So she said that she’d hurt Lily, but I still said no, and so she did.  And when she realised that neither of us were going to give in, she said that she would kill her.  And she wasn’t joking, so I agreed.  And so I did her forging, and then she gave me a dose of the unforgivables, and then we were locked up in a cell...." and Flick told the entire story of their escape.  "...and Sirius said we had to see you this morning, so here we are."

  "So, Mr. Black, Mr. Pettigrew, Miss Hall." Dumbledore began.  "What did you do while your friends were on their mission of mercy?

  "After James said that Sirius should stay here, we all carried on waiting, because we knew that eventually Zephyr would turn up and try to frame you.  We must have been there for hours, and then we saw two people in black.  Well obviously we were surprised - we were only expecting one.  Still, they didn’t know the password to your office, and one of them had this thing that she held up to the portrait and it just froze."

  "Brentry key." Dumbledore informed her.

  "Yes, well, we couldn’t let them get in.  We’d seen you go out, of course, so we knew there’d be no resistance, so we stunned them, and then we got you, and you put them in that room.  And that’s it." She finished.

  "Quite true.  Perhaps we should have Gretl and Zephyr tell their story.  I am particularly interested in why Miss Howkins did it."

          Dumbledore left the room, and a minute later re-entered, accompanied by Zephyr and Gretl.  Lily shrank back against James, and Flick gasped.

  "You!" Gretl spat at Flick.

  "Me." Flick agreed.  "Well, you didn’t honestly think I’d let my best friend be half killed by you, and undergo a bit of it myself without some kind of justice. Did you?"

  "You call this justice.  This is false imprisonment.  If it wasn’t for you and you friends-"

  "Professor Dumbledore would be in Azkaban." Flick finished her sentence.  "Clearly we don’t agree on what justice is."

  "Thank you Miss Evans." Dumbledore said, calmly.  "Gretl, Zephyr.  Why?"

  "You." Gretl said, and the one word was filled with hate.  "You ruined my whole life in one blow.  I was getting married in a week.  And suddenly my world came tumbling down.  My fiancé was defeated, disappeared.  His supporters deserted me.  One day I was the most powerful woman in the world, I had everything I ever wanted.  The next I was desperate.  I wanted you to feel what it was like to be desperate.  You ruined my life.  I wanted to ruin yours."

  "Eloquently put." Dumbledore observed.  "I’d guessed as much.  But why you Miss Howkins.  You had everything going for you. 

You’ve only been out of Hogwarts for one year."

  "I’ll tell you why." the girl spoke softly.  "Three months after I left school, I fell in love.  With Sam Grindelwald.  Grindelwald’s nephew. 

He was part of the neo-lead group.  He was funny, clever, nothing you would associate with the Dark Arts.  And I loved him.  I’d have married him, you know.  But he never got the chance to ask.  Because he was involved in a faction uncovered by hit wizards.  Sam once said to me he’d rather die than go to Azkaban.  I didn’t believe him.  But it was almost as if he knew.  Because he would have gone to Azkaban.  He never got the chance to choose though.  One of the other members of the faction killed him.  My beautiful Sam, he was dead.  And he was working to clear his family name.  He believed Grindelwald was good, deep down.  And when he died, I felt that I should take his place.  I didn’t join for the cause.  I joined in the name of love.  And I did as I was told, because that is what I was told to do.  And now, I suppose I’ll be in Azkaban.  But it doesn’t matter.  Not anymore."

          Dumbledore nodded at the eight seventh years, and they left the office.  When they reached the Gryffindor Common Room, James turned to Lily.

  "You don’t support any illegal movements, or have any skeletons in your closet, do you?"

  "Why did you want to know?"

  "Because what she did was all in the name of love.  And I didn’t want to think that it might happen to me."

  "Do I look like I dabble in illegal business?" Lily asked matter of factly.

  "No, you look tired." and he ducked before she could hit him.

Chapter 19 - In The Astronomy Tower

          After the hype surrounding the Lead case died down, the marauders went back to marauding.  They might have been at the top of the school, and old enough to know better, but as James told Lily when she reminded him of this, life should always be fun.

          One night, however, two figures met up in the Gryffindor common room, and it was certain that they weren’t intent of mischief. 

Before they left, they vanished, reappearing only when they reached the Astronomy Tower.

  "I can see Venus." Lily remarked, peering through a telescope.

  "I don’t believe you’re star gazing."

  "Neither do I.  I don’t believe that I got up at one o’clock in the morning to come and stargaze with you, either.  What did you put in my dinner before you suggested it?"

  "And agreement curse." James said grinning at her.

  "Ha ha.  Very funny." Lily was sarcastic. Then she frowned.  "But why are we here?"

  "Because I wanted to talk to you.  And because it’s light in here without any sort of fire, with all the stars."

  "So what do you want to talk about?" Lily asked, settling herself in a chair.

  "Life, the world, the universe in general." came James’ reply, as he sat across the table from her.

  "Quite a big topic, don’t you think?" Lily smiled at him.

  "Okay, seriously, what are you doing when we leave school?"

  "Going home." Lily told him, deadpan.

  "I’m killing myself with laughter.  You know exactly what I mean."

  "Not really, no.  I plan to get a job, like anybody else.  And I plan on getting a house.  And if you’re agreeable, maybe I’ll see you occasionally."

  "Fair enough.  So will you live by yourself?"

  "No.  With Flick.  We’re going to get a flat together in London, near to where she is.  That way we’ll both be fairly close to our parents. 

And talking of parents-"

  "We were?" James asked.

  "We are now." Lily informed him.  "When do I meet yours.  I write to them, they write to me-"

  "They do?"

  "You can tell her then." Lily replied.  "Have we finished yet?  I’m tired!"

  "No.  I want to show you something."

  "What?"

  "Look." James manipulated the telescope, and Lily peered into it.

  "Wow!  When did you see that?"

  "Ages ago.  Pretty isn’t she.  You don’t see then very often.  They’re supposed to bring you good luck." James smiled, satisfied.

  "You think you need it?" Lily asked.

  "Nah!  I’ve got you.  What could be more lucky than that?"

  "You know, sometimes I think I’m in love with you." Lily whispered.

  "You know, I think the same about you, all the time." he replied, before kissing her lightly.  "Come on - we should get back."  He took Lily’s hand, and they disappeared under the invisibility cloak, before hurrying back to their dormitories.

          As she climbed back into bed, Lily smiled.  James might not have been the most romantic of men, but he did have his good points. Then she frowned.  Did he mean it when he said he loved her, or was he just joking?  It didn’t sound like her was joking, but then, Lily knew James.  She also knew that he was a very good actor.  But then again, she decided, he probably did mean it.  Why else would he talk to her at one o’clock in the morning about life after Hogwarts.  He only usually got up in the middle of the night if he was pulling a prank. Bad thought.  So she rolled over, and went to sleep.

          James also smiled.  Sometimes he thought that perhaps Sirius was right.  Lily and he were made for each other.

Chapter 20 - Lost Map

          The Gryffindor seventh years had a penchant for mischief.  The girls were as bad as the boys, only more subtle.  Consequently, the boys were blamed for the girls misdeeds.  And James, Sirius, Peter, and Remus had a mischief making accessory that made life so much easier for them.  The Marauders Map.  They had made it themselves in the previous year, and it was a companion on the majority of their outings.  One lunchtime, when the girls were visiting Hagrid, the boys decided to plant dungbombs in the Slytherin Common Room.  The map made this easy.  The school was riddled with secret passages, and one led directly from the corridor outside the Gryffindor Common

Room into the Slytherin Common Room.

  "Have you got the map?" James asked Sirius impatiently, and they squeezed under the invisibility cloak.

  "Yep.  The Slytherins are going to love this, Prongs my friend.  Come on Moony, we’ve got to go!"

          Remus joined them, and the four boys entered the secret passage.  Once inside, they shrugged the cloak off, and James pocketed it.

  "I bet the Slytherins don’t know about this!" Peter said to Remus.  "If they did-"

  "They don’t though.  James, who’s actually planting these things?"

  "Padfoot.  It was his idea.  Besides, they never blow up on him."

  "Blame Flick for the last one.  It was her idea." Sirius laughed.  "You should have seen your face!"  They were referring to an incident when, while he was planting Dungbombs in Severus Snape’s dormitory, one of them exploded on him.  Needless to say, the Remus, Sirius and Peter had been hysterical, while James was less than amused.

  "I don’t care.  You’re doing the bombs." James told Sirius.

  "Ah well, if you insist." Sirius grinned.

          Everything went to plan - the boys were well out of the way by the time the dungbombs exploded.  They reached the main corridor when Sirius started searching his pockets.

  "What’s up?" James hissed at him.

  "I can’t find the map!" Sirius hissed back.

  "Nice one Sirius!" James hissed.  "Now what’re we going to do?"

  "It’s not my fault!"

  "You had it!"

  "Well I don’t now."

  "I realise that!" James sighed.  "I suppose arguing’s not going to bring it back.  We’re never going to live this down!"

          When they were back in the common room, the girls greeted them.

  "Why’re you looking so glum?" Flick asked, brightly.

  "Sirius dropped the map, and now Filch has it!" Peter informed them.

  "He did what?" Lily exclaimed.

  "It’s all right, he couldn’t work it in a million years!" Remus assured her.

  "Just as well." Lily informed them.  "Because if he could, there’d be no more night time rambles, no more jokes no more extra food no more-"

  "I think we get the picture." Flick said to her.  "I just don’t believe you lost it.  That map was every mischief makers bread and butter, and now it’s gone!"

  "Thanks for that Flick!" Sirius growled.

  "My pleasure!"

Chapter 21 - Reign of Terror

        The summer term was progressing swiftly, and all too soon the eight mischief makers would be undergraduates no more.  As they considered career options, one thing became abundantly clear.  The world was fast becoming an unsafe place.  Lord Voldemort was rising fast, even for him.  The threat he posed was so well publicised that none but the most naive believed that he was anything other than dangerous.

        Lily, James, Flick, Sirius, Remus, Cee, Ellie and Peter were all studying hard for their NEWT’s.

  "I’m never going to pass!" Peter moaned at one point.

  "You have to." Cee said, shortly.  "Come on Peter, optimism!  If you don’t believe in yourself, nothing will happen. 

There are enough people in the world who are prepared to put you down, without you helping them!"

  "Not you too!" Flick exclaimed.  "James, Remus, have you been giving them pessimism potions?"

  "Not that I know of!" James grinned.

  "First and foremost, we are not going to lose touch.  Especially not you boys.  You’re like this!" she crossed her fingers.

 "Besides, if you don’t get together, you’ll all get boring."

  "So what are you planning on doing?" Ellie asked, curiously.

  "I’m not sure." Flick told her, honestly.  "I mean, being an Auror, that would be fantastic, but it’s risky.  And I’m not good with risky."  Lily nodded her head at that.  "Lily de-ah!  Your supposed to argue with that!  Anyway, I don’t want to go into the Ministry.  They’re just a bunch of incompetents pretending that they know what they’re doing.  On the other hand, I quite fancy going into medicine."

  "I pity your patients!" James laughed.  "If they say one thing wrong, you’ll poison them!"

  "I would not!  Anyway, what’re you going to do?"

  "I am going to be start a League Against Voldemort, and then detain all his supporters." James replied.

  "Not ambitious at all then!  And don’t you think that perhaps there already is a League Against Voldemort?"

  "Well if there is then I’ll join that." James told her seriously.  "Look at what he does, apart from go on and on and on about being ‘pure’ blood.  That’s a joke!  Seventy five percent of the wizarding population have muggle ancestors of one description or another, and Squibs usually marry muggles.  And I heard that he’s a half-blood."

  "And Remus, Peter and I will be doing exactly the same." Sirius informed the girls.  "We talked about it the other day."

  "I’m going to be a writer." Cecelia told them, excitedly.  "And then I’ll be able to report on your guerilla warfare."

  "Right." Sirius was dubious.

  "Look, don’t worry!  I’m not going to make you sound bad or anything." Cee assured them.  "I’ll just tell it how it is."

  "Lil’s dead set on Charms." Ellie announced.  "And I’m going to make the most of a huge inheritance and do nothing."

  "Really?" Cee asked, astonished. 

  "Well, not exactly.  I’m going to work for free, voluntary work you know.  I thought I’d go into tactics."

  "Right." Cee nodded her understanding.  There was no need to say who it was that Ellie was going to work as tactician for, it was blantantly obvious that she was another of Voldemort’s enemies.

        A few days later the exams were over and done with, and there was only a week left of school.  The eight of them were laughing by the lake when Professor McGonagall arrived.

  "Miss Evans.  I need to speak to you in my office."

  "Alright Professor." Flick grimaced at her friends behind Professor McGonagall’s back, and followed her into the castle.

  "I wonder what all that was about?" Lily said, looking after her friend, anxiously.

  "Ah, Flick’s probably pulled off another prank, and McGonagall’s hauling her over the coals."

  "I don’t think so.  She’d have told one of us if she was plotting something.  Perhaps something’s wrong."

  "Stop being such a fusspot Lil." Ellie said, genially.

        Flick entered Professor McGonagall’s office, confused.  As far as she knew, she had done nothing to warrant a visit

to her head of house.  Still, anything was possible.

  "Miss Evans?" The tall man quizzed her.

  "Felicity Evans.  That’s me." She informed him.

  "Miss Evans, I’m not really sure how to tell you this.  There’s no easy way to do it-"

  "What do you mean?" Flick asked, hoping against hope that the news wasn’t bad.

  "Miss Evans.  My name is Gerald Hilinas and I’m a Hit Wizard, as you may have gathered.  I’m terribly sorry, but your parents are dead."

  "No. You’ve got it wrong.  My mother died years ago.  Daddy Daddy’s still alive, he promised he’d stay alive."  Felicity whispered in anguished tones.  Hilinas looked at Professor McGonagall inquisitively.

  "Felicity’s mother died when she was five.  It was her father and step-mother." the Professor explained.

  "I see.  Miss Evans, I know this is hard for you, but there’s more.  Your father and step-mother were murdered by Voldemort-"

  "What about Kat?" Flick choked.  "My baby sister."

  "There was a baby in the garden.  She was sleeping when we arrived, which is probably why she did not perish.  How many people know about her?"

  "Only my friends, Mags and Dad.  Dad said I wasn’t to tell the world, that there were bad people out there."

  "Your father was a wise man Miss Evans.  Did you know he was working against Voldemort?"

  "No." Felicity said bluntly.  "He never told me about his work - he said it was top secret."

  "Your father and step-mother were murdered because of your father’s involvement in the fight against Voldemort.  I understand how hard this must be for you, but we need to talk about arrangements.  Your sister-"

  "I’ll look after her."

  "But-"

  "Look, she’s lost her mother and father, and I’ve lost mine.  She’s the only relative I’ve got left, and if you think I’m going to let some stupid authority put her in an orphanage, you’ve got another thing coming.  I have one week left until I graduate, and then I’m spending a year at MedSchool.  I’m commuting, so I’ll be home at night and in the morning.  My friend, Lily Trevallion is sharing a house with me, I’m sure she’ll keep an eye on Kat when I’m not there."

  "But you’re too young!"

  "People younger than me have the same sort of problems.  I’m eighteen.  Old enough to marry.  And Kat and I will stay together if I have to defy every law in this country to achieve it.  I’m glad that’s settled.  Good day, Mr Hilinas."  And

Felicity fled from the room before they could see the tears running down her face.  She ran and ran, and eventually reached her favourite haunt, a secluded tree in the Forbidden Forest.  Once she was ensconced in it’s branches, she

gave way to grief, and cried her heart out for the father who had been everything to her, and the step-mother who had never tried to mother her, rather to be her friend.

        Lily found her there and hour later, still shaking with sobs.

  "Flick?  What’s the matter?" she asked softly.  The red eyed girl in front of her was not the Felicity of laughing eyes she knew.

  "Daddy- Daddy- He’s- Lily, he’s-"

  "Something’s wrong with your father?" Lily asked.

  "He- He’s dead Lily.  Him and Mags.  Murdered.  By Voldemort.  It’s only Kat and I left."

  "Flick!  I’m so sorry!  I had no idea!  Look, you can’t stay here.  Let’s get back to the castle, and I’ll take you to the

hospital wing.  Madam Flooey will know what to do."

        When Flick joined the others the next day her eyes were still red and swollen, and her face grave and sorrowful. 

But they were supportive, and she knew that in time the ache would get better.

Chapter 22 - End Of Term

        The end of term rolled up in no time.  For the seventh years it was the last time they would ever see their school as a student.  In a way, it was exciting, but it was also with regret that they sat down to the feast.

        Gryffindor had won the House Cup, by a landslide, due in the main to points that the eight mischief makers had earnt when they had foiled the Lead Group’s plan to discredit Dumbledore.  After the speech and food was over and done with, it was time for the final night in Hogwarts.

        The next day saw eight people once again squeezed into one compartment.  Flick was sandwiched between Lily and Sirius.  She wasn’t going home.  Lily had come up with a solution to her problem with her sister and her work.

  "Flick, come and stay with my parents and I, until we can find a house.  Mum’ll look after Kat.  She’s a dab hand with babies.  And you can’t go back to your house, there’re too many memories.  You’ll have to go back someday, but someday isn’t now."  So Felicity was joining Lily in her house in Kent.

  "It’s weird you know," Lily began.  "I mean, seven years I’ve been waiting for this day, and now its come, I wish I could have those seven years all over again."

  "Yeah, but think of all the years you’ve got ahead of you.  I mean, this time next year you could be married and have children." Cee grinned wickedly at James.

  "Wait up!  Who said anything about children?" Lily asked.  "Kat will be plenty for now, thank you very much.  More to the point listen to you wishing my life away!  Didn’t you ever think that perhaps I want to be young, free and single forever?"

  "The only problem I can see with that is that you’re not single.  Besides, you’re the marrying type."

  "Stop!  Stop it!  I AM NOT GETTING MARRIED!!  OKAY!!!  Good.  Now, if you’ll excuse me!" Lily left the apartment in a huff.

  "Come on James!  Hurry up and pop the question!" Sirius teased.

  "I don’t know what you’re talking about." James replied, loftily.

  "Pull the other one.  I need to know when you’re planning on marrying her so I can save for the present."

  "Shut up Sirius!!  Weren’t you listening?  She wants to be young free and single for the rest of her life."

  "Yeah, and my name’s Albus Dumbledore!" Sirius snorted.

  "It is?" Lily asked from the doorway.  "And I always thought it was Sirius!"  there was an edge of sarcasm to her tone.

  "Ah, Lily darling, I believe Jimbo over there has something to ask you."

  "What?"  Lily demanded.

  "Nothing." James said, hurriedly.  "Ignore Sirius, he mad."

  "James, he’s always been mad."

  "Oh." 

        They sat chatting companiably for a while, and then Cee shrieked.

  "I’ve just realised!  We can do magic even when we’re not at Hogwarts."

  "Cee, where’ve you been for the last half a century?" Flick asked.  "Of course we can.  As long as it’s legal." She sent a warning glare to the boys.

  "But all the fun stuff is illegal!" Sirius whined.

  "What did I say?" he cried.

  "Oh, Flick, I thought I’d better mention Petunia." Lily said, hurriedly.  "She sent me a letter, and let’s just say I’m not her

favourite person right now.  So if she’s rude to you, just ignore her.  I do.  It’s easier."

  "Why does your sister have this complex?" Remus asked, curiously.

  "If I knew then she wouldn’t have one." Lily informed him.  "It doesn’t matter.  She’ll probably disown me sooner or later."

  "Such a happy family." Peter muttered sarcastically.

  "Pardon?" Lily turned on him.

  "Nothing." He smiled at her.

  "Yeah right, I believe you." she came back.

        Eventually they reached Platform 9*.  Slowly they disembarked.  Lily stood for one last look at the train.  It was old fashioned, quaint, yet she cared for it far more than any of the modern muggle trains.  To her it meant Hogwarts, and she wasn’t going to forget that in a hurry.  Then she and Flick moved their lugguage through the barrier and joined the muggle world once more.  Waiting for them were Lily’s parents and Katherine.  Lily flung herself on to her parents, and Flick seized the eleven month old baby.

  "Fee!" the strawberry blonde haired, cobalt blue eyed child cried.

  "Kat!  How’re you doing sweetie?  Having a good time?"  The little girl just flung her arms around her sister.  Lily meanwhile was talking animatedly to her parents.  The five of them made their way to the Trevallion’s car.

        They arrived at the pretty cottage nestled in countryside.  This was Lily’s home, but now it was Flick’s too.  Lily’s parents made sure of that.  She had started with calling them Mr and Mrs Trevallion, but Lily’s mother had soon put a stop to that.

  "I hope you don’t mind, but Kat calls us aunt and uncle.  You can too if you like, or we’ll just be Evie and Hugo.  It’s up to you." Flick, grateful for the gesture that made her a member of the family adopted her sister’s strategy, and ‘Aunt’ Evie and ‘Uncle’ Hugo made her very welcome.  She had Petunia’s room as her own.  Evie had said that Petunia wouldn’t need it, and as Lily needed hers, and the spare room had become Kat’s nursery it made sense for Flick to have the remaining room.  It was smaller than her room in her father and step-mother’s house, and still decorated to Petunia’s rather garish taste.  Lily had offered to help her paint it, however, so it would soom be Flick’s room.

        Within a week of the holidays Felicity truly belonged in the Trevallion household.  Evie was prone to asking her to fetch the post, and Kat toddled around as if she owned the place.  The entire community of the house worshiped her, and she adored being the centre of attention.  She was very close to Flick, and her sister was glad of that.  Because she and Kat would always be Evans’ even if they were adopted Trevallion’s.

Chapter 23 - NEWT Results

        Lily woke early one morning at the beginning of August.  Her sunshiny room was light and airy, but she dragged herself out of bed, and made her way to Felicity’s.  At the doorway she paused to smile.  When it had been Petunia’s room, Lily had never troubled to enter it.  But since Flick had taken over, it seemed she spent more time there than in her own room.  She could hear gurgles from inside which meant Flick was up, and Kat was with her.  She pushed the door open, and looked around the pale blue room.  Flick smiled at her.

  "Morning Lil!  You’re up early aren’t you?"

  "I couldn’t sleep.  Too nervous."

  "You worry about everything!" Flick laughed. 

  "I do not.  Aren’t you worried?"

  "Petrified!" Flick grinned.  "But we’ll be fine.  It’s a good thing I’m here.  If you’d have woken Aunt Evie up she’d end up in the nearest hospital.  Lily Trevallion out of bed early on a day she could sleep."

  "Ah, shut up!" Lily laughed.  She chatted for a while, then left Flick to it, and went and got dressed.  At half past seven

Lily, Felicity and Katherine joined Lily’s parents at the kitchen table.

  "Morning girls!" Evie called chirpily, stacking toast in the rack, and stirring scrambled eggs haphazardly.  "Lil, go and get your father.  He’ll be late for work if he doesn’t hurry.  Flick, I don’t suppose you’d be an angel and get the post? 

Thanks!  And how’s Kat this morning?  Hungry darling?  Look!  You can have some porridge, okay."

        Lily and Felicity left the cosy kitchen to do as they were bidden, and Kat was placed into an old fashioned highchair, and fed porridge.

  "‘Dear Felicty, I am worshipping you from-’ Lily, you never said that you had nutcases living around here.

  "We don’t!" Lily said, smiling.  "Here, let me see." She took the letter glanced at it, and then smirked at Flick.  "It’s from Sirius.  It’s a wind up.  Now eat your breakfast."

        They had just about finished, and were doing the washing up when an owl arrived, bearing a letter with the

Hogwarts seal.

  "They’re here then." Lily said gloomily.

  "Shall we open them together?" Flick was nervous.   

  "Might as well.  Then you can pick up the pieces!"

  "Lily, you know as well as I do that you did fine."

  "So did you.  Come on, we might as well get the worst over and done with!"

        They ripped open the envelopes, and Flick looked at Lily in delight.

  "Six.  Damn good I say!  Most people only get four!"

  "Seven.  What did I get that you didn’t?"  Felicity peered at Lily’s paper.

  "Muggle studies.  You’d think I ‘d manage something like that!  My mum was a muggle, for goodness sake!"

  "She did die when you were five, Flick.  You have been living a pureblood lifestyle for twelve years."

  "True.  If I did it again now though, I bet I’d do better.  It’s living here."

  "I’ll never forget mum’s face when you tried to fry eggs in the toaster!" Lily went off into peals of laughter.  "Honestly, it was priceless."

  "Lil, lets face it, Professor Jordan was a complete disaster.  I doubt he has ever worked a muggle appliance in his life. 

Is it any wonder that I didn’t pass?"  Professor Jordan had been the muggle studies professor, a pureblood, and a clueless pureblood at that!

  "Not really." Lily admitted.  "I wonder how the others have done?"

  "Well, as we’re not likely to see them for a while, we’ll have to rely on good old Morgana to keep us informed." Morgana had been Felicity’s father’s owl, and when he had died, had been left to her.

  "Poor thing!" Lily exclaimed.  "Last time we sent her to Sirius she was there for a week, and when she came back, she was rather the worse for wear!"

  "What did you expect?" Flick retorted.  "He’d spent the week trying out various enchanted owl pellets on her, although why he couldn’t use his own owl, I don’t know."

  "Somehow, I don’t think she’d be appreciative if we’d tried sending her to any of the boys.  On the other hand, I suppose we could wait.  It’s only a fortnight until graduation, after all."

  "Thank the stars!" Flick exclaimed.  "Then it’s only a month until I’m off to med school, and what’ll you do then?"

  "Join the boys." Lily said, simply.

  "Pardon?" Flick looked at her curiously. 

  "Join the boys." Lily repeated.

  "I see your point - you poor thing!  All day every day with those four madmen.  I can’t say I envy you."

  "I ‘spect you’ll envy me even less when I come to you for repairs." was Lily’s cynical reply.

  "You’d better not.  Aunt Evie and Uncle Hugo would freak!  So would Kat, and so would I!  Understand?"

  "Loud and clear sarge!" Lily mock saluted.

  "And don’t you get cocky young lady!" Felicity laughed.  It was a routine the two of them often went through, one taking the role of mother, the other of a naughty child, found with her hand in the biscuit tin.

Chapter 24 - Graduation

        A boiling hot day in the middle of August.  The Trevallions, the Dursleys, and the Evans, were all inmates of a moderate sized house near to Hogwarts for the week, on account of Lily and Felicity graduating.

        On the morning of graduation, Lily and Felicity were up early. 

  "Why oh why oh why?" Lily moaned, when Flick woke her.

  "Because sweetie, if we’re not there on time we have a minor problem."

  "And I’m supposed to care, why?"

  "Because honey, your meeting lover boy’s parents, and a great impression you’d make if you didn’t turn up!"

  "Oh - I’d forgotten about that...Flick!!"

  "What?" Felicity asked, patiently.

  "What about Petunia?"

  "What about her?"

  "She’s here."

  "Well duh!"

  "But she’ll hate everyone.  She hates me, and I’m her sister."

  "Nah.  She’ll get on just fine with Jimmy boy.  He’ll exercise his charm-"

  "What charm?" Lily asked.

  "And all will be well.  Besides, didn’t they meet at her wedding?"

  "Um, not exactly."  Lily said, smiling.

  "Okay!  Spit it out!"

  "We sort of, um, hid when she came in our direction." Lily’s reply was sheepish.

  "You’re hopeless."

  "Never mind.  Didn’t you say I had to get up?"

and Petunia Dursley travelled to the Scottish train station, where, at Platform nine-and-three quarters they took the train to Hogwarts. 

        The Great Hall was arrayed in regal splendour, the four houses colours hanging artistically around the walls.  The second they entered, Lily and Felicity were pounced on by Cee and Ellie.

  "Come and meet my parents!" Lily said, eagerly.  The two girls followed her to where the Tevallions and Katherine stood, looking rather bemused by the whole affair.

  "Mum, Dad, these and Cee and Ellie, my friends."

  "We’ve heard so much about you!" Evie Trevallion exclaimed.  "Lily and Flick sing your praises all the time!  How are you?"

  "Fine thank you Mrs. Trevallion.  Mr. Trevallion."  Ellie was at her most polite.  Looking at the Trevallion’s she could see that Lily got her Celtic good looks from her father.  "I’m terribly sorry, but we have to rush off - Dumbledore wants to see us."

  "What’ve you done now?" Lily grinned.

  "Wouldn’t you like to know." Cee replied, mysteriously.  And with that, the two girls disappeared.

  "How rude." Petunia said prissily.  "They could at least have said hello.  I mean, are Vernon and I invisible."  Lily hid her frustration.  As Petunia and Vernon had hidden behind her parents when Cee and Ellie approached, it was hardly surprising that they didn’t speak to her.

  "Sorry ‘Tunia.  They’ll speak to you later, I’m sure."

  "This place freaks me out." Was the sullen reply.  Lily gave up trying to be pleasant.  It was fighting a losing battle anyway.

  "You didn’t have to come!" she snapped.  "You just had to satisfy your curiosity."

  "And she wanted to meet James, Sirius, Remus and Peter." Flick added in an aside.  She had seen enough of Petunia

to work out her motives, and decided that the bony woman wanted to ensure that her little sister’s male friends weren’t merely figments of the imagination.

        Before Lily could reply, hands covered her face, and a voice whispered in her ear.

  "Guess who."

  "Grow up!" She muttered, pulling the hands away, and smiling at James.  "Where’s Sirius?"

  "Having an emotional reunion with Flick by the looks of things." He replied, pointing towards Felicity and Sirius. 

"Honestly, some things are not meant for public places."

  "Come on smarty!" Lily chastised him.  "We have to go and say hello to my lovely family, and move Kat before she sees a side of her beloved sister that babies were never meant to see."

  "Lucky me!" was the wry reply.  Still, he followed her, and greeted her parents.

  "Hello!  How are you?"

  "Fine thank you James, dear.  Goodness, you’ve grown.  You’re almost twice as tall as Lily!"

  "Don’t exaggerate Mum!" Lily exclaimed, blushing.

  "I’m not Lily love, it’s the truth."

  "Your fault mum, for giving me the wrong genes."

  "Don’t blame it all on your poor mother!" Mr. Trevallion smiled at his daughter.  "Your Great-great aunt Ethel was even shorter than you are!"

  "Poor woman!" Lily said in heartfelt tones.  "Come on Jimbo, ‘Tunia’s dying to meet you."

  "There’s not much fat on him is there?" She asked Vernon.  Lily glanced at James, and went off into a coughing fit, his face was such a picture.

  "He needs to do something about his hair." Vernon replied, studying James intently.

  ‘Sorry’ Lily mouthed at her boyfriend.  He rolled his eyes at her, and she didn’t miss the mischevious twinkle that suddenly graced them.

  ‘No," she mouthed.  James pulled a 'who me?' face, and then spoke to Petunia.

  "I know what you mean.  It’s absolutely hopeless.  Lil’s told me to brush it a million times, but you know, I have a phobia of hairbruses and combs, so it’s impossible.  Lovely to have met you.  Must go."  And he grabbed Lily’s hand, and pulled her away before going off into peals of laughter.

  "James Potter!" she exclaimed.  "You are the biggest liar on the face of the earth.  Honestly - ‘I’m scared of hairbrushes!’"  Suddenly Petunia squealed.

  "James!  What did you do?" 

  "Nothing." He said, too innocently.

  "Really?" came the polite reply.  Too polite.  "Then why is my sister running around, being chased by what seem to be an army of cornish pixes?"

  "Not guilty." James told her.  She glared at him.  "She deserved it." He amended.  "For calling you a freak."

  "I’m not even going to ask." she said wearily.

  "Good." came the self satisafied reply. 

  "James!" A middle aged man with bright blue eyes clapped his hand on James’ shoulder.  Lily looked at him, and saw where James’ captivating gaze came from.  This man, who was almost certainly his father had the same glint of hidden steel in them, and the mischievous light that was the only tell tale sign that James Potter was not as innocent as you would have him believe.  His hair, although unruly, was blonde rather than black.  "And you must be Lily!" the man smiled at her.  "I’m Edward Potter, James’ father.  My wife is over there, talking to Sirius’ mother.  Oh, and who did you use the foaloun hex on James?  It seems to be working rather well." Lily’s gaze hardened.

  "He used it on my sister." she said, precisely.  "And I had nothing to do with it."

  "He did-"

  "What’s he done now?  I’m Helena, by the way, his lordship’s mother." The short woman had grey-green eyes, but the same blue-black hair and features as her son.

  "He cursed Lily’s sister." her husband informed her.

  "He did what?  James Matthew Potter!  How many times have I told you not to curse people?  Especially not your future sister-in-law-"

  "Excuse me?" James blinked at his mother.  Fortunately for him, Lily had been dragged off by Felicity and Kat while his mother and father had been discussing his misdeeds.

  "Oh come on James!  I’m your mother!  I can read you like a book.  I knew exactly what you were thinking when you were two minutes old.  You love that girl, and you're going to marry her.  I know it!"

  "I have just realised the folly of having a mother who’s also a very proficient divinator." James informed his father. 

"Where’s Lil?"

  "A young whippersnippet with a baby dragged her off when your mother got as far as the ‘how many times have I told you...’ routine."

  "That would be Flick and her sister-" Any further remark on James’ part was cut off by a loud echoing yell.

  "Lily!  I’m going to kill you!  I must have been mad to agree to come to this freak house!" Petunia was clearly irate, and Lily was bearing the brunt of her anger.  All eyes turned to the centre of the great hall where two girls, one tall, skinny and blonde, the other short, slim and strikingly beautiful.  The latter was known to all those graduating as Lily Trevallion.  The identity of the other was unknown.  Lily faced her sister, and sparks seemed to emit from her eyes.

  "You didn’t have to come.  It’s not my fault you had to satisfy your morbid curiosity."

  "It is your fault that your freaky boyfriend has a warped sense of humour."

  "Well sister dear," Lily hissed, "you’ve known for a long time that our tastes differ.  I can accept that.  But I swear if you insult my friends once more, I’ll never speak to you again in my whole life."  She turned on her heel and marched off, pretty nose elevated.

  "Fiesty friend you’ve got there." Edward Potter remarked to his son.  "She’ll get on well with your mother."

        After Petunia’s outburst, graduation continued without incident.  As James’ father had predicted Lily and Mrs Potter got on like a house on fire, and the Trevallion’s and the Potter’s had a civilised conversation.  James, Sirius, Remus, Lily, Ellie, Flick and Cee were at the top of their year, surprising no one.  After all, in spite of their protests to the contrary, they were intelligent, nad once they put their minds to it, nothing was beyond them.

Chapter 25 - Lily and James

        After they graduated, Lily and James kept in regular touch, with the help of his owl, and her detailed instructions on how to retrieve muggle post.  They met up as often as they can, but it wasn’t until the Auror training classes began in

October that they saw each other for a prolonged length of time.

  "I thought you were doing Charms!" was James’ first remark on seeing Lily.

  "Nice to see you too!" she replied.  "Well someone had to prove that girls were just as good as boys.  Besides, I rather liked the sound of this.  It uses pretty much everything."

  "Right." was the flat reply.

        It was the beginning of December, and James and Lily were being sent on a practise assignment.  They were to pose as husband and wife, and they would meet with a couple in a league with Voldemort.  (As it was a training exercise, the Voldemort supporters were played by experienced Aurors.)  When Felicity heard of Lily’s assignment, she sent her an owl.

  ‘...Dumbledore clearly likes to stir the pot.  I hope you enjoy being Mrs Potter.  If your lucky, James might enjoy it too, and perhaps the two of you could make it permanent.  You’ve been acting like a married couple for ages, you might as well make it official...’

        And so, on a very cold December night, a train pulled up at a station in London.  Very few people alighted, but among them was a couple.  They could not have been more than eighteen.  The young man helped the dainty girl out of the carriage, and laughed at a remark she made.  His reply made her frown at him, before smiling, and kissing him on the lips.  Their teacher, who knew nothing of the relationship between two of his most promising students, gave them marks for making their cover story look authentic.

  "Well," James began, "I believe there’s a pleasant appartment waiting for out arrival."

  "Good.  I’m knackered." was Lily’s heartfelt reply.

  "Come on then, Mrs Amelia Blotterfield.  Let’s go home."

  "What did you call me?" she hissed in his ear.

  "Amelia Blotterfield.  It’s your code name.  Make the most of it sweetie.  It won’t last long.  And incidentally, you look better with red hair."  Lily had performed a simple hair dying charm to disguise her features, and the mahogany tresses made a stark contrast with her fair skin and green eyes,"

  "Well you look better when you shave." she informed him.  James had grown a beard, and affected a limp.  "That beard is prickly."

  "Sorry hon. You’ll have to get used to it."  James offered her his arm, and she took it smiling.  Together they left the station.

        Seven days and two young people, obviously together were having a showdown in the leafy grounds around the training school.

  "James, remind me never to go out with you again." Lily said hotly.

  "It wasn’t supposed to hit you!"

  "It wasn’t supposed to hit anyone!  You weren’t supposed to do it."

  "So I improvised."

  "Next time don’t!  You have no idea how much I hated having six extra arms."

   "Well, apart from that bit it was fun."

  "James, it wasn’t supposed to be fun.  We were tracking deranged  lunatics-"

  "I preferred it when it was supposed to be fun."

  "Yeah, it was great fun, spending a week in the hospital wing because your partner cursed you."

  "Well you have to admit it was kind of funny."

  "James, are you never serious?"

  "Sometimes."

  "Like when."

  "Like now."  After kissing her, he began to speak again.  "I reckon you’d make a good wife."

  "I know you’d make an awful husband, but do go on." she said, smiling wryly. 

  "And I’m not sure that I like the idea of you being someone else’s good wife."

  "I have to say that I’m not overly keen on you being anyone’s awful husband, but there we go."  

  "Lily, be serious."

  "This from you."

  "Okay, I give up.  If you’re not going to listen..."

  "I am." she said, softening.

  "Lily, listen.  I love you."

  "I love you too - when you’re not hexing me!"

  "What do you think about marriage?"

  "I wouldn’t say I’m against it."

  "Good."  He got down on one knee.  "So, Lily Trevallion.  Will you marry me?"  There was a pregnant pause.

  "Yes."

THE END