Chapter Thirteen: Time to Stop Running

*The moment Lily walked into the house, she was met by a shrill voice reprimanding her for coming home too early. But Lily took it in stride, quite used to it. She had even managed to build up enough self-esteem to fight it back mentally.

“I’m sorry Petunia, but I finished early and thought I’d come home early. I’m going up to my room, and I won’t be bothering you.”

“Fine. Not that it matters that much. Vernon isn’t home yet anyway; he’s still checking that house out. To live it Surrey! In a big house, with a nice neighborhood where there are no freaks like you…Privet Drive! Isn’t it the most smashing name for a street?”

“Wonderful. You aren’t still planning on selling this house, are you?” Lily narrowed her eyes. “After all, I was willing to live here and keep it up, and even pay taxes on it. And you can come visit the sea in the summer time, wouldn’t it be nice to make your new friends jealous of you for that?”

“Make them jealous?” Petunia’s eyes glazed over as she thought of the glee she would have rubbing it in her friend’s faces. Then she scowled. “You’d still be here. Not a very nice trade off.”

“I might not. As long as you keep the house in the family, I see no reason I couldn’t leave for the summer and let you have it all to yourself and your family.” Petunia said nothing. “Well, I’m going up now. Goodnight.” Lily finally made her way up the stairs.

Once she reached her room, she locked the door. The lights above her flickered, and then went out. Below her she heard Petunia yelp and begin to scream about bad circuit breakers, but she paid no mind. When Lily’s eyes had adjusted, she walked over to her bed and bent down. Lifting the mattress, she reached under, and carefully, as if she were scared a snake might bite her hand off if she moved too quickly. From beneath the futon she drew a large brass key. Taking the key, she then proceeded to sit cross-legged at the end of her bed, staring at the chest that loomed before her. Memories over the first night she had returned flooded back and washed over her.

Sighing deeply, Lily quickly pulled out her wand and waved it at the tiny chest she had brought with her. A few muttered words later, the tiny chest became larger, and she half smirked. Quickly she unpacked all of her muggle clothing, two of her only three muggle pictures, one of Sirius and Arabella, the other of Hagrid, Peter, and Remus. She left the third, one of herself and James, in the trunk. Then with a decisive nod to herself, she slammed the trunk shut, wand inside, and locked it. Putting the key underneath her mattress, she promised herself it was the last time she would ever pick up her wand.

She had felt so very sure that night that she would never pick up her wand again. But now… now the tealeaves, and the storm, not to mention the unexplained killings and that one mass murder that had occurred… it all made her feel as though the only thing to do was to pick up her wand and use it.

But what good would it do? She didn’t know where Voldemort was. She didn’t know who was with him, or how much stronger he had gotten since she had left the wizarding world. Obviously, much stronger, she reasoned, if he’d been able to commit a mass murder and get away with it. Lily sighed. This was not helping. She had made a promise to herself never to open that chest, never to touch her wand, ever again. A cold wind blew in beneath the cracks in the door, and Lily shuddered.

Gently, she lifted her hand, not knowing what possessed her to do so, and fingered the brass lock that held the chest shut closed. She inserted the key and turned it, hearing the definitive click that the lock made as it unlocked. Pulling the key out, she placed it on the floor and slowly lifted the top of the trunk.

Below her, Lily heard five loud bangs simultaneously go off, and then loud shouting. It almost sounded like, apparations? And the yelling, two men, not Vernon and Petunia. Finally, one loud phrase rang out amongst the other mutters: “Avada Kadavra!” Lily gasped. Without hesitation, she grabbed her wand and ran down the steps. When she reached the entry, she found the scene.

One robed wizard, keeled over, and one wizard robed in all black with a black hood up to cover his face. Lily gasped. A Death Eater! In her own house? How dare he! Her blood boiled with anger. First they killed her parents, and now they dare to defile her house and threaten what little remained of her family? How dare they!

“Lily!” Petunia screeched, running behind Lily, who remained stunned in a furious rage at the bottom of the staircase. The Death Eater then turned his sights on them.

“And now, for witnessing the crime I’ve committed in the name of the Dark Lord, you muggles will die as well!” He yelled. Petunia cowered, but Lily glared.

“How dare you! Accio wand!” Lily waved her wand, and with the flick of her experienced wrist, she disarmed the Death Eater. He stood, stunned. “Petrificus totalus!” Lily cried out again, this time body binding the Death Eater, who fell to lie flat on the ground besides the corpse of the man he had just slain. But the Death Eater fought the spell, and was able to move his mouth.

“You, you’re nothing but a muggle! How?” He spat, the top of his robe falling off to reveal and aging man with an upturned nose.

“My name is Lily Evans.” Lily told him coldly. The man sputtered.

“James Potter’s girl…”

“Right in one.” She glared. Petunia, seeing that the danger had subsided for now, stepped out from behind Lily.

“You mean to tell me you attacked our house, and you didn’t even know Lily was a witch?”

“Dirty muggle!” He spat. Lily looked at her wand. Then she pointed it at him and gave him a chilling smile.

“So many curses, not enough of you to try them all out. Insult my sister again, and you’ll find out why I graduated top of my class at Hogwarts. I may be a ‘mudblood’, but you are even filthier than I’ll ever be. While I’m only muggleborn, at least I’m not stained with the blood of hundreds of wizards and witches, only two muggles. You just killed a man in cold blood, don’t you care?”

“I’ll kill you too!” The man screamed. Try as he might, however, he remained bound to now movement. Lily set the spell to last, and then set her sights upon the wizard whom had been slain.

“You’ve just killed Joseph Yammer!” She gasped.

“Who?” Petunia cried.

“He’s just killed the assistant to the Minister of Magic!” Lily inhaled.

“I have a dead wizard lying on my floor!” Petunia cried.

“Petunia, snap out of it! I need you to calm down! I can’t think when you’re crying like that! Hysterics never helped anybody solve anything!” Lily finally barked. It was the first time she had ever raised her voice to her older sister, and it felt good. Petunia immediately stopped, and Lily sighed. “Better. Now, how about some light?” She muttered. Waving her wand and muttering, the room was suddenly lit as brightly as if it were daytime. The two women had to shield their eyes for a moment before they could see again.

“Petunia? I need to leave. I need to take these men to the proper wizarding authorities.”

“Good. Good riddance.” She snorted.

“And then I’ll be back for my trunk. I need to leave. And you, well, you’re leaving anyway, so it doesn’t make much difference. Look, I’ll be back, alright?” Lily sighed, then, wincing slightly, she lightly touched the corpse of the dead wizard with her left hand, and placed her right foot atop the Death Eater. He moaned, but could do nothing else.

“What? You can’t leave me here all alone!” Petunia gasped.

“Would you rather come to freak central in the wizarding world?” Lily asked crossly. Petunia nodded, and Lily blinked. Her sister was serious! This was beyond a miracle! Then again, she had just seen a murder—it was only logical she want to leave the sight of the murder, let alone stay by herself where it had been committed. “Fine. Grab my shoulder, I need my right arm free.” Lily closed her eyes and hoped that the group apparation spell she had been working on perfecting before she left worked.

In the blink of an eye, Lily arrived in auror headquarters, and was instantly swarmed by ten different people, all wondering exactly what had happened. Lily, who had had quite enough by now, glared around the room, and people instantly clammed up to hear what she had to say.

“This wizard I have captured is, most obviously, a Death Eater, and he is responsible for the death of Joseph Yammer, the assistant to the Minister of Magic.” She breathed. “Right in my own home… in front of my sister…” Finally Lily’s words began to sink in. The Death Eater was apprehended, and the body of the lifeless wizard was levitated and floated off to Saint Mungo’s, where they could prepare it for the proper burial.

“Lily?” Petunia asked. Lily looked over at her older sister, who seemed as white as a ghost at the moment, her eyes large with fear. “Why was that man killed?”

“Do you really even care Petunia? After all, we’re just freaks.”

“I just saw a man die. I want to know why.” Petunia whispered. Lily looked at her sister with an immense amount of pity in that moment. How ignorant of the real world her foolish, self-centered sister was.

“Alright, I’ll tell you. But you’ll have to swear on your life that you will never tell a living soul about this, understand?”

“Cross my heart.” Petunia made the motion of an ‘x’ over her chest, and then sealed it by kissing her fingers.

“In the wizarding world, there was one wizard that had an incredible amount of power and talent. But he decided that any wizards and witches that were not born from pureblooded wizard families, wizards and witches like me, should not be allowed to learn magic. He is on a quest to ‘cleanse’ the wizarding world of us, the trash. He thinks of muggles like you as slaves, inferior to him and his power.”

“What’s his name?”

“Most people are afraid to say it. He’s called the Dark Lord, or He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, or You-Know-Who, but his real name is Voldemort. Anyway. Voldemort has been gaining support for the last few years, and his followers are called Death Eaters.”

“That’s what you called the killer!” Petunia gasped.

“He was a follower of Voldemort who was sent to kill Joseph because he is—was— a key figure in the wizarding government. It’s like a slap in the face to the government to lose someone like Joseph.”

“What will happen to that Death Eater?”

“He’ll be tried, found guilty—they’ll feed him a truth potion that will make him tell the truth—and then sent to the wizarding jail, Azkaban.”

“Well, what if he escapes?”

“No one escapes Azkaban. Monsters called Dementors guard the prison. Dementors are almost like ghosts, except they drain the life, the happiness from you. You become weak and unable to move. And if they kiss you, you die. No one can escape from Azkaban, they never have, and never will.”

“Then I’m safe, going back home?” Petunia asked carefully.

“I’ll put a few charms and spells on the house to protect you, but yes, I’m fairly sure you’re safe.”

“I want to go home now.” Petunia pulled herself together and began to sound more as she had before—snobbish. “Take me home, now! What a bunch of freaks…”

“Fine.” Lily rolled her eyes, but clasped onto Petunia and waved her wand. As soon as Lily had reappeared, Vernon stepped through the door.

“Petunia my sweet!” He roared. Petunia smiled, though it was more reserved than usual.

“What Vernon dear?”

“Guess what I just closed the deal on? Privet Drive, she’s ours!” He yelled. Petunia jumped literally into his arms and hugged him tightly.

“Oh congratulations! Can we move in soon? Say tomorrow?” She asked, obviously relieved she might not have to spend more than one night in a murder home.

“Tomorrow? A bit soon, isn’t it?” Vernon’s nose twitched.

“Please? I can’t wait to meet the neighbors! Think of the entertaining we could do!” She chirped.

“Well, I suppose I’d best call the movers in the morning.”

“And we’ll put this old house up for sale instantly!” Petunia squealed.

“Petunia!” Lily gasped. “You can’t sell this house! It’s our family’s home!”

“Lily, listen to me: our family? It’s broken apart. Mother and Father are dead. You are a freak, and I have my own husband with needs I have to see to. Not to mention, I want nothing to do with this house any longer, is that understood?” She clipped, her voice full of double meaning when she spoke the last phrase.

“But I want this house! Just keep it, and I’ll send you the money for the taxes and everything, please!”

“No. This house is being sold.” Vernon cut it. “I need to make a profit somehow. It goes on the market tomorrow.” Lily looked from her sister’s face to Vernon’s. Then she rushed up the stairs. Quickly, she threw everything she could into the trunk at the foot of her bed and locked it. Then she shrank it, and holding it in one hand, and her wand in the other, she walked back down the stairs.

“Do as you wish.” She finally said. Then, without another word, she apparated.

>>>)(<<<

Arabella and Alice stood in their kitchen, wands in hand, aiming at a boggart that had been hiding in the closet for sometime.

“Just open the closet, let it out, and I’ll zap it!” Ara told Alice.

“No, you open the door, let it out, and I’ll do the zapping.” She argued.

“Alright, we’ll both do it. On the count of three. Ready? One, two, three!” Both girls jumped back as the boggart was released into the kitchen. First it became a giant snake with great fangs and scales. Alice jumped back, not wanting to go near the disgusting monster. Then the boggart morphed, and became a dead Sirius, with a blackened face and a noose around his neck. Ara burst into tears, and the boggart morphed once again into another person. This time it was Frank, only he was missing his arms, and his head lolled to one side, tongue sticking out between his teeth. Now both women were frantically trying to cover up their fear, and sobbing hysterically.

“Riddikulus!” A voice rang out loud and clear, dissipating the boggart instantly. Alice dropped to the floor, still heaving, with big teardrops rolling down her cheeks. Ara simply stood there, still howling.

“Come on Ara, don’t cry!” Lily cooed her best friend. “It was just a boggart, nothing more. Come on then, it’s all right. Si’s just fine! It takes more than that to kill a dumb mutt like him, huh?” Ara cracked a smile. Once Lily was sure Ara was fine, she moved to the floor. She only knew Alice by sight, but she had seemed like a nice enough girl back then.

“Alice, it’s really okay. I promise Frank is just fine. He’s like Sirius, you know? He’s got the nine lives of a cat! He can live through anything; don’t let some boggart trick you into thinking otherwise. Come on girls, pull yourselves out of it!” Lily clapped, and this time both Alice and Ara laughed through their tears.

“Thanks Lils.” Ara choked out.

“Yeah, thanks Lily.” Alice sniffed.

“Any time. Now, why don’t you two go sit down on the couch and get comfy? I’ll make us some good old fashioned popcorn, and we can watch a sappy romance, huh?” Lily gave them her best grin, even though she herself felt empty inside, and just as ready to burst into tears as they had been. The boggart had begun to take on one final shape before she had been able to stun it—James. Her insides felt twisted and mangled, and her heart ached the way she knew her friends’ hearts did, but she wouldn’t let it show. They needed her.

“Lils, how is it you always know what to do?” Ara asked as her tears dried up.

“I don’t, I only pretend I do. Go on, go sit and I’ll be there in a sec.”

“Okay.” They chorused. As they left the kitchen, Lily finished with rest of the boggart off, and then she began to pop the corn. Three seconds later, she was enveloped in the largest, tightest hug she had ever been in.

“Ara?” She whispered, gasping for air. *