InsaneJournal

August 24, 1996 - The third incident
Who: Lily, Sev
When: Late afternoon
Where: Halls / potions classroom
Rating: PG

Status: Closed, completed
Summary: Lily returns and retreats to the only place she feels is safe. Upon invading the potions classroom, she meets up with her former friend turned Death Eater, and a very awkward, uneasy conversation follows.



It had been a very interesting, very long journey. From her 'awakening' in the ruins of her home in Godric's Hollow, to the graveyard near the house - seeing her own grave had disturbed her very profoundly - to a lucky catch of the Knight Bus, to Hogsmeade, Lily had finally made her way to Hogwarts.

It was the only place she could think to go just then. Her home was a wreck, she didn't know where her friends were now, her husband was ... she assumed ... still decased. Her parents were long dead. She didn't know Petunia's address. The Order had surely relocated. Hogwarts though ... Hogwarts was still standing, still safe.

And still locked. Lily curled her fingers around the iron bars of the gate, absolutely certain that someone knew she was out here. It was simply a matter of waiting. "Hello?" she called out. "Hello, can anyone hear me?"

Hagrid had been on his way toward Hogsmeade, intending to have a drink or two before setting about his own start-of-term shopping, and he heard someone yelling down at the gate.

"Who the ruddy hell ..." he muttered as he peered curiously toward the young witch. Squinting against the setting sun, he frowned. Who was that? Someone roamed down from the village, likely. "What d'you want?" he bellowed as he started again toward the gate.

Lily cocked her head to one side. "Hagrid?" But who else would it be, that big, with a voice like that? "Hagrid it's me. It's Lily. Potter." In case, perhaps, there was some other redheaded Lily in his list of acquaintances.

Hagrid froze, then he laughed. "Yeah, all right. That's a good one, whoever y'are. Lily's been dead for a bit, hasn't she?" People simply didn't come back from the dead. They just ... didn't.

"I know," she called back. "I don't know how I'm here, either, but I didn't know where else to go! Please, can't you let me in? Is ... is Professor Dumbledore about?"

His expression shifted oddly before he hurried toward the gate. It did look like her. And sound like her. Stopping on the other side of the gate, he peered through the bars at her. Her eyes were the same, her hair ... she just looked a little tired. But far, far from dead. "Oh, dear..." he murmured before he hurried to unlock the gates. He pulled her into his arms, stroking her hair with a hand the size of her head, nearly crushing her small body against his own. "Lily," he gasped. "Lily, is it really?"

She laughed and sobbed and pushed lightly at his chest. "It is, it really is," she whispered.

"James?" he said as he glanced behind her as if he'd perhaps missed the wizard.

Lily shook her head and dropped her eyes. "I was ... I was alone when I ... woke up. Came back. I'm not sure ...what to call it. I don't know ... if ..." she frowned, then dropped her eyes. "But I'm sure he'll know to come here, if he ... if he does."

She licked her lips, then bit down on the lower one. "Hagrid," she murmured. "I don't know if you'd know ... but I ... I went to see our graves. Mine and James'." She hesitated. "Hagrid, where was Harry's? Why didn't they bury him with us?" She couldn't fathom why anyone would take her son and bury him somewhere else, somewhere away from her.

Hagrid gazed down at her, then frowned. "Well, of course y'wouldn't know!" he laughed softly before he took her hands. "Lily, Harry's alive. He's goin' t'school here, all alive an' well." Well, the 'well' was questionable, but he didn't think Lily needed to be burdened with that. Nor did he think he needed to be the one to tell her.

Her breath caught, and for a moment she thought her heart had actually stopped. Alive? Harry was alive? "Where?" she breathed. "Hagrid, where is he?" Her son, her son was alive?

"Well, he's er...he's stayin' with your sister. Dumbledore c'n give you all the details, like as not, but I don't think I'm the ... er... one to ... it's a long story, but ... but he's doin' good, Lil. Doin' amazin' things, really. Very brave, definitely your and James' son," Hagrid continued, nodding slightly. "C'mon though. Let's get you inside an' see what Dumbledore has t'say about ... well, everythin'."

____________________

Albus hadn't been in, so Lily had been subjected to a very flustered, very wary McGonagall. They'd provided her with a room and some money so she could go buy necessities - like a wand - when she was feeling up for it, and they'd discussed a few things. Like what to do with her now that she was back.

They'd both decided that, until Dumbledore had had a chance to weigh in, they were simply going to keep this quiet. No Ministry, no Prophet, and - despite Lily's protest - they weren't telling Harry quite yet. They'd tell him before he saw her, of course, but not yet.

After Lily had gotten settled into her room, she'd taken to wandering the castle. Feet carried her on familiar paths - to the Gryffindor tower first, though she couldn't get into the commons - then down through the classrooms.

Unsurprisingly, she found herself in the potions classroom, and she wondered if anyone would mind if she worked on something. Just to see how rusty she was. There were simple potions, after all. First year things. She could warm up with one of those, and go from there.

Besides, doing this, working on a potion, would help keep her mind off the unsettling way her world was flipped. She was no longer dead, and her son had been alive this whole time. Shaking her head, she moved to the storage cabinets to begin gathering ingredients.