Lily

Chapter Forty One:

Lily stepped out of the fireplace at 12 Grimmauld Place. It was dark and dreary there, and the atmosphere was depressing. Harry and Arthur appeared behind her, and soon they were taken to the kitchen to see the others.

"They're here!" Logan cried with happiness upon seeing the siblings.

She stood up and hurried over to embrace them.

"Oh, I've missed you!" Logan smiled.

"It's nice to see you two again." Remus agreed.

"Hi." Maya said from her spot at the table.

Lily didn't know Maya very well, but the woman seemed nice, and was of course a close friend of her mother's.

"Why don't you take a seat, Harry, Lil?" Sirius asked, pulling out the chair next to him.

"Sirius!" Harry smiled, taking the seat and embracing his godfather.

As Lily sat, she noticed Maya watching the exchange between Harry and Sirius with sad eyes and wondered what that was about.

"Are you hungry?" Molly asked, standing up to grab some food she had prepared for their arrival.

"I'm good, thanks." Lily said.

"Harry?" Molly inquired.

"No thank you Mrs Weasley."

Molly looked a bit sad at that, but sat down again nevertheless.

"I'm a bit surprised at you Harry." Sirius began, "I thought the first thing you'd do here was ask about Voldemort."

"Wait! You'll actually tell me?!" Harry asked.

"Absolutely not!" Molly interrupted before Sirius could say anything.

"You can't just go and say whatever you'd like." Maya glared at Sirius.

"She's still mad at me for something that happened thirteen years ago." Sirius explained to the twins.

"Do you want me to hex you?" Maya asked, drawing her wand.

"Maya!" Logan said.

"It's not me, it's him!" Maya said defensively, "He acts like a bloody idiot before getting arrested and thrown in jail for twelve years! Then, when he escapes he doesn't think, 'hey, maybe I should like Maya know I'm not the freaking traitorous murderer she was told I am'?!"

"Maya, I've apologized-" Sirius began, looking hurt.

"Yeah? Well, 'sorry' isn't enough!" She cried.

"Maya-"

But Maya stood up from the table.

"I need air." She said before leaving the room in a huff.

Sirius looked down at the table with a heartbroken expression on his face. Logan and Remus exchanged glances.

"She'll come around, Padfoot." Remus said.

"She just needs time." Logan agreed.

"I thought she wouldn't understand until I had proof. I couldn't have just gone to her!" Sirius exclaimed.

"We know." Remus said, "Just give her some time."

Sirius sighed and leaned back in his chair. Lily and Harry looked at each other, a bit confused about some of the events that Sirius and Maya referenced, but getting the gist of the conversation anyways.

"Why don't you two head upstairs? The other kids are waiting." Molly asked the Potters.

"I do want to know more, though." Harry insisted, "I was there when he came back, I deserve to know what he's doing now."

Lily paled at the mention of Voldemort's return.

"Why don't we tell him a bit?" Sirius asked.

"No!" Molly protested.

"Sirius is right to some degree." Remus sighed, "If we don't tell Harry anything he'll only hear it from skewed sources."

"But he's just a boy!" Molly cried.

"Molly." Logan said gently, "I think Remus is right."

"Fine." Molly said stiffly, "I see I am outvoted here."

She sat down next to Arthur and turned to Sirius with an intense gaze. Sirius ignored her and looked over to the twins.

"So what is it you two would like to know?"

"Where is he? What's he been up to? Have there been more deaths? I've been listening to the muggle radio, but I haven't heard much, and Aunt Petunia started getting paranoid about my sudden interest in the news."

"We don't know much." Sirius said, "But what we do know is that he has been working in the shadows. He hadn't gone out and killed anyone that we're aware of. He's waiting. You two weren't meant to survive that night at the graveyard, he was supposed to have more time."

Lily took a shaky breath in.

"I-I think I'll take my trunk upstairs now." She said, standing up.

"Do you want help?" Logan asked, concerned.

"It's fine, I've got it." Lily said.

She moved to leave but caught Harry's worried gaze.

"I'll be up in a minute." He promised.

Lily nodded and wordlessly left the room. Dragging her trunk up the stairs made a bit of noise, so soon Fred and George apperated to her side, scaring the living daylights out of her.

"Oh. My. Gosh. What are you doing, you nearly gave me a heart attack!" Lily said, clutching her chest.

The Weasley twins merely chuckled.

"We're here to help with your trunk." Fred said.

"We've passed out apperation tests!" George added as explanation for their sudden appearance.

"Congratulations." Lily smiled, "But please don't do that to me again!"

"No promises, lookout." Fred said.

"Lookout?" Lily echoed in confusion.

"Yeah!" George said, "You were brilliant that one time we worked together!"

"We need to do it again!" Fred agreed.

"Oh no." Lily shook her head, "I think I'm going to get into enough trouble without being your lookout."

"But you're so innocent looking, and no one would suspect you!" Fred whined.

"Sorry to disappoint." She shrugged.

"Lil?"

Lily looked up and saw Lena standing on the landing.

"I thought it was you!" Lena exclaimed, rushing to hug her as Fred and George brought Lily's trunk up the stairs.

Ginny poked her head out of the room they were to share.

"Lily!" She beamed, "Brilliant, we've been waiting for you! Where's Harry?"

"He's still downstairs in the kitchen." Lily explained, "They're talking about V-Voldemort, and, um, the graveyard, and stuff."

The four gave her mixed looks of pity.

"It's fine. I'm fine." Lily said, even though that wasn't really the truth.

She ignored the looks they gave her then, and walked into the room she, Ginny, Lena, and Hermione were sharing.