Lily Potter and the Shadows' Misfortune

Chapter Forty-Five

"What were you thinking?"

After walking up to the castle after the mission-gone-wrong, Lily parted ways with the rest of the Hogwarts professors and her friends and followed Headmistress McGonagall to her office, where Lily had composed herself and calmly explained the night's events and causes. Apparently, McGonagall had waited to unleash her disappointment onto Lily after hearing the whole story, and although Lily had known full well that a harsh scolding was in her near future, she still sank into her chair as she felt one of her idol's displeasure roll over her.

"I'm so sorry, Headmistress McGonagall," Lily said, trying to keep herself collected and from melting into a puddle of tears on the stone floor. "I didn't think anyone would get—"

"What you did was dangerous and irresponsible, Miss Potter," McGonagall said, her voice stern—she hadn't raised her voice once, and that was part of what scared Lily. "You should have come to me or Professor Longbottom with this information. We are here to help students, Miss Potter."

"Headmistress McGonagall, I just didn't want Addie and Romy to be in trouble," Lily said, trying her very best not to cry under McGonagall's unwavering eyes; it made Lily uncomfortable that her Aunt Minnie refused to call her by her first name as she had grown up hearing. "We thought we could get the stolen things and bring them back and that Addie and Romy wouldn't get in trouble for it. We were scared that something bad would happen if we came to an adult."

"Miss Potter, this display and the one I've been informed of from last year are very, very dangerous. It's a miracle that you and your friends have made it this far without serious injury," she said. "I don't know what to say to you."

"I'm sorry Headmistress, but I felt the need to help Addie and Romy. They were scared and didn't know any better."

"And you thought you knew better? Miss Potter, you are thirteen years old, not an experienced witch."

Lily closed her eyes, "I thought I could help. I know that their thefts could've gotten them expelled, and I thought that I could help return the objects, and no one would know."
"Your roommates were being blackmailed, Miss Potter. Surely, we would have made an exception for them although punishment would have been a reality."

"How much punishment will we all receive now?" Lily asked, her voice low in volume. "It was my idea. I'll take the blame for all of it."

Even during their plan, Lily knew that she and her friends were breaking a myriad of school rules, but she thought that somehow the good would outweigh the wrongs they had to do to save the school artifacts. Despite this, she was ready to accept any punishment that Headmistress McGonagall put her way as things had gone horribly, horribly wrong under Lily's leadership.

"Lily," Headmistress McGonagall said, her sternness faltering, "I'm not sure what I am going to do in this situation. With good intentions, you nine broke many school rules yet found the stolen objects when none of the school staff could. And now, eight children are in the hospital wing."

"I might have cost some of my friends their lives," Lily said, her strength breaking as McGonagall's words had triggered thoughts of her hurt friends. Tears stung the corner of her eyes as she thought about her friends' possibly fatal injuries. Fifteen minutes had passed since she and Headmistress McGonagall had parted ways with the group headed to the hospital wing, and no one had come to deliver an update on anyone's condition. Guilt ate at Lily's insides. "Shouldn't I be expelled for that?"