Lily Potter and the Shadows' Misfortune

Chapter Three

One hour later, the Potters found themselves back in Grimmauld Place. Still a bit angry with her brothers, Lily had gone up to her room, locking the door behind her.

She was about to open her new spell book, in hopes of getting a bit ahead in her class before the school year even started, when she noticed an irritating tapping noise coming from the front of her room. Glancing up from the book's table of contents, she saw a pretty, white barn owl pecking away at the small window above her bookshelf.

Lily dropped the new textbook down on her bed and opened the window, letting the owl into her room. As soon as she got up close to the owl, she recognized it as Athena, Rudolph's owl. Quickly, for she knew that Athena liked to bite anything that looked remotely like food, Lily undid the letter from its skinny leg and moved her fingers away from her. Getting a fair distance away from the owl, she read the letter; it was the date and time that Rudolph wanted to have the gang over. Lily smiled, knowing that he had taken her advice.

Grabbing a spare corner of parchment from her desk, Lily scribbled a note to Rudolph, letting him know that she had received his letter and would send word out to the others immediately. She tied the letter to the owl's foot and prayed that it wouldn't bite her as she did. Lucky for Lily, it didn't even attempt to before it flew out of the window and into the midday sunshine.

Lily sat down at her desk and examined the letter once more, checking the date, time, and place of their meeting again. It would be a week from that day, and they were to arrive at about noon and stay overnight in his grandparents' house in Ireland.

Knowing she had a fair amount of time before she left for the Burrow, Lily decided to write letters to her friends about this at that moment, so she wouldn't have to do it later. She pulled out a nice pad of parchment and dipped her quill in a jar of black ink, which she had just purchased in Diagon Alley an hour or so ago. She decided to write the first of the letters to her cousin, Hugo Weasley.

Hugo,
It's me, Lily. Rudolph just sent me an owl about having all of us spend the night at his grandparents' house. He didn't want to send Athena out multiple times, so he asked me to spread the word. He wants to have us over on Thursday of next week at noon and have us sleep over at his grandparents' house. Anyway, if you're interested, write back to me, so I can send a list to Rudolph of who can make it. His grandparents are Muggles, so a bunch of owls coming up to their house might cause some suspicions.
                See you soon,
                                Lily

Lily copied the letter down verbatim three more times for Eli, Cassie, and Nora. After asking to use the family owl, Merlin, she sent the great horned owl out with the four letters, hoping that he'd return soon with four accepting responses.

"What are you using Merlin for?" her father asked as they watched the owl fly out of the kitchen window.

"Rudolph wants to have all of us over, so I sent the letters with the date and time out to Hugo, Eli, Cassie, and Nora. Is it alright if I go?" she asked.

Her father shrugged, "I don't see why not. I suppose we could Apparate there. When is it?"

"Next Thursday at noon, and he wants us all to sleep over there, too."

"It's fine by me," her dad nodded. "Why did you have to send out the invitations?"

"His grandparents are Muggles, so he doesn't want to be sending his owl out a bunch of times. I don't even think his grandparents know he has Athena with him."

"WE'RE LEAVING NOW!" a voice yelled through the house, eliminating whatever chance that her father had to respond to Lily's explanation.

"I guess we're ready to head out to the Burrow," her dad said. "We're flooing over there, so get your things together."