Chapter 3
Chapter 3
Lily dodged the sword aimed at her head and vanished.
She reappeared on the other side of the room and gestured with one hand. A gust of wind rocked Arawn on his feet. Twirling her fingers, Lily ripped luck away from Arawn’s aura. The older fae tripped over his own feet and fell flat on his face. With another gesture, ropes appeared out of thin air, binding him tight.
“Well done,” Arawn said his voice muffled by the floor.
Lily relaxed. “Does this mean I can go back to see my son now? It’s been seven years for us. I’ve missed so much. God knows what my sisters done to him.”
Arawn freed himself from the ropes and stood up. “The timestream has finally realigned with earth. Turns out it’s only been about four years on earth. We were lucky this time. You can go get him now.”
Lily beamed. “That’s great.” Her expression fell. “I’ve still missed so much. Wait, what do you mean I can go get him? He’s, our son.”
“I still have a kingdom to run,” Arawn said patiently. “You’ve said you wanted to raise him in the mortal world. While I respect your decision, I cannot join you.”
“Fine,” Lily said shortly, “but I do expect you to be a part of his life. You can consider our former bargain null-in-void. You’re his Father and I’m his Mother. Over the past seven years, I’ve gotten to know you and I realize that James and I mistreated you badly.”
Arawn smiled. “I shall come and visit regularly. Before you go and get Harry, I’d suggest you return to the magical community and buy a home.”
Lily nodded. “Good idea,” she said. “I’ll let you know how things go.” She looked at him closely. “Have you ever thought of getting remarried? It’s been over a thousand years since your wife died.”
Arawn shrugged. “My wife was human. If I do remarry, it won’t be to another human. I don’t want to watch them grow old and die while I stay the same.”
Lily leaned forward and kissed his cheek. “Just think about it, it’s not good for you to be alone.”
Arawn hugged her tightly. “I’m going to miss you. It’s been fun training you. I forgot how much I enjoyed teaching. We may have gotten off to a rocky start, but I think we have become friends. I’ll see you soon. Keep me informed how Harry is.”
Lily stepped back. “I promise.” The faint smell of burning leaves filled the air and Lily vanished.
**ROE**
Arawn watched as Lily disappeared. He frowned. Something wasn’t right.
After seven years, Lily should be competent with fae magic and yet she had been able to defeat him. Not only that, but the moves she had used during their last training session were those of someone who was used to combat. Who were her parents? Better question, who was Lily Evans Potter? He knew she didn’t realize what she had done, but the question remained, how had she defeated him?
**ROO**
Sirius Black took another long drink of whisky and sat the bottle on the table in front of him.
The last four years had been rough ones. Dumbledore refused to tell him where Harry was. To make matters worse, as the last male heir of the Black family, he was forced to take on the position of head of the family. He stared moodily at the bottle in front of him before glancing at the piles of parchment scattered across the table.
Who’d have thought that being the Lord of an ancient and noble family would’ve required so much damn paperwork. He glanced over at a crumpled piece of parchment.
“Sirius?” a soft voice said from behind him.
Sirius turned to see his wife Marlene standing there. “Are you coming to bed?”
“I’ll be up in a minute, love,” Sirius said.
Marlene sat down beside him. “Still thinking about little Harry, aren’t you?”
“I’m his Godfather,” Sirius said. “I should be raising him, but bloody Dumbledore won’t tell me where he is.”
“Isn’t he violating some magical oath or something?”
“No,” Sirius sighed. “I was the Potters first choice, but since their will was never read, he was able to keep me from obtaining custody of Harry.”
“Why was there will never read?”
“Because Lily was never declared dead. No one ever found a body, and the goblins were closed mouthed about the subject.”
Before Marlene could answer, a shudder went through the wards.
A wrinkled figure appeared in front of them. It bowed until it’s snout-like nose touched the floor.
“Master Sirius, there is a lady here to see you.”
Sirius scowled at the elf. His blasted Mother wouldn’t let him kill the thing and the little beast knew too many Black family secrets to be freed.
“Did she say who she was?” Marlene asked.
“No mistress,” the elf croaked. “Filthy Blood-traitor,” he muttered under his breath.
There was a knock on the door. Sirius rose and strode towards the door. “Who is it?”
“Really,” a familiar voice said. “Do we really have to do this? The war is over.”
Sirius froze. “L-Lily?” he whispered.
He heard Marlene gasp behind him. “Is it really?”
“Come on Sirius,” Lily said. “I’m freezing out here.”
Sirius slowly opened the door and gaped at the woman standing on the other side of the door. She looked just the same as she had four years ago.
“You’re not Lily.”
The woman held up a slim hand. “I swear on my life and magic that I am the woman known as Lily Evans Potter.”
There was a flash of light that temporarily blinded Sirius and Marlene. When the light faded, the woman still stood there. She twirled on one foot. “See, not dead.”
She grunted as Sirius wrapped his arms around her and lifted her off her feet. “Lily,” he choked.
“Sirius,” Lily choked. “Put me down.”
“Where have you been?” Sirius asked as he sat her down on her feet.
“Can I come in?” Lily asked. “It’s a long story.”
Sirius ushered Lily into the house. As Lily stepped inside, she raised an eyebrow. “Wow,” she whispered. “So, this is how purebloods live?”
Sirius looked around the entrance hall. It was not hard to see it as Lily saw it. A troll’s leg umbrella stand, portraits of former heads of the family on the walls, and several green and silver tapestries.
“I hate this place,” Sirius said, “but it’s the family home and it’s… tradition,” he finished looking as if he’d swallowed a lemon.
Lily laughed. “Same old Sirius,” she spotted Marlene and her eyes widened.
“Marlene,” she squealed. “You married Sirius?”
“For my sins yes,” Marlene said with a laugh.
Sirius ushered her into a chair in the kitchen. “How did you survive?” he asked.
**ROE**
“So, you’re a faery?” Marlene asked.
Lily nodded. “Yeah.”
“And you are a changeling?” Sirius asked.
“Yes,” Lily said.
“Did your parents know?”
“I don’t think so, but make no mistake, they were my parents, regardless of where my blood came from.”
Sirius smiled. “I understand. The Black family had dealings with the fae over the centuries.”
Marlene glanced at Sirius. “They did?”
Sirius shrugged. “The fae love children and don’t care whether they were squibs or not. They were very insistent that their children be treated well. If we didn’t…” Sirius shuddered. “Well, let’s just say the magical community haven’t forgotten 1347.”
Marlene turned to Lily. “What do you need from us?”
“I just need to stay with you for a few days.”
“Anything you need,” Sirius said.
“I just need a day or two to get things ready.”
Marlene leaned forward. “What are your plans?”
“I need to go to Gringotts tomorrow and gain access to the Potter vault.”
Sirius patted Lily’s hand. “Charlos never believed you were dead. He’s been searching for you. He wants you to get Harry back.”
Lily nodded. “I’m going to get him as soon as I have things set up. I’ll contact Charlos tomorrow. That will speed things up.”
“You could bring him here,” Sirius offered.
Lily shook her head. “No, it’s going to be a big enough change to move him to a new place. I want him to have a place he can call home before I collect him.”
Before another word could be spoken, the door to the kitchen swung open and an old woman stepped inside. Seeing Lily, she scowled.
“Sirius,” she said sharply. “Have you no shame? What is a Mudblood doing in my house?”
“Mother,” Sirius said tiredly. “This is James Potter’s widow. She’ll be staying here for a few days while she gets her affairs in order.”
The old woman sneered at Lily. “Well,” she said turning her glare on Sirius. “Don’t even think of making use of her while she’s here. We don’t need the Black line sullied by muggle filth.”
Without another word, the old woman left the room slamming the door behind her.
“Hmm,” Lily said. “That went better than I expected.”
“I’m the Head of the family,” Sirius said. “She may live here, but she knows that what I say goes.”
Lily looked at her friend. “I can stay at the Leaky if it’d be easier on you.”
Sirius shook his head. “Your family in every way that matters. You can stay here as long as you’d like.”
“Right,” Marlene said. “I won’t have my friend staying in some shabby old inn when we have plenty of room. Now come on, I’ll show you where you’ll be sleeping.”
**ROE**
It took a little longer than Lily would’ve liked to get in touch with Charlos. Three days after she’d arrived at Sirius’s home, there was a knock on the door.
Opening the door, Lily saw a stern looking man with iron grey hair and piercing hazel eyes.
“Lily!” Charlos said as he drew her into a hug. “I thought I’d never find you.”
Lily hugged the old man tightly. “I was just out of commission for a while,” she said.
Charlos drew back and smiled. “I understand completely my dear. Otherworld can be confusing at the best of times.”
Lily blinked at him. “How…”
“I’ve been doing research while you were gone,” he said gently. “Turns out the Potters are descended from Scathach.”
“Scathach?” Lily asked.
“Very scary fae assassin,” Charlos explained. “She was worshipped as a Celtic Death Goddess. She had three children with a mortal man. Those children were the Peverell’s. We are descended from the youngest son, Ignotus.”
Lily hesitated. “About that?” she began. “I have something I need to tell you.”
Charlos held up a hand. “I already know,” he said gently. “James told me. He had a hard time accepting that Harry was not his biologically. I had to remind him several times that Arawn was the cousin of Scathach which made Harry related to the Potter family however distantly. Regardless, I’ve taken steps to ensure that he is the heir to the Potter family. He is my Grandson, regardless of the methods used for his conception.”
“Thank you,” Lily said relieved. “I didn’t want to deceive you. Did James also tell you that I was a Changeling?”
Charlos nodded. “He did. That was a shock let me tell you, but it doesn’t really matter. It took me some time, but I do understand where you were coming from. There is no great start to that conversation, but enough about that. We need to discuss how we are going to get Harry.”
“I know where my sister is,” Lily said. “I just have to make sure I have a place to live first. Arawn wanted to make sure whatever home we chose was connected to Otherworld. After the mess with the Fidelius charm, he wanted to be sure we were as protected as possible.”
Charlos nodded. “You and James made a bad decision there. Arawn would have been a great secret Keeper and if he’d have been allowed to take Harry, he never would’ve ended up at your sisters.”
“A thought that still bothers me,” Lily said quietly. “I wish we would’ve trusted him more.”
“Well,” Charlos continued. “Sirius told me what you were looking for and I took the liberty of buying a home in a Muggle village called Ottery St. Catchpole. It’s a two story house. It’s got a kitchen, four bedrooms, three baths, and a dining room. If you are planning to link it to Otherworld, I don’t suppose it matters what it has.”
Lily’s eyes widened. “I only got here a few days ago,” she said. “How could you purchase a home so fast?”
Charlos grinned. “Magic.”
Lily hugged the old man. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“Harry is my Grandson. By all accounts, your sister is a real piece of work. I wanted him out of there as soon as possible. There’s just one thing.”
Lily raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”
“I’d like to live with you if it’s alright. Potter manor is too big for one person, and I’d like to teach Harry what he needs to know about the Wizarding world.”
Lily smiled. “That’s perfectly fine with me.”
“Good,” Charlos said. “Now that is taken care of, what’s next?”
“I need to see the ministry and Gringots.”
Sirius entered the room. “Are you leaving already?”
Lily nodded. “Thanks for all your help.”
Sirius hugged her quickly. “Come and see us as soon as you are able.”
“Of course,” Lily said. “Where is Marlene?”
“At work,. She’s going to be sorry she missed you.”
“I will be seeing both of you soon.”
Sirius nodded and with one last smile, he left the room.
“Ready to go?” Lily asked.
Charlos smiled and placed an arm around her shoulders. “Come on then.”
**ROE**
Two hours later, Lily and Charlos left Gringotts. As they descended the marble steps, Lily turned to her Father-in-law.
“That was easier than I expected.”
Charlos shrugged. “The goblins are ruthless bastards, but they’re not fond of pointless tasks. A drop of blood proves you are who you say you are. That is good enough for them. They’ll also let the ministry know of your return, so I’d say you have a day or so before you begin getting loads of owls asking for interviews and meetings.”
“Great,” Lily said drily. She glanced at Charlos. “I need to see that house you mentioned.”
“Certainly,” Charlos gripped her arm firmly and turned on the spot. With a loud ‘crack,’ they vanished.
**ROE**
Lily winced as they appeared on a stone path in front of a modest two-story stone house. “I never get used to that.”
Charlos chuckled. “I don’t think anyone does. Come on.”
Charlos led the way up the path. With a flick of his wand, the door swung open. He glanced over his shoulder. “No wards yet, I had to purchase this in a bit of a hurry, but we can work on wards over the next few days.”
Lily followed him inside. Her eyes widened when she saw the large armchairs in front of the stone fireplace. A large sofa sat against the opposite wall. Charlos led her into the kitchen where she saw a stove and cabinets stocked with pots, pans, plates, and every kind of dish you would need for cooking.
He pointed at the carpeted staircase leading to the upper floors. “The bedrooms are fully furnished as well. The master bedroom has its own bathroom. Since you are the owner of this house, I thought it only proper that you take that one. I took the liberty of having your things moved from Godric’s Hallow.”
Lily looked down at the floor. “I’m surprised anything survived.”
Charlos shrugged. “Not much did, but it’ll be enough until you can go shopping. I assume this will do?”
Lily nodded and hugged him again. “Thanks to you I’ll be able to get Harry today.”
Charlos smiled. “Can I come to collect Harry?”
“Of course,” Lily said, “but I think we’re going to travel my way this time.”
Taking hold of Charlos’s elbow, they vanished leaving the faint smell of burning leaves behind.
**ROE**
Charlos shivered as they appeared at the end of a street. “That was…” he broke off staring at Lily.
“Better than apparition.”
Charlos nodded. “I’ll give you that.” He looked around at the rows of houses with their perfectly manicured lawns. “Looks like a muggle movie set.”
Lily arched an eyebrow. “How would you know what a movie is?”
“I’ve been expanding my knowledge over the past four years. I had no idea where I’d find you or what condition you’d be in. If you felt more comfortable in the muggle world, I wanted to be able to provide that comfort.”
Lily smiled at Charlos. “Thank you.”
Charlos nodded as they began walking down the street. “So, this is where your sister lives?”
Lily pointed to a house with a brass number four on the door. “She lives there. Tunie always wanted to be normal ever since she found out she couldn’t go to Hogwarts.”
Charlos glanced at Lily sharply. “You never told us that.”
Lily shrugged. “Didn’t seem important. She found out only those born with magic could go to Hogwarts, called me a freak, and hardly spoke to me after that.”
Charlos winced. “I’m sorry,” he said.
Lily shook her head. “Don’t be. My parents were great. It hurt that my sister hated me for something I couldn’t control, but I eventually learned to live with it.”
They stopped in front of number four Privet Drive. Lily knocked on the door.
**ROO**
Lily didn’t know what she’d expected, but it hadn’t been the enormously fat man that opened the door. His red face and lack of neck let her know at once who she was talking to.
“Vernon,” she said pleasantly. “You’re looking well.”
“You,” Vernon said his red face turning purple. “You’re dead.”
“I’m afraid not,” Lily said calmly. “I was merely out of commission for a while, but I’m back now and ready to see my son.”
“You can’t just show up here,” Vernon said.
“Is he happy?” Lily asked quietly. “If he is, I’ll leave him with you. I just want to be a part of his life.”
“The boy better be happy,” Vernon snarled. “As much trouble as he’s been to keep.”
“What?” Lily said her tone becoming icy.
“The boy’s unnaturalness has been rearing its head since he got here. Poor Dudley merely tried to defend himself from the little brat and was given donkey ears and a tail. It took that Dumbydore person to fix him. He said he would bind the boy’s freakishness, but he’s not as good as he says he is because it didn’t work.”
“So, you don’t like having him here?” Charlos said.
“Of bloody course not,” Vernon growled. “It took us ages to find a way to stop his abnormality from acting up.” He smirked. “We finally found a way to fix him.”
Lily took a step forward. “What did you do?” she hissed. Her green eyes began to glow.
“Not anything he didn’t deserve,” Vernon said.
A gust of wind lifted the man off his feet and sent him flying down the hall. He smashed into the wall with a deafening thud and slid down to the floor, leaving a trail of blood dripping slowly down the wall.
“Vernon,” Petunia shrieked. “What…”
The blond horse-faced woman froze as she rushed into the hall. Her blue eyes opened wide as she stared at Lily.
“Lily,” she whispered. “You’re dead.”
“Hardly,” Lily said coldly as she stepped over Vernon’s twitching form. “Where is my son?”
Petunia flinched. “Lily,” she began. “You have to understand we didn’t want him.”
“So that gives you the right to abuse him?” Charlos said. “I’m Harry’s Grandfather. I would’ve been happy to take him in if I could’ve.”
“Dumbledore said,” Petunia began.
“Dumbledore can be mistaken,” Lily said. “Now where is Harry?”
Petunia pointed a shaking finger to a small cupboard built into the staircase. “There,” she whispered.
Lily’s eyes narrowed. The wooden door vanished, and she knelt down to look into the cupboard.
“Harry?” she called softly. “It’s Mummy. I’m here to get you.”
Lily held her breath as a small figure moved in the darkness.
“Mummy?” a tiny voice said. “Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia told me you died in a car crash.”
Lily didn’t look at her sister. “No sweety,” she said quietly. “Mummy was stuck somewhere and couldn’t come and get you, but I’m here now. Can you come out?”
There was a soft clink of metal. “I can’t,” he whimpered.
Charlos knelt beside Lily. With a murmured spell, the inside of the cupboard was lit with a soft white glow. Lily’s breath caught as she saw the black iron bands around Harry’s wrists and ankles. She turned to glare at Petunia.
“You chained my son in a closet,” she whispered harshly.
“His freakishness was causing no end of problems,” she whined. “He turned poor Dudders into a jackass.”
“It’s called accidental magic Petunia,” Lily said careful to keep her voice low so as not to frighten Harry. Turning back to Harry, Lily reached in and touched the iron chains.
As her skin came in contact with the iron, Lily felt a cold sweat break out on her forehead. Nausea rose up in her throat, making her swallow reflexively. Taking a deep breath, she forced her magic into the iron bands.
It felt as if an icepick had been driven into her skull. Fighting through the pain, she concentrated on breaking the lock on the iron bands. With a soft click, the bands fell away from Harry’s wrists and ankles. She felt rather than saw Charlos move passed her and gently lift Harry.
With an effort, Lily stood and turned to face Petunia wiping blood from her nose.
“How bad have you beaten my son?” she asked quietly.
“We never beat him,” Petunia said. “We did what we had to. He was given food, shelter, and clothes. That was more than he deserves?”
Lily glanced at Harry. “If I find you’ve abused him, you will be sorry.”
With a wave of her hand, she tore large portions of luck from Petunia and Vernon’s auras causing them to cry out in shock and pain. Without another word, She, Harry, and Charlos vanished in a rustle of air.
**ROE**
Harry woke to feel gentle fingers stroking his hair. He tensed but relaxed as Lily spoke.
“Shh shh, it’s alright. Mummy is here.”
“Mum?” Harry said in a small voice.
He felt warm lips brush his forehead. “I’m here and I’ll never leave you again.”
Harry snuggled into Lily’s side and sighed in contentment. With a yawn, he drifted back to sleep.
**ROE**
“How is he?” Charlos whispered as he entered the room where Harry lay.
Lily looked up at him continuing to stroke Harry’s hair. “It’s going to take some time for him to get used to being with someone that loves him.”
“What was the deal with the iron?” Charlos asked sitting down on a chair beside the bed.
“When we are bound by iron, it keeps us from using our magic. The more iron there is, the harder it is to use our magic.”
“Will there be any lasting damage?”
Lily shook her head. “Unless iron pierces a vital area such as the brain or heart, we can heal from any wound made by it. It just takes a bit longer.”
“So what will you do now?”
“For now, I’m going to take care of my son. I’ll let him know he’s loved and give him all the help I can. Once I’m sure he’s fine, I’ll start teaching him how to use his magic.”
Charlos smiled. “I’ll do what I can to help. I think I’ll go see Dumbledore tomorrow. I need to have a chat with him before the news breaks at the ministry.”
“About?”
Charlos smiled grimly. “His decisions.”
**ROE**
Dumbledore looked up as Charlos entered his office. His smile fell as he saw Charlos’s expression.
“Charlos?” he asked hesitantly. “Is something wrong?”
“Why did you stop me?” Charlos asked standing before Dumbledore’s desk.
“Pardon?”
“I am Harry’s Grandfather. I would’ve taken him and raised him in a safe and loving environment. He is the only blood family I have left and you left him with Lily’s magic hating sister.”
Dumbledore flinched at Charlos’s cold tone. “So you have found him. Is he well?”
“He was chained inside a cupboard. Does that tell you anything?”
Dumbledore’s eyes widened. “He what?”
“Don’t worry yourself,” Charlos said acidly. “I’ve taken the liberty of removing him from that place. Honestly, this makes me rethink my pro-muggle stance. If this is how they will treat witches and wizards, why should we pass laws to protect them?”
Dumbledore fell back in his chair, staring at Charlos in horror. “Lily was a muggle-born. Surely you don’t think they should be kicked out of the wizarding world?”
“Lily is a Muggle-born and no I don’t think they should be kicked out of the wizarding world, but something needs to be done, so that nothing like this happens again. Have you forgotten what happened to your nephew? What if Harry had been turned into an obscurial?”
Charlos turned towards the door. “I think I’ve said enough. I have a lot to think about and I’m sure Lily will want a word with you soon.”
Dumbledore’s eyes widened. “Lily is dead,” he murmured.
“No,” Charlos said. “Turns out Ariana isn’t the only one that the fae rescued. Lily is alive. She is taking care of Harry right now, but I imagine she’ll have a few words for you once she makes sure he is alright.”
Dumbledore watched as Charlos left his office, closing the door quietly behind him. Taking off his half-moon spectacles, he rubbed his eyes. Even when he tried to do what was best, he still failed. The door slowly swung open again and he looked up to see Ariana standing there.
“I warned you,” she said quietly.
“So you did,” Dumbledore said tiredly. “What do I do now? I only meant to protect young Harry. I never meant for him to get hurt.”
“You are trying to do too much. Focus on Hogwarts. Teaching is what you love and that is what you should concentrate on.”
Dumbledore nodded. “Perhaps you are right, but I still don’t know what to do about Harry.”
“Harry is not your concern,” Ariana said not unkindly. “He has a mother and a Grandfather. Focus on the students under your care, not on those who haven’t even seen the school yet. Have you been this concerned about young Neville?”
“Alice has been very careful since the attack on her home. After losing Frank, she is very careful who she associates with. My enquiries into young Neville’s wellbeing have gone unanswered. I fear she blames me for the attack on her home.”
Ariana stared at him. “The prophecy is not your concern either,” she said finally. “You have retired from chief of the wizengamot and as chief mugwump. Your concern should be teaching the next generation what they need to know, not trying to play God and figure out who will face Voldemort.”
“I only wish to give the chosen one the best chance possible.”
“And we both know which road is paved with good intentions. How many times must we have this conversation? Be an educator, not a chess master. I thought you understood this when we spoke about the prophecy four years ago.”
When Dumbledore didn’t answer, Ariana sighed. She turned towards the door. Opening it, she glanced back over her shoulder.
“I’ll be watching Albus.” With those ominous words, she left the office.
Dumbledore stared at the closed door for a long time. He had much to think about. He could’ve easily caused young Harry to repress his magic. If that had happened, there was no telling how much damage he could’ve accidentally caused. He could not let that fate befall any magical child. Ariana might be right. He had begun playing God with people’s lives.
“Will the sins of my past ever leave me?” he said sadly.
Slowly, he began to work on the paperwork in front of him. No doubt he would be thinking of these matters tonight as he tried to sleep. For now, he needed a distraction.
**ROE**
The next morning, the ministry of magic was buzzing with excited chatter. Millicent Bagnold, the minister of magic, stopped a young woman as she rushed by.
“Excuse me,” she asked. “What seems to be the trouble?”
The woman handed her a copy of the Daily Prophet. “Hear, you must read this. It’s incredible.”
Bagnold took the paper, a bemused expression crossing her face. “What is so special about the Daily prophet? It’s just as full of gossip as it’s always been.”
“Lily Potter has returned,” the woman said excitedly.
Bagnold gaped. “What?”
“Read the article,” the woman said rushing off.
Bagnold made her way to her office and sat down behind the desk. Unfolding the paper, she began to read.
**ROE**
Lily Potter alive:
By Barnabas Cuff
Yes, my dear readers, you read that title correctly. Lily Potter, Mother to the heir of the Potter family, is alive.
We all know what happened to the Potter and Longbottom families on that terrible Halloween night four years ago. Young Neville was left without a Father and young Harry Potter disappeared. It was assumed by everyone that Lily Potter perished along with her husband James. As it turns out, this was not the case.
An inside source at Gringotts informed us last night that Lily Potter arrived at the bank. What she was doing there is anyone’s guess, but this reporter speculates that it had something to do with the Potter estate. If the rumors that she was with Charlos Potter are to be believed, that only confirms these speculations. Since no one knows where young Harry Potter is, will Lily marry Charlos to produce a new heir to the Potter family? Such things were done in the distant past when a family was near extinction.
Also, where has she been these past four years? Why didn’t she take Harry Potter with her? Why has she returned now? The Daily Prophet will keep you informed as we learn more about this incredible story.
**ROE**
Bagnold lowered the paper and stared down at her desk. This was an interesting development. Should she interfere? Perhaps make sure Lily got Harry Potter back? That would make her look good in the eyes of the public.
No, she didn’t know Lily Potter before her supposed death. It might look too much like she was trying to butter her up if she approached her right now. It’d be best to wait. The opportunity to get in her good graces would come, she was sure. She hadn’t weathered the war against Voldemort to make a rooky mistake in her career now.
**ROO**
Lily glared down at the paper as she drank her tea.
“I did warn you,” Charlos said smiling slightly as he folded the paper. “I’m surprised they kept it out of the evening addition, but I suppose they wanted to confirm it first.
“Bloody vultures,” Lily muttered. “The Daily prophet reporters are no different than Muggle reporters. They don’t give a damn about the truth they just want to create the most sensational story.”
Charlos chuckled. “That attitude would aid you well if you ever got into politics.”
Lily laughed. “I think I’d rather get involved with crime. It’s more honest.”
Charlos chuckled. “I suppose you have a point, but sometimes crime and politics are the same thing.”
Lily started to respond, but the soft tinkle of a bell drew her attention. She stood. “Harry’s awake.”
As she made her way to the room Harry was in, she thought about the article. She would have to give an interview at some point, but she would put that off as long as possible. Harry needed privacy, love, and affection if he was going to recover from what her sister had done to him.
Lily stopped as a sudden rage swept over her. Why had she left them alive? Dudley would be better off in Otherworld. A bit of bad fortune paled in comparison to what they had done to Harry, but she would not be like Voldemort. she would make them pay for what they had done, but she would be patient. Young Dudley didn’t need to see his parents die, but there would be a time when her nephew was out of the way.
She began walking again. For now, her responsibility was Harry. She could deal with her sister and brother-in-law later.