Before || A Marauders Era Story

Chapter Five: Lily

Lily sat in the Gryffindor common room with Marlene, doing her Transfiguration homework: reading the first chapter of A Beginner's Guide To Transfiguration by Emeric Switch even though she'd already started it before coming to Hogwarts due to insatiable curiosity. 

Once she'd finished, she went up to the dormitory to put away her bag. She sat down on her bed and decided to take a look at One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore. As she opened the textbook, a folded piece of paper slipped out and drifted to the wooden floor in front of Lily's feet. Lily frowned and bent to pick up the folded paper. On the topmost fold it read:

For: L.E., M.M., D.M.

Lily's eyes widened. L.E.? As in Lily Evans? And M.M. and D.M.... didn't those stand for Marlene McKinnon and Dorcas Meadowes?

Lily turned and ran down the stairs in the common room, towards the red armchair where Marlene had been sitting. She was still sitting there, her book on her lap, only now Dorcas was standing in front of her, telling her something. 

"Guys, I found this," Lily held out the folded paper. "I think it's for us."

Marlene snatched the paper from her and unfolded it, scooting to the edge of her seat. Lily and Dorcas peered over her shoulder. 

Go to the Great Hall early in the morning tomorrow. If you have a drink of tea, you'll find the next note. It's important to the fate of the wizarding world. You may not trust me, given that you don't know who I am. That's fair. So tonight, at 5:15, go to the Owlery. The owls will be gone, I promise. I know what's happening. And you have to help stop it. 

Don't tell anyone about this. I'm serious. No one. Or I'll stop, and you won't be able to help the wizarding world. 

"What the heck?" Marlene asked. Lily looked up in surprise. 

"Is it real? Do we go?" 

"We should go to the owlery." Marlene said. "To see if anything is going to happen."

"Okay." Lily and Dorcas agreed. 

"But if we do," Lily decided,  "we should go early. So we can see who wrote this."

"Good idea!" Dorcas nodded. 

"Let's go, then." Marlene jumped to her feet, tucking the paper in her pocket. "It's four forty-five!" 

The three of them ran towards the portrait hole, clambering out of the Common Room and up to the Owlery. They sat down on the hard floor in the middle of the room, waiting and watching the owls sitting or sleeping on their perches. They sat in silence, barely daring to breathe, all immensely curious. 

"Um--" Dorcas started after a while, her head snapping upward. Lily looked up too as the owls shuffled around on the perches and spread their wings. The window on the far side of the owlery was open, and soon enough the owls were flying through it. 

"What?" Marlene yelped. "No one came!"

Lily jumped to her feet, watching the owls. "I'm pretty sure they're not allowed to do that!" she exclaimed in a panicked voice. 

As the last of the owls fluttered out, another piece of paper fluttered to the ground at their feet. Lily bent down and unfolded it.

See? You have to trust me. And remember what the last paper said. 

"Okay, well, I guess we'll have some early morning tea tomorrow." Marlene sighed. 

Lily squeezed her eyes shut and groaned. "I can't believe it. I just can't. It's our first day! And as it seems we already made all the owls go away. We are getting in so much trouble."