Lily in the Shadows

Chapter 2: AWAY, FAR AWAY!

A few Weeks Later

It was nearing the start of the new school year, and everything was returning to normal. Uncle Vernon sent Dudley to get the mail during breakfast. Dudley complained, of course. So Veron sent Harry instead. Harry gathered the mail and was passing it out when he noticed a letter addressed to him. He didn't mention it and just went to open it quietly when Dudley snatched it from his hands, shouting to his father. Vernon took his letter, snorting in derision, but when he noticed the seal of the letter, he turned completely serious. He called Petunia over, and they both looked at Harry.

"Out, get out. All of you. Vernon and I need to have a discussion." Petunia said, pushing the children out of the room. Lily turned to her.

"Auntie, is it ok if I grab my book, then go into the garden to read? I promise I'll be quick?" She asked, making puppy dog eyes. Petunia quickly cracked under the pressure. She never could resist giving the girl who so much resembled her late sister anything she wanted. Petunia and Vernon are very lucky that Lily is nothing like their own little boy, or they would be oh so poor.

"Oh, all right. But make it quick, this is not a conversation for your ears." Lily smiled and ran upstairs. She grabbed her latest novel and rushed back down the stairs, where she could hear her brother and cousin complaining about the unfairness of the situation. They're shoving each other outside the door to the kitchens, but she doesn't stop by them. She pushes them both aside and rushes through the kitchen to the back garden. Lily settled into a bed of daisies and began reading her book. She has often enjoyed reading in the gardens, so for her eighth birthday, her uncle purchased and set up a little garden chair shaped like a throne with its own cushion in the flowerbed. There are four matching chairs throughout the gardens so she can read comfortably in many places. Though she is trying her best to enjoy her book, it does not take long at all for the voices of her aunt and uncle to break her concentration as they drift through the cracked window.

"What are we going to do, Vernon? We can't let him go. I thought we were past all this nonsense. And what about Lily-Kathryn? Are they going to come for her, too? They can't have her, I won't let them." Petunia's shrill voice was easy to detect in the quiet of the evening. Her voice reached a hint of panic towards the end.

What does she mean by 'who would take me where'? I don't want to go.

"It'll be alright, dear, if we ignore them, they will realise we aren't interested." Lily then jumped as something hit the table. "Shut that blasted window, it's letting bugs in." The window closed, leaving Lily to her worries.

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Over the next couple of days, things started getting stranger and stranger. For starters, Vernon and Petunia moved Harry out of the cupboard. I know, shocking. They moved him into Dudley's old playroom. Dudley didn't like that. He threw a huge hissy fit, throwing things and scream-crying, though there were no tears; it was the first time he didn't get his way. The letters kept arriving, too, even after Vernon boarded up the front door. One day, Petunia went to make eggs, but every egg she cracked had a letter inside. Letters were pushed around the doors and windows. Lily was wandering the garden when she noticed the daisy patch she liked to sit in was full of origami daisies with writing on them. Vernon was ready to rip his moustache off with how little he could do to stop all of the letters. The final straw was on a lovely Sunday afternoon, everyone was sitting in the sitting room doing their own thing, whilst Harry passed out biscuits, when all of a sudden a rumbling sound like a thousand flapping wings filled the air. Then, hundreds upon thousands of letters flooded out of the fireplace, filling the room and shooting through the air. Everyone screamed, Dudley leapt at his mother for protection, whilst Lily dove behind the couch. Harry jumped up on the coffee table and tried to catch a letter out of the air. He got one and ran into the hall. Vernon chased after him, and they wrestled for the letter until Vernon shouted in a fit of crazed rage.

"THAT IS IT, WE ARE GOING AWAY, FAR AWAY. WHERE THEY WON'T FIND US!!!"

Everyone stared at him in alarm and confusion. While they were distracted, Lily reached across the floor and grabbed a letter, slipping it into her pocket.

Vernon shouted for everyone to pack a bag and get in the car. While Lily-Kathryn packed her bag, she remembered the letter and pulled it from her pocket. She went to open it when all of a sudden the door of her room swung open, and her aunt came inside. Lily tried to hide the letter, but it was too late. Petunia took the letter and looked at her, so disappointed that she wanted to cry. She finished packing and got in the car.

The boys were so upset; they hated car rides. Lily didn't mind that much; she would close her eyes and daydream, letting the world disappear and living alone in her fantasies. When she got tired of that, she would read one of her many books or nap on Harry's shoulder. After many days of driving with stops, Vernon finally got what he was looking for. As he pulled up to a dock one dark, stormy night, everyone except for Kathryn got out and moved all the luggage into a tiny rowboat. Harry carried a sleeping Lily into the boat, and Vernon rowed them to an island with a building on it. Vernon and Petunia had Harry place her in the bedroom upstairs, and everyone got ready for bed. Petunia changed Lily into an off-the-shoulder oversized nightshirt and matching shorts with fuzzy socks.

Around 11:56, Lily woke up between her Aunt and Uncle. She wiggled out of the bed and crept down the stairs with a blanket over her shoulders. The blanket dragged along the floor, down the stairs, and over the couch. Looking around, she could see her cousin sleeping peacefully on the couch and her brother lying on the floor. Walking over to him, she crouched down but just about jumped out of her skin when she noticed he was still awake, drawing in the dirt.

"Hello, Harry," She whispered, snuggling into his side and wrapping her blanket around them both. He smiled at her when they heard the beeping of Dudley's wristwatch, saying it was midnight. "Happy birthday, Harry."

Harry chuckled and wrapped his arms around her in return. "Thank y-"

BOOM!!

The children jumped and held each other tighter, and Dudley jumped awake.

BOOM!!

The door shook from the force. Vernon and Petunia crept down the stairs with a shotgun as Dudley sat up, and Harry pulled Lily-Kathryn with him behind where the fireplace stuck out.

BOOM!!

The door gave out, and an egregiously ginormous man emerged from the shadows. The man entered, looking around the shack as if he were searching for something. Spotting Dudley, he looked around before spotting the Potters. The half-giant introduces himself and, upon discovering they know not of Hogwarts, explains all about wizards and witches and school. He gifts Harry a cake and his letter. Lily reads over his shoulder, and Hagrid jokes that she will most likely receive her letter the next year.

Vernon protests that he will not allow Harry to attend Hogwarts. Hagrid explains to Harry that the Dursleys have been lying all along about how the children's parents died. Lily is devastated to learn of their betrayal, given that their parents were murdered. Hagrid tells them they need to get Harry's school supply list and that they will be leaving immediately.

"Mr Hagrid, sir? May I go with you and Harry shopping for his school things? I'll be good, I promise." Lily begged, her hands clasped in front of her.

"I don' see why not, jus' make sure i's alrigh' with yur aunt an' uncle," Hagrid replied as Lily whirled around looking at her aunt and uncle with puppy dog eyes. They looked at her in horror.

"No!!" Petunia shrieked, "Don't even think to ask, it's bad enough the boy is going, I will not allow my little girl to be dragged into all this mess!" Petunia pulled Lily into her side. Lily was very upset but knew arguing wouldn't do anything but make things worse. She gave Harry a big hug, and after getting him to promise that he would tell her all about it, he and Hagrid left.