Too Little Too Late

Chapter 22 | Edited

As the weeks passed and the exams drew closer no one would have expected what happened next. It happened one morning just after the Gryffindor girls had gotten ready for the day and were making their way towards the great hall. A small, mousy haired Gryffindor girl, who looked to be in the second year, approached the group. 

"Hello, how can we help you?" Lily asked the girl kindly. 

"Uhm Professor McGonagall would like to see you in Professor Dumbledore's office Miss Lily. She sent me with this note." The girl said quickly and quietly. 

"Oh uh thank you." Lily replied sweetly, taking the note from the girl. She quickly left their group, and the others turned to face lily, asking whether she wanted them to accompany her to Dumbledore's office or not. 

"I should be fine. I'll tell you what it was about at breakfast, or potions if I'm not back in time. It's probably just something to do with the headgirlship. Maybe about graduation, oh or recommending the next head girl, who knows? James will probably be there too." Lily then walked off briskly to the headmaster's office. 

As the others were enjoying their breakfast in the somewhat cheery great hall, the tone of Professor Dumbledore's office was much different. 

Lily knocked twice and waited for the reply. 

"Come in." Came Dumbledore's calming voice from inside the round room. Lily pushed open the door slowly and entered quietly. 

Once she was inside she noticed that not only was McGonagall there, but so were two ministry wizards in plum coloured robes. All of the occupants of the room looked grave. James was not there. 

Lily became very serious very quickly. 

"Please sit Miss Evans." Dumbledore said grandfatherly, gesturing to a comfortable looking chair opposite his desk, next to the chair that McGonagall occupied. The two ministry wizards remained standing. 

"What is going on Professor Dumbledore?" Lily asked, her worry ebbing into her voice. 

"Miss Evans I'm afraid that it is not good news. I have to inform you that, well, early this morning it was discovered that your childhood home had the dark mark in the sky directly above it." 

Lily gasped. She felt like her heart had lodged itself into her throat. Her breathing had stopped. 

"Who?" She croaked out in a hoarse whisper, knowing full well what the appearance of the dark mark in the sky meant. 

"Upon further investigation, both your mother and father's bodies were discovered in the house. I am so sorry Miss Evans." 

Lily's hands found the arms of her chair. She held on tightly, afraid that if she let go she would fall. It was as if the whole world was spinning around her. She wasn't sure if she had been breathing since she heard the news. She didn't know what to think or where to look. Her hands grasped the arms of the chair tighter, shaking now. 

"And Petunia?" She managed to choke out. 

"Your sister was at her new house with her husband at the time of the attack. She has been informed already and has insisted that she handle the funeral as you are taking your exams." One of the ministry wizards informed Lily cordially. The wizard seemed to realise that they had been cold and indifferent towards a teenager who had just lost both of her parents, so he added, "I am very sorry for your loss, Miss Evans." 

"Don't be. No one will be sorry for this except those who are responsible. I will not let their deaths be in vain Professor Dumbledore." Her emerald eyes, red with tears, lifted to meet his light blue, pitying gaze. "I will not rest until they have paid. I am going to do everything that I can to help bring about the end of this war. For them. For Layla's parents. For the next generation of witches and wizards." 

Dumbledore's eyebrow lifted slightly as he took in her words, seeming to consider her for a moment before smiling slightly, "I'm sure you will, Miss Evans. You are a brave, talented witch after all." 

McGonagall held her hand comfortingly. "I am going to take you to the hospital wing, Miss Evans. There you will spend the day in there away from your classes and your classmates. Then tonight you will take a dreamless sleep potion. Tomorrow we will discuss if you want to restart your classes immediately or have more time off. No one will judge you if you do, Miss Evans. We are all so very sorry." 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Later that day, after Lily had been taken to the hospital wing and the rest of the school had found out about what had happened somehow (the Hogwarts gossip mill really was an impressive thing), and the aurors had returned to their offices, Professor McGonagall returned to Dumbledore's office. 

"You heard what she said Dumbledore. You don't think?" McGonagall asked quietly. 

"I hadn't considered it until now, but you saw her determination, didn't you? She is of age. I do believe that the other Gryffindor seventh years would react in the same way. They have all been somewhat effected by the war already, due to Miss Reid's circumstances. Maybe the other houses would too. I will have to think about it Minerva. What do you think?" His slow, grandfatherly voice was clearly expressing the decision making process which he was undergoing. 

"It is a shame to involve such young people, but they are being involved anyway. He is making sure of that. And, they would be such a good addition to the effort."