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Author: Ladybug Story: Thrice Rating: Everyone Setting: Pre-OotP Status: Completed Warning: OotP spoilers Reviews: 19 Words: 2,998 'My dear Lily, how well you look.' Lily laughed. 'Don't you mean "how large I look", Professor?' She stepped back, allowing him to pass through to the sitting room. 'It's not much cooler in here but at least it's out of the sun,' she said. Her forehead was shining with perspiration. 'If this is how the summer's starting I can't bear to think how much hotter it will get.' Dumbledore laid a small case on one end of the coffee table as Lily re-cast the cooling charm she had set earlier. It was having trouble coping with the humidity. 'Take a seat, Professor. Would you like a cool drink?' 'That would be sterling, my dear, but allow me to fetch it.' Dumbledore moved into the kitchen as Lily eased herself down onto the lounge. Dumbledore pulled a curious-looking container out of the fridge; a metallic cylinder, blue in colour and icy to touch. 'Hmm, "Lemonade",' he read, then removed a second like it and took them to the doorway, holding them up for Lily to see. 'Does one need a wand to access the liquid?' Again, Lily found herself laughing at her dear old mentor. 'Not at all, Professor. You just pull back that ring tab and drink from the can. Or you can pour it into a glass if you prefer.' She started to rise from the lounge until he quickly re-assured her. 'No, no, from the can will be fine.' 'It's full of sugar,' said Lily sheepishly. 'It'll probably make the baby hyperactive, but I just can't stomach pumpkin juice these days. Even the smell turns me right off.' 'Yes, I remember well the eccentricities of expectant mothers. An old friend of mine couldn't bear the sight or smell of shaving cream during her gestation, so her poor husband was obliged to grow a beard. They were Muggles, you see; not able to use a shaving charm.' Lily leaned back and put her feet up on the coffee table to ease her ankles. They drank in silence for a few minutes, appreciative of the chance to stop moving in the sticky heat. 'Oh!' Lily's hand jumped to her stomach. 'That was a strong one. Have you felt a baby kick, Professor? Come and feel – this one's obviously not lethargic from the heat!' She reached for his hand and guided it to the place where her baby was kicking. Dumbledore rested his palm there and smiled when he felt a forceful push. Some things were more magical than magic. 'I'm sorry James isn't back yet. He must have been waylaid at Sirius's, going over the latest disappearances. But he knew you were coming … can we start without him or should we wait?' 'We can start on Order business, by all means, but I will need both of you for the matter that specifically brought me here today.' Dumbledore banished his empty can to the kitchen and moved around to sit in the chair opposite. Once settled he said, 'I have an assignment for you, Lily.' 'Oh,' her interest was peaked. 'I don't know how much I'll be able to help in the next couple of weeks…' she gestured helplessly towards her stomach. 'And after that …?' 'Oh no, this task's not for a couple of months yet. But some preparation would assist you in making a success of it.' 'Oh, ok. But you know I won't do anything dangerous now.' 'Yes, my dear, your safety – and your baby's – is of the utmost concern. This assignment will be quite safe, but it may prove difficult nonetheless. As you know, Voldemort has so far kept his activities out of the notice of the Muggle world, particularly from the attention of the Government and its law enforcement bodies. However, there is no guarantee he will continue to do so. I very much fear there will come a point, probably before the end of the year, when he will want to attract their attention rather than divert it.' 'You mean he'll start blackmailing them? Like a terrorist?' 'Yes, that's precisely what I'm afraid of. And so far, though the Government's aware of troubles in the wizarding world, it has no idea of the threat Voldemort and his Death Eaters pose to the wider society. The Ministry has decided to open talks with the Prime Minister. 'Bagnold, of course, wanted to do it by herself but, fortunately for us, her Ministerial Muggle Liaison convinced her to take a small team.' Lily looked thoughtful. 'We're lucky to have Dearborn there. Without him so close to the Minister, the Order would have a hard time achieving anything against You-Know-Who.' She was pensive for a few moments and all was silent. Outside even the crickets were having a rest from the heat of the day. Something occurred to Lily. 'But there's recently been an election. Won't the new Prime Minister need to be briefed from scratch? I mean, does she even know about us – the wizarding world?' 'Ah, here's where I turn to you. Dearborn put your name forward to be part of the liaison team.' Dumbledore chuckled, 'He'll find himself outnumbered at this meeting: the Prime Minister is a most formidable woman, as is Millicent Bagnold. And you're an ideal person to be included, being a former Head Girl with excellent NEWTs, and yourself a formidable woman,' Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. 'But it's your Muggle heritage that Bagnold needs in order to make a success of this meeting.' He paused before adding, 'Of course, your connection with the Order is completely secret; Bagnold has no idea that you'll be working on our behalf.' 'Of course. So would it just be a matter of attending the meetings? Do you need me to do any briefing? Or investigating?' 'The precise details aren't yet decided. I daresay Bagnold and Dearborn will meet with you, probably several times, before the three of you make contact with Downing Street. What I most want you to focus on, when the time comes, is understanding Mrs Thatcher as best you can: what her response is – not her political response, but her personal and Prime Ministerial response –firstly to the existence of our world, and secondly to the threat of Voldemort. Will she be a help or hindrance? We need to know who our friends are. 'Dearborn will be getting information about the security and intelligence resources that we might be able to share with the Muggles, and Bagnold will no doubt talk about the need for discretion and keeping up the appearance of order. No need to worry too much about her. You and Dearborn together will be able to accomplish everything we need from this liaison. 'As well as Mrs Thatcher herself, you will also need to assess the risk to the royal family. The Prime Minister will be most concerned about that, too. So use your best investigative skills, Lily, and find out what sort of security is in place in the event of any magical threats in that area.' The business-like mood was suddenly disrupted by a crack. 'Lily, my love, will you marry me?' 'James! Don't be absurd. And don't Apparate onto the coffee table. We have a guest.' 'Yes, I know. And I'm sure Professor Dumbledore himself has made many foolish proclamations of love over the years, haven't you, sir?' James winked at him, as if to prove to Lily he had in no way behaved inappropriately. 'Here, Sweetheart,' he stepped off the table and bent down to kiss her tummy, 'a present from Peter.' He handed her a bag of jelly-beans and flung out his wand. 'Accio bowl.' Lily sat up eagerly. 'White ones, my favourite. Dear Peter. Always remembers.' By the time Lily had poured the jelly-beans into the bowl and offered some to Dumbledore, James had banished the empty bag and plopped himself next to Lily on the lounge. 'Sorry I'm late, Professor. We didn't make much headway … Anyway, why did you want to see us? Is there news? Has there been a breakthrough?' 'I suppose one could say there has been a breakthrough … of sorts.' Dumbledore hesitated and took another jelly-bean. 'What I'm going to discuss with you must remain completely confidential. And James, I mean completely. There must only be the three of us here and three certain others, whom I will reveal to you shortly, who know what I am about to show you. It is imperative that you do not discuss this – with anyone. Are you both clear about that?' Dumbledore fixed a piercing stare on the young man opposite him. 'James?' James and Lily looked at one another. Suddenly, the room felt a little cooler and the summer silence seemed a little thicker. 'Uh, is it necessary for us to know, then?' James asked uncertainly. 'I mean, if it's so confidential, why do we need to know about it?' 'You're clear that this must go no further?' Dumbledore insisted with a stare until the Potters nodded in agreement. 'Good. Well, it's best I show you rather than tell you. Do have a jelly-bean while I prepare.' Dumbledore retrieved his case and drew out a Pensieve which he placed on the coffee table between them. He was just moving his wand to his temple when James reached across to still his arm. 'Wait. What are you going to show us? Why can't you talk about it?' 'Oh, we will certainly talk about it, once we've seen this.' 'Professor,' interrupted Lily, 'you said there'd been a sort of breakthrough … will this help us defeat the Dark Lord?' 'It certainly seems that way, Lily. But prophecies, as you well know, are not the most reliable tools.' James snorted as he fell back against the couch. 'Oh, please.' 'James! This is serious. I'm sorry, Professor. Go on.' 'Not at all. I completely understand your reaction; on most occasions I would readily concur. However, drawing on a somewhat longer life than either of you, my experience tells me that this is a genuine occurrence of foresight.' Once again he moved is wand to his temple. 'If you'll allow me …' As Dumbledore extracted his memory, James absent-mindedly offered the bowl of jelly-beans to Lily and then helped himself to a handful. The two of them were still chewing when Dumbledore activated the Pensieve. The three leant forward as a figure rose from the bowl and chanted a prophecy in a harsh, gravelly voice. Once the figure had returned to the swirling mists in the bowl, the three slowly leant back into their chairs. Dumbledore watched his two young friends carefully for their reaction: James was looking perplexed but Lily had paled considerably which, combined with the light sheen of sweat on her face, gave her a feverish look. Dumbledore quickly conjured a cool, wet face-cloth. She took it gratefully and wiped her face. 'What has that got to do with us?' James was looking between Dumbledore and Lily. He was holding Lily's hand, though he had no recollection of picking it up. 'I mean, that's good news isn't it? Someone's coming who's powerful enough to kill You-Know-Who – isn't that it?' 'James,' Lily said with exasperation, 'it means a baby's going to be born – very soon – who is going to be marked by him in some way, which is horrible enough in itself. And,' she began ticking off each point on her fingers, 'while this person may grow up with special powers, one of them will kill the other. And we'll probably have to wait twenty or more years for this to happen. And it doesn't definitely say that this person will win. And,' her tally of points forgotten, she swallowed before whispering, 'it could be my baby…' 'What?! That's rot, Lily! Our baby's not due till August, and anyway, we've only defied him twice – that fight in Liverpool, and the time we both went to rescue Dorcas. What does that mean, anyway – thrice defied? Our whole life is one big defiance.' Thought marked a crease in his forehead. 'Could it mean being members of the Order? Does it mean people who have attacked him or escaped from him?' He looked to Dumbledore for an answer but none was forthcoming. Dumbledore merely held out the jelly-bean bowl. Lily grabbed a handful and started popping them into her mouth, one by one. 'Who else knows about this, Professor?' James asked. 'You said only six people are allowed to know.' 'The three of us, obviously. The prophet herself – no, you don't need to know her name, safer for all concerned – and the other couple to whom this prophecy may refer.' James sucked in a breath and whispered, 'the Longbottoms.' He ran a hand through his hair. 'It fits them much better than it fits us.' But then a thought struck him, 'Do they need protection? Does You-Know-Who know about this?' Dumbledore looked down at his hands as though carefully inspecting his age spots for meaningful patterns. 'Ah. Well, there's the difficulty. I very much regret that the first part of the prophecy was overheard by a spy. So we must assume Voldemort knows about a child being born this month to parents who have defied him three times. Beyond that he knows nothing, as the spy was discovered and evicted before any more was revealed.' 'Professor,' Lily began, 'if it turns out to be us … or Alice and Frank for that matter … whoever it is … what should we do? Can we do anything? Of course, it won't be us, because we don't fit all the elements of the prophecy …' Lily's usually calm and rational manner seemed to have melted away, '… except that you're here, aren't you, and you wouldn't tell us if you didn't think … I know the baby's due in August, but it's early August and it might come earlier … and even so, we've only escaped him twice … so far …' 'Lily, calm down, it's ok.' James conjured a glass of water for her and tenderly brushed her hair away from her forehead. 'It's not us. We've got nothing to worry about.' 'But what about the Longbottoms?' Lily looked to Dumbledore. 'Are we … I mean, is there any danger?' 'When we have more information it may be necessary to take some precautions,' Dumbledore said. 'You mean, when we know for sure who the prophecy refers to?' 'Yes, James. If it comes to it, you should consider some means of protecting yourselves and your child. There are several options, but we can cross that bridge when – if – we come to it.' Dumbledore smiled in reassurance and started to return the memory to his mind and the Pensieve to its case. James offered the final jelly-bean to Lily just as a large black bird tapped at the sitting room window. A wave of hot air burst into the room as James opened the window to retrieve a letter. 'Oh Merlin,' James whispered. 'What? What is it?' asked Lily. 'It's from him. You-Know-Who.' James laughed nervously. 'I can't believe he would actually send me a letter.' 'What?!' Lily pushed herself up and moved beside James to see the parchment in his hand. It was sealed with green wax by the Dark Mark. 'Don't touch it! Professor, take it from him.' 'Lily, it's ok. It's just a letter.' 'No, it could be cursed, don't open it. Professor, can you check it, please?' 'Here, my dear. Come sit down. You too, James. Let me see it – I won't open it, I'll just scan it for curses.' He waved his wand around the letter and a golden glow encased it for a moment. He handed it back to James. 'All safe, not so much as a Portkey attached. Let's see what he has to say for himself.' He resumed his seat. 'Any jelly-beans left?' With a glance at the empty bowl he muttered, 'What a shame.' James Potter This ridiculous squabble has gone on long enough. It is time for all pure wizards to put aside their differences for the greater good of magic. If you choose to honour your magical heritage, you will accept this offer of amnesty and join me as a citizen of the wizarding empire that I am bringing into being. When you accept, your wife and children will be marked and afforded protection by my sanctuary charm. You have twice proved your reputation as a powerful wizard, Mr Potter. I trust you will see fit to devote that power to our new empire. Forever I remain Lord Voldemort Again, Dumbledore watched the young couple carefully. Finally, Lily broke the silence. 'Well,' she looked half amused, half angry. 'Can you believe the nerve? "Sanctuary charm" my foot! I bet it puts a big yellow star on your front and transports you straight to a concentration camp.' James still had not spoken. His hand held the parchment rigidly, his jaw clenched tightly. 'How … dare he,' he finally growled under his breath. 'Well, that's one way to win friends and influence people,' mused Dumbledore. 'I wonder who else received a letter.' He rose and moved to the window, contemplating the scene outside. 'I wonder who'll choose what's easy.' James was still staring at the letter. 'Come on, James. You're not giving this serious thought, surely?' 'What? Oh sorry, Lily. No, of course not! I just can't believe … to threaten like that … I love you so much, Lily.' He reached his hand out to her cheek. 'No one will ever take me away from you.' 'I know, my love.' Lily leaned over and kissed him. 'Here,' she said, taking the parchment and turning it over, 'let's be clear so he doesn't get any ideas.' She summoned a quill. Keep your charm and your empire. We choose our heritage - magical AND Muggle. James and Lily Potter THE END |