Lily Evans

“That would be interesting,” Remus agreed, looking thoughtful at that and tilting his head. “I mean, it’d be useful, after all.” He paused, then grinned softly at her, adding, “And you know, if that hasn’t been invented yet, we could work on it. Imagine how much money we could make from something like that.” He laughed at the thought, shaking his head a little and then added, “I don’t know about that though, I think they’d have to change things for the statute, right? Just to be careful and keep anyone who maybe wanted to believe from finding out about it. Most things I think they might get away with, but some…” He shook his head.

“She does,” Remus laughed out then, “I’ll tell her next time I see her that you said that. She’s the one who got me to love books so much, after all.” He smiled softly as he thought about it, more than grateful for his mother doing so much to help him when he was little and thought he’d never be able to do anything, instilling a love of books that he could actually have something to do on his own.

“I think that sounds perfect,” He agreed, “A quiet corner in a coffee shop, and we bring books so we can decide which ones we thing are the best.” Absently, he also thought it was a good idea because he was worried about Lily asking more about the potion, and he didn’t want to admit to her just how dire the situation was; if they were in a public space, there would be less of a chance to ask about it, after all.

His cheeks flushed at Lily’s worse then and he shook his head slightly. “I’ll just have to take your word on that,” He chuckled out, “But I will try and keep believing you so that you don’t have to get worried about it.” He grinned, then added with a playful tease, “Oh, I know you have no problem repeating yourself.”

A smirk crossed Remus’s face when he saw Lily blush, and he couldn’t help but chuckle softly at her words. “I never said I thought you were going on a date with him,” He pointed out, “And does it count if flobberworms fly with the use of a charm? Because I think that’s happened and I’m sure you’ll end up complimenting him without thinking about it soon enough.” He gave her a teasing grin, unable to help it. “It will be though,” He agreed with her, “It’ll be the best.”

“Now that’s an intriguing thought...” she said, taking another sip of her tea. “I’m sure you and I could definitely write a fantastic novel...” she enthused, “Although, for the muggles we could probably just write about our Hogwarts days and it would be a huge hit,” she chuckled. “I think the general ideas you could probably get a way with, because muggles do love fiction and fantasy,” she said, “but anything really specific, or any locations or specific people would probably need to be changed for the statute....” she mused. “Now I really want to discover if such a book exists, after having such an intellectual discussion about it,” she grinned.

She grinned watching him talk about his mother. Lily often felt as if she saw Remus stressed more often than she saw him smile, so it was refreshing to see him smile so tenderly. She supposed she just needed to make time to see her friend more often outside of Order meetings, but lately life seemed to just speed by before she really had time to think about the time passing. 

“Although, I suppose we’d have to make sure it’s a wizarding coffee shop so we can talk about both categories of novels... if we broke the statute in a coffee shop during book club I think that would be the most boring thing anyone’s done to break the law,” she said with a giggle. “But a coffee shop it is, then!” 

“You’ll hear me one of these days,” she said, shaking her head at him a bit. “Excuse me!” she scoffed, unable to hold back her laugh as she momentarily pretended to be mad at him for his teasing. “I do not repeat myself! I’m a writer, I like to talk but that doesn’t mean I say the same thing over and over again,” she defended. 

She rolled her eyes, blushing slightly. She thought for a moment before she spoke next, not wanting to confirm he was probably right about Potter, and not wanting to dig herself into a deeper hole. “Yes, well,” she said, biting her lip for a moment as she continued to think about what she wanted to say, “just don’t tell him I said anything remotely complimentary about him... his ego is big enough,” she replied with a flip of her hair.

     While intently listening to Lily speak on the details of the robberies, Alastor simultaneously took to seating himself. “A smart petty thief might target the middle class. The reward might be less dazzling but it’s likely simultaneously low risk. Often, the higher class a place the better security.” A shrug decorated his shoulders, musing on the subject without intending to suggest that was what occured. “Still think you’re right, that’s not the case here.” It all seemed too intentional. As if, someone knew what they were looking for. 

With vague amusement he side-eyed the notebook his company was diligently flipping through. “I could grasp a why. Nothing says hard to trace attack like giving someone a cursed item that otherwise was in the possession of someone else. Depending on the curse, they can be fairly dangerous. They’re possibly hoping some people won’t even come forward to admit something was taken.” Alastor’s features darkened. Under the vague impression if they didn’t get any real leads, one of the missing items was going to be found by an innocent bystander. He’d really hate for the way an item was recovered to be only once someone unsuspecting came into contact with it and ended up in St. Mungo’s. 

Alastor would be the last person to underestimate these dark wizards. They’d been annoyingly clever and well-hidden thus far. “Sentimental or not, I don’t see why they wouldn’t try and have The Ministry handle the item for them. Have the office for the removal of curses break the curse, return the item to the family. Keep the treasure minus the curse.” Then again, he supposed not all families trusted The Ministry very much. Perhaps they feared the item would never return to them. 

His pale blue eyes settled curiously across from them. Observing the home, looking for any activity from the family within or nearby. He mentally counted the first floor windows, though any of the front facing ones would be a risk to tamper with. “No thanks needed. It’s worth a look. I am curious as to how you got the lead that this place might be targeted next.” Alastor momentarily broke his surveying gaze to side-eye towards Lily. “The who is hard to pinpoint. I’m curious where they’d got the intel from, if these are targeted houses for specific items. It’d help with a who if we knew more of a how.” 

Lily pondered Alastor’s point, thinking through the items that she knew had been taken already. “I hadn’t thought of that,” she admitted, glad she’d asked the older Order member along. Lily frowned for a moment, worried that maybe she was blowing everything out of proportion and taking them on a wild goose chase. She relaxed a bit when Alastor said she was right, grinning broadly. “Yes, it also seems suspicious that some of the witches and wizards don’t even want to admit what was stolen... to me, that seems like items a petty thief might not know about... those items would likely not be in plain sight, so the thief would really have to hunt for them...” she mused. 

“Yes, another very valid point...” Lily agreed, nodding and continuing to jot things down in her notebook. She felt she was getting a lot of great information by getting Alastor’s perspective on everything, and she didn’t want to forget something. Additionally, she felt like Alastor was someone who gave off the impression that he always knew what he was doing, and she wanted to seem similarly prepared. “It is an interesting motive. I mean, my guess has obviously been that they’re planning on using the items for some nefarious purpose, but I hadn’t thought about the fact that an attack would be virtually untraceable...” she rambled, frowning slightly at the thought. Perhaps whoever they were looking for was more dangerous than they appeared. 

“If only people were that sensible,” Lily said with a wry grin, “although, if I had a dark object lying around I’m not sure I would want to own up to it by giving it to the ministry...” she added. She glanced away when he asked who her source was. To be honest, she didn’t necessarily have a source for this story. She’d been following news clippings and tracking mentions of the thefts from magical law enforcement. Her informant on this particular house being the next target was someone who honestly wasn’t always very reliable. The last time he had information for her, all she ended up finding was an innocent garden gnome. Not that she would ever admit that to Alastor. “It was an anonymous source...” she settled on, “but they have provided some correct information in the past...”

✰ LILY .

Good fortune had brought Lily to this coffee shop, to his table, of that James was certain. Of course, he was mostly just glad to know that Lily was alright. After the fire he wasn’t even entirely sure of the next time he’d see her. An Order meeting would be called, surely, if one of their own was severely injured. But James still worried. He always had about the people he cared about and especially about Lily.

“Coffee is my kryptonite,” he said, shrugging. “Except kryptonite that I love. Because Superman doesn’t love kryptonite right? It’s like something he actively avoids.” For a second, James was transported to the comic book shop his da’ used to take them to on his road shows. There was one just outside of London, full of vibrant, colorful drawings. James was, surprisingly, drawn to Batman, even if Spider-Man would always be his favorite. “She might ask herself the same question,” James chuckled. “I think she thought I would hate it and give it up instantly.”

James took another small sip of his coffee and tried to stop his leg from shaking it it was no use. “I’ve heard that it’s a trip,” James said, holding up his hands. “That’s all I’m going to say.” The sun spilled through the curtains of the shop, creating a bright, shimmering spot of sun on Lily’s hair. Merlin, she was gorgeous. And not just because of her looks, but because the sun brought out the kindness that James always found comforting. The sun brought out the glow that James saw all the time.

And then she asked him how he was doing and he almost fell out of his chair.

Almost.

“I, uh, I’ve been… well benched,” he stammered out, scratching the back of his head. “Well, not so much benched as medically forced to sit on a bench. I’ve tried to help out at the Ministry in the meantime.” He cleared his throat. “And you? How’s the writing coming along? Anything I’m allowed to read without getting my eyes cut out?” And the grin was back.

Lily’s brow furrowed slightly, surprised that James was well-versed in comic book lore. She’d always assumed that most wizards didn’t pay much attention to muggle culture, even if they weren’t prejudiced about them. “Uh, I suppose,” she said, “but if it’s something that you enjoy, them I’m not sure Kryptonite is really an accurate comparison...” she mused, “Maybe it’s more like your Bat cave? Slightly unhealthy that a grown man dresses up and hides in a cave, but he does seem to enjoy it and it gives him power,” she shrugged. 

Lily chuckled at his next response. “Hmm, that’s probably true. I bet she never made that mistake again,” she laughed with a shake of her head. “Your mum must be quite a saint to put up with you and Sirius running around all the time,” she teased. Lily was slightly surprised that she was still sitting there with James, and he hadn’t annoyed her once. She tried not to think about it too hard, because she was certain if she did she’d come to her senses and run out of the coffee shop.

She couldn’t help but smile as they talked. “When he’s not being a git, he’s actually rather clever,” she thought to herself, before immediately shaking her head as if to clear such a ridiculous thought from her head. “Sure, you’re just heard it’s a trip, eh?” she said, raising an eyebrow at him. She couldn’t help but think he was actually rather attractive when he smiled at her like that. She frowned slightly, thinking of all the other girls who would fall all over him. She could almost see the appeal. Almost. 

“Medically benched?” she asked, frowning slightly, “What on earth happened to make you medically benched?” she asked, suddenly worried he’d gotten injured doing some Order business she was unaware of. “Be careful with yourself...” she sighed. She took a deep breath and a sip of her coffee, running a hand through her hair. 

She accepted the change of subject so she wouldn’t have to dwell on the fact that she maybe cared about James and his well-being quite a bit. “Well, I suppose that depends on whether or not you’ve picked up the Prophet lately,” she smirked. “Although in all honesty, you might want to cut your own eyes at at some of the things they have me writing,” she huffed. “I’m working on a few investigative pieces, but unfortunately my editor prefers that I write fluff that doesn’t cause any controversy.”

There is no situation Lily can think of where she would fight Alastor. For one, Lily currently has too much respect for the older Order member. Secondly, Lily is pretty sure that Alastor could take her in a fight. Lily’s fairly confident in her ability to hold her own and defend herself, but she admires Alastor and woudln’t want to press her luck.

“There’s no need to thank me.” He signed smiling and bumping her shoulder gently. “I’m sorry.. sometimes I just.. get lost in my thoughts I don’t even realise I’m going fast.” He signed slowly. His eyes met hers brown hues softening. “I talked fast too when I could. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised”. He signed laughing. “I should thank you. Learning it.. I know it’s a lot.” He signed smiling softly. “When I was learning I don’t think the book ever left my side.” He glanced up and walked the few steps to the kitchen to grab their beverages. “Cheers.” He mouthed the word clinking his glass against hers. “Do you remember the first time you had butter beer?” He signed to his friend.

He could already hear reegan purring loudly between them. “She won’t leave your side now.” He signed smiling. He pet under her chin as she rubbed against lily. Looking around he let out a held in breath. “Thank you. It was fun to do, something different you know. We had fun, certainly got messy. I think I was still scrubbing paint off me two days later.” That had been the first time Desmond paint red something like they. Every second was worth it and filled with laughter. It didn’t matter if it wasn’t perfect. In fact, he liked it better not perfect. Too many times growing up he was expected to be perfect. From childhood into adulthood. He furrowed his eyebrows “she likes piano and she likes gardening. She loves the colour yellow. I was thinking of doing a sort of music box or maybe a type of flower.” He signed shrugging

@fromthelilypad

Originally posted by scottstiles

Originally posted by scottstiles

“Hmm, yes I remember having an alphabet sign language book when I was younger, but I do struggle with some of the broader vocabulary,” she said. She was always impressed with the way that Des seemed to take everything in stride, not letting his setbacks stop him from being able to communicate and pursue his goals. “Cheers,” she said with a smile, taking a sip. “Hmm...” she hummed, thinking back, “It was definitely at Hogwarts... I can’t remember which was the first time, but it was either on a Hogsmeade weekend or in the Gryffindor Common Room after we’d had a spectacular Quidditch victory over Slytherin,” she grinned, spending a moment lost in those fond memories. 

She glanced down at the cat as she continued to purr. “Well she’s a sweetheart, she’s welcome to snuggle up here as long as she likes,” Lily said, petting her ears. Lily laughed as Des described the painting. “Well, sounds like it was quite the adventure!” She nodded, thinking of gift ideas while Desmond talked. “What about a charmed music box?” she mused, “You could create a music box that plays her favorite song on piano, and then when it opens up we could charm a little yellow flower to bloom for her?” she suggested. “I’d be happy to help with the charm work if you like, it’s been a while since I’ve had a reason and the time to be creative with my charms,” she offered. 

  “Yes colorful language helps with the wizarding wireless program as well, but– I actually do enjoy writing.” A light flush briefly colored her cheeks. If only due to being fairly humble on the topic, especially in the presence of someone like Lily Evans who was otherwise an accomplished writer herself. “One of my many side projects involves publishing. I know a lot of people with my particular skill set open their own business, so as to shroud their culinary accomplishments in mystery but I think sharing is the most important part. if I could write a book, have it sit on shelves in people’s homes and in bookstores; that’d be a dream come true.” Though, owning her own tea shop was still on the list as well. It amused her how many dreams she managed to cling to despite the turmoil their world was steadily growing into. 

Realizing that she was again starting to passionately ramble, nimble fingers moved to tuck a few strands of hair behind her ears. “Does he truly annoy you?” Greta asked curiously, no insinuation meant in her tone. Just a genuine curiosity, as it was fairly hard for her to understand the sentiment herself. Afterall, her own relationship with James was often one in which she put him on a bit of a pedestal. 

“Oh, that is a tricky one. It is on my list of things, though, to try and counter-balance given the positive effects of Wideye Potion.” Leave it to a journalist to immediately ask very pertinent and intelligent questions. “Well, I am focusing firstly more on potions used for ailments. Coughing Draught, things of that nature. I am not going to pretend I have figured very much of it all out as of yet. Balancing how potent the potion needs to be with the recipe it is being incorporated into is fairly delicate.” 

Lily sipped her tea as she listened to Greta talk about the wireless and all of the other projects she had going on. Lily admired people like Greta who were able to channel their ambition into several different directions. Lily had always worked best when she had a singular focus, or at least a singular goal and purpose. “That’s fascinating,” she enthused, “is it rather difficult to publish your own book? I know how that all works in the muggle world, but I wonder if it’s different in the wizarding world?” she mused aloud. 

Lily was a bit disarmed by Greta’s tone, and for once in her life a question about how she felt about James actually made her relax a bit. She didn’t get the sense that Greta was prying for gossip, and since Greta was outside her core circle of friends she didn’t think the other girl would repeat anything to James or tease her relentlessly for the admission like some of her friends would. “I know that he used to,” she said, letting out a deep breath, relieved to be able to get some of this off of her mind. “He did some things in school that I can’t condone, but I suppose I’ve forgiven him for those. And he is growing up a bit, and getting a bit more mature,” she conceded. “Sorry,” she said, blushing a bit, “You asked a simple question and I just started dumping all my feelings on you,” she said, trying to sound casual about it all. In truth, she was feeling quite confused about James lately. 

Lily nodded along, gladly letting Greta assume that she was brewing Wide-Eye potion. She trusted Greta, but didn’t know the woman well enough to know if she would investigate why Lily would be interested in Wolfsbane. At any rate, that wasn’t her secret to tell and she guarded it very cautiously. “That makes sense,” she said with a nod. “I’m intrigued by it all, especially how you manage to tamper with potions that have very temperamental ingredients,” she mused. “Potions was never my favorite subject, but I have learned to expertly brew a few things.”

Remus nodded his head quickly in agreement with Lily. “I’d think they’d have to be,” He agreed, “Because that’s the only way that would really make sense. Unless they were just a wizard who wanted to take advantage of another market, but I also don’t think that they’d be able to as easily transfer that language into something that muggles would be able to read that wouldn’t break the secrecy law as well, you know?” He hummed as he thought about it, but chuckled and squeezed Lily’s hand. “Ah, no we both are,” he laughed, “it’s fine. I’ve missed them as well, so I’m very eager to get this book club started.”

“I don’t think we do,” He said thoughtfully, “There are far fewer of those sorts of stories it seems, and it might be more difficult if we narrow them down further.” he paused at her suggestion and smiled. “Actually,” He chuckled, “To Kill A Mockingbird’ was one my mother keeps recommending for me to re-read. She let me read that one when I was younger, but that was before Hogwarts. Might be a bit better to read it now, yes?” He nodded though and added, “We can both come up with some suggestions, maybe that could be our first meeting? Deciding on what we want to read?”

At her kind words, Remus couldn’t help but flush and duck his head slightly. “You flatter me,” He chuckled out, “And I thank you for that. I’m grateful that you can see that in me, even if I can’t see it myself, and I adore you for it. I suppose I’ll just have to keep believing your right and maybe someday figure that out, hm?”

He’d started to laugh and reply to Lily’s words, when she said that about James and then playfully threatened him, leading him to grin and raise an eyebrow at her. “You think he’s grown up a bit, hm?” He teased her playfully, “Well, I’d rather not have any of my books catch fire when I open them, so I suppose I’ll keep my mouth shut. Instead, I’ll wait for the day when you tell him that yourself.” He smirked lightly at her, then snickered and added, “Ah, then yes, I’ll keep that to a minimum. Wouldn’t want to get kicked out of book club.”

“Hmm, you bring up a few interesting points, though,” Lily mused, “I wonder if there’s something that translates wizarding references into things that wouldn’t break the statue of secrecy,” she said, “Like a quick-quotes quill, but for adapting or censoring things for muggles,” she continued, intrigued by this idea now that they had started discussing it. “Or, if a wizard or witch really did want to take advantage of a different market, do you think they could just write a book about wizards and publish it as muggle fiction? Don’t get me wrong, I grew up muggle and I love my friends, but people often believe what they want to see... it might be easier than we think to pass a wizarding book off as muggle fiction.” 

“Hm, your mother sounds like she has excellent taste,” Lily agreed. “It’s definitely one of those books you read in primary school, but I think it’s a classic for a good reason,” she said. “I think that sounds like an excellent plan for our first meeting,” she said with a nod, “We’ll have to pick a place and date... maybe a quiet coffee shop? And we can bring copies of our top suggestions so we can read the backs of the books and get a feel for which ones might be best to start with!” 

“I don’t flatter you with anything that isn’t true,” she said sincerely. She smiled proudly at him, glad he was at least admitting she was right, even if he didn’t believe that about himself yet. “Well as long as you keep believing me, I suppose that’s fine for now,” she said lightly, “I don’t have any problem repeating myself until it sticks,” she said with a wink. 

She blushed a bit when he caught her slip-up. She hadn’t meant to admit out loud that she saw James in a different light these days. “Emphasis on a bit” she said, “I didn’t say I’d go on a date with him, just that... maybe he’s growing up a little. Maybe,” she conceded. She raised an eyebrow at him when he smirked. “The day I compliment James Potter will be the day flobberworms fly,” she said with an eyeroll, “His ego is big enough without me adding to it.” She chuckled at him, “You joke, but just wait- our book club is going to be great!” 

   It was a curious matter. How whomever was responsible was able to trace the ownership of the items they desired peaked his interest. If they were cursed, as Lily suggested they may be, he couldn’t help but feel like the Burke family might be involved somehow. Likely they were not responsible for the act themselves, just the information. Trouble was, all any of them had at this point was theories. Who, why, how. Those that’d already been targeted, what had been taken. Some seemed hesitant to admit what it was in the first place, which further supported the claim they weren’t the kind of items they wanted floating around. It also made it harder to keep tabs on, there could be more than they were aware of just because someone didn’t want to admit they had the object in question. 

Collections were common, he thought, among purebloods. Objects, artifacts, paintings. At the end of the day he supposed it might not all even be Order related, just someone breaking the laws to obtain rare items without the intent to use them. Still, Alastor would rather follow Lily’s lead and find nothing; than not pursue it and it be something. 

As a pair, of course. Part of him imagined if he had not personally agreed to the stakeout, Lily may have gone herself. That was one thing Alastor never supported. Always have someone with you, no matter how big the lead; never pursue alone. Their safety was more important, what good would information obtained be if they were dead and said information passed on with them? Zero. His recent argument with Marlene was still a bit fresh on his mind, the young man gritting his teeth at the thought. 

“Good. Was going to say having a picnic across the way might be a bit obvious.” Alastor offered Lily a shadow of a smile, a hint of sarcasm lingering in his words. “I trust your capabilities. However, there is one thing–” Wand in hand he turned to cast the obliteration charm so as to vanish their own fresh footprints approaching the area. “If they studied the target household, they will likely wait until they believe the owners to be in bed.” He nodded, agreeing that they could be waiting around for some time. Appreciating the effort Lily seemed to put in, though Alastor would argue he would be fine sitting on a tree stump. “They’ve been careful thus far. It all seems pretty well organized.” That thought alone crossed a few more reckless names off his mental suspect list. 

Lily was grateful that Alastor had agreed to join her. He definitely had more experience than her dealing with this kind of thing, and he knew some of the players that might be involved. It was difficult to pursue leads like this. While they weren’t necessarily outspoken about it, it was evident that some supporters of the blood purist movement were in positions of power. They weren’t fighting a war against petty crooks looking to make some money. No, they were up against a group of people who were intelligent, who knew how to accumulate power, and who sometimes seemed to hurt people for fun. 

Lily smiled at his sarcasm, glad he approved of her stakeout spot. She sat up a bit straighter when she said he trusted her charm work to conceal them. She was still relatively new to the order and sometimes felt as if she was trying to prove herself. “Good thinking,” she said as he vanished their footprints, making a mental note to be sure to do that the next time she set up a stakeout. “You’re right about that,” she agreed, taking out a small notebook and flipping through it. Parchment and quill were fine for writing at a desk, but Lily was partial to a muggle pen and paper when writing notes out in the field. Her small burgundy notebook was a bit tattered at the edges, and had seen it’s fair share of shrinking charms when she needed to shove it in her pocket. 

“So far all of the homes that have been robbed have been those of middle class witches and wizards. My thought is that these aren’t the kind of households petty thieves would target, so they must be looking for something specific...” she mused, flipping a few pages in her notebook. “I can’t figure out what purpose they might serve, or why seemingly innocent wizards have possible dark objects in their houses to begin with, but my guess would be that it’s perhaps sentimental value?” she suggested, “I interviewed one wizard who reported a jewelry box as missing, and he was very concerned because he stated it was cursed but refused to tell me how it was cursed. Anyways, he said that it had been in the family for centuries.”  

She spent a few minutes reading through her notes, hoping that some new information would jump out at her. She wasn’t quite sure what to talk to Alastor about other than the case. She couldn’t help but feel a bit intimidated by him, whether from admiration or her crush she wasn’t quite sure. She glanced at the house- everything across the street was still and silent. “Thanks again for joining me,” she said, internally thinking “Merlin Lily, you sound like his 12-year old kid sister thanking him for joining you at the playground.” She shook her head to try and clear the thought away and prevent herself from blushing. “Do you have any theories on who might be behind the thefts? Or why?” she asked, trying to start a new conversation before she could embarrass herself again.

   “Ah, well, that isn’t guaranteed to me anyways these days.” Despite the darker insinuation of her words given her blood status, Greta’s tone remained fairly upbeat. If she could still smile like this, make comments off-hand in good humor, then she wasn’t letting the fear that lurked behind her smile run her life. Worrying today doesn’t make tomorrow’s troubles go away. “Oh!” Her hickory hues rounded out into a look of faint surprise. “You don’t have to fret about that, I wouldn’t be inclined to think you the type.” Now, Rita Skeeter on the other hand, there was a writer with a reputation to be slightly wary of. 

“A very wise choice indeed. I fear, I am a little too much of a loyalist to switch up teams. I have always been a Wimbourne Wasps fan in the name of being a Ludo Bagman fangirl.” For effect, the blonde swished a few strands of hair over her shoulder and faked a melodramatic swoon. “Younger Greta would give me a swift kick if I abandoned the wasps just because the best beater they ever had on the roster, is no longer playing for them. Plus, their fans are a fairly spirited sort. All that buzzing.” A light of heart chuckle settled into the space between them. “Oh, but James being on a team would be a reason to root for them!” 

A small nod accentuated her words, “fairly well. I am still continuously a little surprised when people mention they listen. Outside of our circles of friends that is.” Which, given how affable she was did happen to be a rather large circle. “I am actually really excited about my current project. I am trying to work on a few original recipes that specifically make certain potions more – well, easy to swallow. Taste wise. Just for a segment on the show, I mean. I am not looking to profit off it. I just want to use what I know to help families. Children in particular that might otherwise be inclined to refuse a coughing draught, or anything of the sort.” 

“Well, good,” Lily said with a grin, taking a deep breath. She could relax a bit more now that she was sure Greta didn’t think the other girl was just using her for her information. She knew that some of the other reporters at the Daily Prophet could be a bit shady in the way they gathered their information. 

Lily laughed at Greta’s description of the Wasps fans. “You should be a writer with that kind of description,” she said, “it really paints a lively picture.” Lily had always enjoyed going to quidditch games, especially when going with her group of friends. “I wouldn’t say that,” she said, “although I do know that not everyone shares my... annoyance, for James,” she conceded. She almost said something harsher, but she realized she didn’t really have feelings of disdain or hatred towards James anymore. Frustration, maybe, but it had dulled to a general annoyance rather than an immediate urge to hex him. 

“That’s wonderful!” Lily said, excited to hear about the other woman’s success. “I listen to the show when I can, it’s really good!” she enthused. She nodded along as Greta described her newest segment on the show. “That’s fascinating!” she said, “I’ve been trying to work on a way to make potions with aconite taste a little better, but so far I haven’t been able to find anything that doesn’t temper with the potion too much,” she said with a bit of a pout. “What’s the most recent recipe you’ve come up with? What’s the toughest one to make palatable?”

Desmond nodded. “It shouldn’t.” He signed back and before he continued he looked back at her. Lowering his hands he bit the inside of his lip. “I’m sorry.” His hands signed. “Am I going to fast?” He mouthed the words slightly wincing in his expression. It was sometimes difficult to remember to slow down. Nodding, he smiled gently, his eyes brimming with hope. “I agree. I think we have done all we can do tonight.” He signed slowly. He reached over to his left grabbing the folder he usually carried Order things in.

A silent chuckle escaped when she mentioned Butterbeer. “Sounds perfect”. He mouthed signing. A furry ball jumped onto the couch, reegan brushed up against lily before settling between them. “Well, finally got some walls painted.” He signed thinking back to Gideon having helped him and smiled. “It’s my mums birthday soon. I- I’ve been staying late at work past few nights. I still haven’t gotten anything for her.” He signed sheepishly. “I want too especially now given the past year.”

@fromthelilypad

“Thanks, Des,” she said as he slowed down, smiling softly. “Sometimes... I think I really just need to brush up on my sign language,” she chuckled. She was glad they had come up with a plan. Lily appreciated taking action more than sitting still. When she sat still for too long, the situation tended to look rather hopeless. Coming up with a plan provided hope, and a direction that they could maybe make some progress in battling the darkness. She nodded as he signed they had done all they could for the night. 

Lily grinned at Reegan, scratching the animal behind the ears for a few moments before looking up again so she could see what Desmond was signing. “I noticed that,” she said as she looked around, “the walls look great, Des.” She thought for a moment as he talked about getting his mum something for her birthday. “What kinds of things does she like?” Lily asked, “Would she prefer something handmade, or something that you pick up in a store?”

Remus smiled more, happy at hearing how enthusiastic Lily was about this, just as he was. “I think it’ll be interesting,” He agreed, “We’ll have to see what we think about how it compares, though I’m sure they’ll be a lot of differences as well.” He paused, pondering her question for a moment. “I don’t know,” He admitted, “That’s something to look into. I mean, I suppose they could, it would mean more sales for them and more readers, right? Just things they’d have to change to make it fit each world.” He hummed then, thinking it over. “I say we go with a broad range?” He suggested, “Or at least for the first month or two. Figure out what we’re getting ourselves into and what works best.” He chuckled softly.

“Yes,” He agreed, “It’s refreshing, really. Something to look forward to in these times, which is exactly what we need.” He had to grin at her suggestion, and then nodded quickly. “I think that’s perfect!” He chuckled, “Something about hope and perseverance, something very inspirational. I’m not sure what time period would be best? But I think you’re onto the right thing here, that plan’s perfect.”

He felt his heart warm at the squeeze and the smile she gave him, more grateful than ever for Lily Evans and her friendship. He hadn’t ever thought she’d pay attention to him as a friend, not when the Marauders were always causing so much ruckus, but it had felt so easy to become friends with her when they really spoke. It felt right, just like his friendships with James, Sirius, and Peter did. Really, he’d be lost without all of them. “Of course,” He spoke gently, “You’re amazing, Lily, really.”

At her question, he laughed and shrugged his shoulders. “It’s worth a shot, if I mention you wouldn’t like it,” He teased gently, “I’m sure James would change his mind on it then.” He couldn’t help but laugh more at her words. “Here’s to hoping, yes?” He snickered, then added, “I can’t say that I won’t let them corrupt me too much, but I’ll do my best to not become a brat, if that counts?”

“Exactly,” Lily agreed, “I think it would only make sense though if the author was a muggle-born, or at least part muggle. Otherwise I don’t think they would realize that they could adjust parts of their novel to appeal to a wider readership,” she thought, her mind racing with possibilities and ideas, “Plus, us muggle-borns still live part of our lives in that world, since we have muggle family members. So writing slightly different versions of both worlds would allow the author to be the same person, to be known for the same thing in both worlds they live in,” she mused. “I’m sorry, I’m getting lost in my own head now,” she said with a laugh, “but I’ve missed our intellectual discussions. I can’t wait to get our book club started,” she enthused. 

“Something hopeful it is, then!” she said with a nod. “I suppose we don’t have to pick an era if we have a theme that specific. Do you have any suggestions?” she asked. Lily had so many titles racing through her mind, she was struggling to narrow it down. “I’m trying to think of a book about perseverance and hope that isn’t full of turmoil and sadness for the bulk of it, but so far I’m not having any luck,” she admitted. “Maybe we should go with a muggle classic? Something they make us read in school? “To Kill A Mockingbird” has a good message to it, although it’s certainly not light,” she pondered aloud. “We’ll have to give it some thought,” she decided. 

“Thank you, Remus,” she said, smiling at him. She was forever grateful for his friendship, and she couldn’t help but feel sad and upset at times that the world struggled to see Remus as the strong, intelligent, and incredibly caring individual Lily knew. “You’re amazing as well, you know,” she said softly, “even if the world doesn’t always see it, or even if you don’t always see it, you’re incredibly intelligent, and kind, and you’re going to do wonderful things in the world.”

“Hm, that’s worth a shot, but does James ever really listen when I tell him not to do things?” she asked with a laugh, “I certainly yelled at him enough in school and he never seemed to care what I thought unless he was asking me to Hogsmeade,” she said with a shake of her head, “Although, I suppose he is growing up a bit,” she added, her eyes widening once she realized what she just admitted, “but if you tell him I said that, I’ll charm all your books to catch on fire when you open them,” she threatened teasingly. She laughed loudly at his comment about not becoming a brat, “Yes, please do your best,” she teased, “there are no brats allowed in book club!”

Lily had continued to investigate the thefts that kept occurring. She hadn’t received any solid leads yet, but in talking with some of the order members they had come to the realization that the items missing were all old, dark objects. Since it was likely the objects were cursed- or would be cursed, Lily had convinced the Order that it was something worth looking into. If they could identify who was committing the robberies, perhaps they could get some information on whatever they were planning next. 

Lily had received a tip about which house would be targeted next. She’d immediately brought the information to the Order and convinced Alastor to join her on a stakeout. She had to admit, she was feeling equally excited and nervous. She was excited to finally be working on a project for the order that put her out in the field. Lily loved her job as a reporter, but what she loved most about it was when she was chasing down a lead, not necessarily the moments she was sitting behind her desk. She didn’t want to get lumped into always working behind the scenes and not being seen as capable to join in on the more active missions. 

Still, a part of her was certainly nervous about the stakeout. She wasn’t nervous about the possible danger or anything like that. No, Lily was nervous to be spending so much time alone with Alastor. Lily admired Alastor, and she had to admit she had a bit of a crush on him. He was always vigilant, and Lily knew they both shared the same passion for the fight to keep the encroaching darkness at bay. Lily didn’t really know Alastor that well since he had been several years ahead of her in school, but she couldn't help but look up to him.

As a muggle, Lily had certainly watched her fair share of cop movies involving stakeouts. The muggles usually hid in a car and watched from a distance, but Lily knew a muggle car would just make her and Alastor look suspicious. Instead, Lily practiced her disillusionment charm to ensure she could cast a strong enough charm to hide them while they watched the house. Lily had always excelled in charms, so after a few days of practice she was confident she’d mastered just the right charms. 

Lily arrived at their stakeout spot first, just after sunset. They had picked a spot right across the street from the target house. Lily spread out a picnic blanket and some snacks, trying to make their spot on the ground as comfortable as possible after she secured the charms to ensure they would be out of sight. She waited nervously, fidgeting a little bit. She was so excited to be on a stakeout with Alastor, and desperately wanted things to go well so they would finally have some useful information.

She heard a noise to her left and tensed, relaxing when she saw it was just Alastor. “You should be the only other person able to see our hideout,” she said, “But feel free to add any security measures you think might help. So far there hasn’t been any movement, but it’s still early. My source said the robbery was going to happen under the cover of darkness,” she mused. “I’ve tried to make it a bit comfortable, since we may be here for a while,” she said with a slight smile.