A/N: Hello, hello. The further journeys of Lili begin. This is the sequel to We Are the Night, so, if you don't want to be too lost, it might be a good idea to read that one first. But you can muddle through this one alone, if you like…

To catch you up, well, a little: Elizabeth Lee, who was given the nickname Lili, attended a Chinese wizarding school for six years (Zhong Mo Xue) due to her father's personal commitments. Her father is overjoyed to return to England for Lili's seventh year as her entire family has always graduated from Hogwarts and she can now carry on the tradition. Surprisingly, though all Lees have previously been Ravenclaws, Lili is sorted into Slytherin. She finds the house less horrible than expected and makes many friends, including among them Draco Malfoy. Slytherin politics are more, however, than she bargained for, and things get, erm, out of hand. Lili calls on Snape's help, but he can do little. Bad things happen; I'll say no more in case you actually decide to read the previous story…And I'll say it again, you should read it if you want to read this one.

A few other notes. This is actually just the prologue (although I'm sure you might have figured that out, you smarties!) and will be the last bit of Lili's time at Hogwarts. (As a student. Ahem.) After this, the rest of the story will take place a little more than two years in the future. The next chapter will actually be out fairly soon (I've already written it and part of chapter 2), but I want to drag y'all for as many reviews as I can…*wink*

As for the title, all shall be made clear…

As always, imagine I wrote a disclaimer here that said (and very cleverly) something to the effect of how I own none of these characters (well, I do own some but, uh, not the most interesting ones) and I'm certainly not making any money. (trust me on this one…)

Now, on with the show….

Mountains Are Tall, Rivers Are Long By Kite Prologue

The fireplace was stacked with gray ash, dead, black marble serpents curling up towards the mantel, still and rigid. She stared through their emerald-inset eyes, stroking the large bat asleep in her lap.

Almost everyone had long been asleep: a few were still in Hogsmeade celebrating graduation. Around her, the common room seemed to slumber, suspended in air, thick and silent.

Lili had nothing to celebrate. For the last five months, Hogwarts had been her sanctuary; it had been the only thing standing between her and a lonely and dangerous game for which she felt ill-prepared. Artibius turned in her lap and, though her mouth was weighed down by a frown that had seemed irreversible, she smiled at the soft purring noise he made snuggling against her thigh.

She couldn't find much to smile about these days. She was headed for Malfoy Manor in the morning—a place that, for her, held few good memories --and, no doubt also held the beginnings of that danger. She was too tired to be afraid.

Behind her, the stone rolled away from the common room entrance and several of the late partiers tromped in, laughing and singing. Footsteps approached the back of her chair.

"Lili? Are you still awake?" Draco's pale face popped around the edge of her armchair, gray eyes glowing with revelry and butterbeer.

Lili turned from the black serpents, forcing a smile. "Yes. I couldn't sleep."

The lines of joy in his face crashed into concern. "Are you still feeling bad? It's a shame to get ill on graduation night: we turned that town upside down." He elbowed her lightly, looking impish.

She turned away again, this time finding the gray ash that littered the hearth. "Yes, I'm feeling a bit better. I wish I could have come as well."

Draco nodded, standing to his full height. Lili allowed herself to look over him—a sideways glance. He had changed little over the few months, except to get slightly taller and fill out a bit more in the shoulders. He was certainly the most handsome boy at Hogwarts, at least as far as Lili was concerned. And he knew it, of course.

"Well, our loss," he said, laying a hand briefly on her shoulder before, feeling awkward, he drew it away again. "Dia missed you terribly."

Her heart turned a little. "Oh, well, three's company, you know? I figured you two would want to celebrate alone anyway." Draco and Dia had been seeing each other for almost two months now. Lili told herself and the two of them that it didn't matter: it wasn't as if she and Draco had been engaged. But she knew, even if she refused to admit it to herself, that part of her ached every time she saw Dia's hand laced with his or whenever Draco chose the seat closest to Dia when, before, he had always found a place at her side.

But, she reminded herself, it didn't matter. Even if she and Draco had been passionately in love –which they hadn't-- nothing could have come of it. The world pushed them away from all sides—indeed, it pushed her away from everyone. There was only one person she clung to, and after tonight…

Her throat felt almost as dry as the gray ash littering the floor.

"Well, we missed you anyway," Draco said, through an elaborate yawn. "We'll have to go out and celebrate together once we're all on the Manor. Dia's agreed to stay with us as well."

God have mercy on her soul, was Lili's first thought. It was followed quickly by the distinct churning of her stomach she'd come to associate with that gray fortress called Malfoy Manor. While Dia was her friend, the idea of having to face Lucius Malfoy and the constantly starry-eyed lovers made her body fall even more heavily into the seat, determined never get up. "That's wonderful." She was surprised at how good she'd become at saying one thing and feeling another. He had taught her very well.

There was a second of silence, and Draco understood what it meant. Lili had used that moment of silence for the last five months, letting people know when she wanted to be alone.

"Well, I think I'll go on up to bed," he said, yawning again. "It's awfully late. You should head up soon. We leave early tomorrow."

Yes, she thought, stroking Artibius gently. A little too early for my tastes. "Good night."

Draco's steps pattered away, and the common room grew quiet again, rolling back into its slumber.

She was tired of thinking but knew she wouldn't sleep. Indeed, the dark circles under her eyes were growing more difficult to conceal. She had used Dreamless Sleep Potions several times now, but it always left her feeling groggy and somewhat distant in the morning: --two things she couldn't afford if she was to find herself on Malfoy Manor the next day.

Artibius groaned and lifted his small head, bleary eyes barely open. He clicked a slow question.

She reached down, lifting a heavy hand and petting his horned nose softly.

"It's getting late, Miss Lee."

She knew the voice but didn't turn. Artibius woke fully now, looking up at the thin and shadowed behind her chair, distrust sparkling in his eyes. He chirped angrily and flew away, disappearing into the corridor that led to Lili's room.

"I couldn't sleep," she said, with a sigh, still not bothering to turn her head. She could feel his long-fingered hands wrap around the top of the armchair. "I was too excited."

He snorted softly, and she knew he'd caught the sarcasm. He had taught her that, too.

"I'll send several vials of Dreamless Sleep with you tomorrow," he said, running his fingers along the smooth fabric of the armchair.

"Thank you, Professor." She swallowed, rolling her thick, dry tongue around her mouth. She wasn't sure how many times she'd thanked him in the last five months: however many times, it hadn't been enough.

"The Headmaster wants to speak with you."

Now she turned. He seemed unusually tall, looming behind her, looking down his crooked nose. "What, right now? It's almost one in the morning."

"He thought this would be the safest hour." Slow, robes rustling, he moved to the side of her chair, letting his eyes rest on the dead fireplace. "No one will see you going up."

She swallowed, vaguely noting the somewhat stale scent of spice that always seemed to linger in his robes. Of course. Strategy. Planning. Caution. It should be her mantra.

"Oh, yes." She watched his eyes, as flat as those black, marble serpents'. They were inscrutable: an odd occurrence as, over the last five months, Lili had learned to read him, even through his stony mask. He was hiding something; something she hadn't seen from him before. She wondered at it vaguely, deciding it was, most likely, worry. "I'll go up to see him immediately." She stood.

But she didn't go immediately. She remained by his side, watching the ashes, rooted in place by heavy thoughts. She had spent the last five months down in the dungeons, learning how to live this life she had agreed to. He was known as a cold and cruel teacher of Potions, but he was even more severe in those late-night lessons, talking about the politics of the Circle, ways to avoid suspicion, to receive praise and trust. He taught her what not to say or do, and what, by all means, she must do.  He had even gone with her to the Ministry, stood by her while they decided whether to take her into custody or allow her to act as a double agent. He and Dumbledore had argued for her, and after, Snape had seemed relieved, as if it was he who'd been reprieved. No word was ever spoken, but it became understood—in public, Snape treated as he always had, and she pretended to hate helping him with potions at night. But in truth, he was her only true confidant, save her pet bat, Artibius, and her old painted friend, Hui-neng. He had taught her how to play the spy—but he had also kept her from giving over to the fear that now tickled at her heart. She looked up at him, trying to take in all the details of his face. After tonight, she was on her own. It was unlikely she would ever see him again, outside of Death Eater functions, and there she could only antagonize him; something he'd tried to teach her with little success.

Slowly, as if feeling her green gaze pressing on him, he turned towards her, pale face shadowed and loose in a frown. "Are you ready, Miss Lee?"

She wanted to scream and to cry and to throw herself to the floor telling him she wasn't ready—that she wouldn't ever be. But she had learned to stopper her emotions many months before. "Yes, as ready as I can be, thank you."

He turned his gaze back, eyes twinkling from distant torchlight. Something in his face betrayed him, and, for a moment she knew that he, too, was quite nervous. His breaths were deep and forced, nostrils flaring. "Well, you should go to the Headmaster." His voice, on the other hand, remained as crisp and cool as ever: another trick he'd passed on to her.

She nodded. "Yes." There's no more putting it off, Lili, she told herself, pressing her dry lips together and balling her fists in an attempt to ignore the frantic tapping of her heart. It's time to say goodbye and step out on your own…

Her feet carried her away, without further consulting her brain. Her heart had been disconnected for the moment.

"Miss Lee?" His voice echoed off the stone walls.

She stopped for a moment. "Professor?"

He stood, still a vague, shadowy form framed by unmoving black serpents. "Good luck."

Not trusting her voice, she merely nodded, allowing the stone to roll aside and reveal the darkness of the halls beyond. She exited.

********************

"Ahh, Miss Lee; please do come in."

Dumbledore was in his pajamas, tattered blue cotton with silver stars. He wore a starched night-cap, fluffy white pom-pom dangling at the top. Most noticeably, however, were his thick woolen socks, bright red and embroidered with an elaborate, gold-threaded 'D'. Lili, even through her fatigue, couldn't help but feel the idea of a grin tugging at her mouth.

She entered the office and made for her usual seat at his desk. She stopped a moment to wonder at Fawkes who was in quite a sorry state. He was drooping and almost featherless, squawking at her pitifully.

"Would you like some warm milk?" Dumbledore asked, gesturing to a full cup on his desk. She drank it all in one gulp, feeling the heat pour down her throat and settle heavy and relaxing in her stomach. Her muscles unwound, and she sank low into the chair.

"I see you've noticed Fawkes," he said, sitting down and sipping at a cup of milk himself. He glanced over at the phoenix, shaking his head. "He's desperately in need of a good burning, if you ask me, but he keeps refusing…" He paused a moment, and Lili knew he was arranging his words. She spoke to Dumbledore rarely, but, in all of their conversations, she had noticed the cautious manner of his speech: it was the same way he spoke with Snape. "Well, Miss Lee, I'm sorry for the late hour but, of course, certain precautions must be taken."

She examined her empty cup, nodding. "No, it's no trouble. I couldn't sleep anyway."

This bit of information, while seeming to trouble him slightly, did not seem to surprise him. "Yes, well, I'll be brief," he said, clearing his throat and sitting back, staring at her over half-moon spectacles. "I hear that you will be staying on Malfoy Manor for some time…?"

The last thing she wanted to think about, of course. She swallowed, clinking the cup down on his desk lightly. "Uh—yes, actually. I have nowhere to live, so Mister Malfoy has offered to let me stay there until I can find a job and scrape up enough money to afford a place of my own." Her mind objected, unwilling to think on the subject anymore. She blinked long, trying to quiet it.

"And, for reasons I can certainly understand, you're slightly nervous about the prospect."

In front of anyone else she would never have admitted it, but Dumbledore radiated a warmth which put her more at ease. His fingers were steepled, lips pursed, but above his long, white beard, the corners of a warm smile rose. Lili had learned over the last five months just why Snape had found it easier to come to Dumbledore so many years ago. "Well, yes, a bit, I suppose."

Dumbledore considered this a moment before continuing. He kept his eyes on Lili, gaze still twinkling blue over his crooked nose. She couldn't help wondering where this was going.

At length, he sighed, and leaned back again, folding his hands in his lap and smoothing at his pajamas gently. "Well, it seems the Ministry has recently been in need of a greater number of potions researchers; you can imagine why. I received an owl today saying you had been recommended and accepted. You can start in a week precisely."

Despite the warm milk sitting heavy in her stomach, her insides took a jolting leap. "Potions research? At the Ministry?" Her brain, which had been lulled in melancholy, suddenly buzzed with life.

"Yes," he said, sipping his milk before continuing. "Researching new formulas to counter-act or alleviate the effects of dark curses. It should be, from what Professor Snape has told me, right up your alley."

He had no idea, she thought to herself softly, wishing her tired limbs would still allow her to leap up and dance around the room. It was good news: something that had become all too foreign to her. "Yes, yes, it's wonderful. I can't believe it."

Dumbledore's smile made her heart's joy redouble.

"That means I'll only have to stay with the Malfoys until I can make enough money to find and rent a flat," she said, astonished. Her limbs were tingling, and she leaned forward towards Dumbledore, beaming. "That's marvelous."

But Dumbledore only grinned harder. "Oh, well, it has also come to my attention that a Miss Olivia Birch, a former student here at Hogwarts, was in dire need of a flat mate." His eyes were twinkling at her madly now, his lips pursed with happiness at the word 'was.' "It seems she would be more than happy to have you share her flat, which is quite near the Ministry, luckily enough."

Lili couldn't believe her ears and actually reached down and pinched herself to make certain she wasn't simply dreaming a cruel dream.

She wasn't. "A flat? Near the Ministry?"

"Yes," he confirmed, nodding. "Miss Birch, who graduated just last year, is currently in auror training at the Ministry. She was a Gryffindor prefect: but I suppose you wouldn't have known her. She's agreed to let you move in tomorrow and your first three months' rent has already been paid."

She was shaken by a sudden jolt of conflict as she realized just how odd and potentially dangerous a choice of flat mates this had been. However, anything was better than Malfoy Manor, where she wouldn't have been free from danger either. She smiled despite herself and leaned forward even farther, overcome with the desire to embrace the grinning wizard before her. "Oh, Headmaster, that's wonderful! Thank you, thank you so much. I—I don't know what to say." She wrung her hands together fiercely, unable to decide on a way adequate enough to thank him.

"I'm glad you approve, Miss Lee," he said, standing and moving across the room to a pitcher that sat beside the tattered Sorting Hat on a shelf. "But you needn't thank me."

She shook her head vehemently. "No, really, Headmaster. You don't understand the worry you've saved me. I--"

"No, Miss Lee," he interrupted. "You misunderstand me. You needn't thank me. It wasn't my doing."

Her insides jerked backwards with the inertia of surprise: she had learned the hard way to be wary of all gifts from sources unknown. "Not your doing?" she asked, lips parted, wrung hands separating. "Whose then?"

"Oh, Miss Lee, you're quite clever," he said, tipping the pitcher and refilling her cup. "I think you can guess."

But she was, like a good Slytherin, already three steps ahead. "Professor Snape."

It was at this moment that Fawkes chose to erupt in a burst of flames, and both Dumbledore and Lili jumped. The fire crackled and leapt and, after a time, abated, revealing a small pile of ashes on the floor. She and the Headmaster exchanged wide-eyed glances, both smiling and trying to calm down after the shock. "He always picks the worst moments to do that," Dumbledore complained, shaking his head. "Quite a sense of humor, that bird."

Lili smiled, heart still hammering. Humor indeed.

Settling back, Dumbledore poured himself another cup of milk before continuing. "Yes, Professor Snape," he sighed, taking a long draw. "He recommended you to the Ministry for the potions position and it was also there he heard Olivia Birch was seeking a flat mate. He made arrangements through third parties, of course, and paid her the rent." Dumbledore yawned, stretching. "I think you'll also find, if I'm any judge of Severus, that he furnished the place quite nicely as well."

Lili took the cup from his desk and gulped it again, wishing it were something stronger. "He—he did all that?" she said, squeezing the porcelain cup hard. So he's still protecting you, Lili, she thought, feeling her heart creak painfully in her chest. And what's more, he wasn't even there to receive her thanks—and she would be unable to offer them after tonight…

The cup was still warm in her hands, and she squeezed it harder to feel the heat. "Why wouldn't he have told me himself?"

Dumbledore stood, yawning again, and walked around the desk to stand in front of her. Though his eyes glittered with the vibrancy of a young man's his body was bowed with age, and Lili wondered just how old he really was. He leaned back on his desk, smiling as if she was an old friend, twinkling blue straight at her. "By now, Miss Lee, I would imagine you know Severus quite well. Can you see him telling you about all this?"

It was an excellent point, she had to admit. Snape had been embarrassed enough giving her a gift the previous Christmas, and that had turned out to be books. A gift of this magnitude—well, Lili understood that having her thank him anymore would probably drive him to a blushing death. She nodded. "I—I just can't believe he'd do all that. For me."

Dumbledore's smile widened and, finishing the last of his milk, he let out a strange half-sigh, half-yawn. "It shouldn't surprise you at all. Severus, well, he's a complex man, I'm sure you know; but he's certainly not lacking in generosity to those, well..." His twinkling eyes seemed to grow, for a moment, quite serious. "To those he respects. And it has been some time since he's had anyone to be generous to. You know, he didn't want me to tell you that he'd arranged all this, Miss Lee, but I think you need to be told. As much as he's done for you, you've done wonders for him as well. Severus needs someone in his world; he needs a mission, my dear—and you've been that person, at least for the last few months. I think, in a strange way, you have become his only true friend."

The cup wavered in her hands, and she scrambled to catch it before it hit the floor. To associate the word "friend" with Professor Snape seemed as absurd as putting the words "A-" and Hermione Granger in the same sentence. Not, of course, that she hadn't hoped for it. She had come to depend on the Potions Master; and if the word "friend" in relation to his arched eyebrows and tutting lips hadn't made her feel so uncomfortable, she probably would have agreed with Dumbledore as well. But she knew Snape well enough to understand that the Potions Master didn't have "friends," especially among his students. Snape had people he hated, people he disliked, people he tolerated, and people he taught—but friends, well, even if she wanted to use the word, his cool scowl wouldn't allow it.

 She stood, trying to force her mind not to think on it anymore.

"I think I'd better get to bed then," she said, laying the empty glass on his desk and meeting the old wizard's eyes. A long unfamiliar feeling of joy was churning in her stomach. "It sounds as if I've got a lot to do tomorrow."

Dumbledore's twinkled at her once more and then reached out to embrace her. This act came easily to Dumbledore, and he thought little of it. Lili, on the other hand, remained rigid, unaccustomed to such shows of affection.

When he released her, she smiled, trying to hide her shock. "Thank you for all your help this last year, Headmaster. I've had such wonderful people helping me—I don't know how to thank them."

The blue explosion over those half-moon spectacles softened, and he laid a gnarled hand lightly on her shoulder. "You go out and be careful—do your best to lead a happy life, and that will be the thanks I need." He gave her shoulder a light squeeze before letting it go. "And now, if you'll excuse me, I must return to my bed where, I believe my eyes require a bit of their nightly inspection. I'm already quite far behind. Good night, Miss Lee. And good luck."

Lili nodded, glancing quickly at the piles of ashes sitting on the floor before exiting.

Ahh, to perform such simple resurrection, she thought to herself, as the door closed behind her. She wondered if she would ever be able to rise, new and beautiful and pure from the gray shadows she had resigned to dwell in. 

Every limb was heavy with the need for sleep, and she was barely able to make her way down the first of the long, winding staircases. She glanced at a tall clock to her left that, in the torchlight, cast a rather long and eerie shadow across her feet.

3:18. She would have to wake extra early in the morning to tell Draco about the change in plans and to be sure all her luggage could be marked for her own pick-up rather than for the Malfoys' driver.

No, it wouldn't be much sleep, she thought, sighing, but at least she would be able to sleep at all. And perhaps, after so much unexpected good news, she could look forward to pleasant dreams: dreams of a future that, even now, she felt more ready to face.   

She walked through those dark Hogwarts corridors, taking in every painting and suit of armor for the last time.