July was moving steadily along, heading swiftly towards the first few weeks of August, when Lily got a depressing issue of The Daily Prophet in the mail. It was thicker and bulkier than she was used to and Harvey was so tired by the time he delivered it that he tucked his head underneath his wing right on the windowsill and took a nap. She unrolled the paper quickly and found, in big writing, a death proclamation. The article beneath it was no less cheery:

Four wizards, all muggle-borns, were found dead in their homes on Tuesday morning. The first, Amelia Fenwick, left behind a seventeen year old daughter about to start her seventh and last year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The second two victims were a couple living in London with an infant son. They were found by the boy's babysitter when she arrived to take the tyke to his daycare facility. The last two bodies belonged to former professors at both Durmstrang and Beauxbatons, both in England for holidays. All of the murder scenes were complete with the floating Dark Mark hovering ominously above the heads of the investigators. Is this "Lord Voldemort" more powerful than the Ministry is letting on? While no officials would speak to our reporters, who arrived on scene late Tuesday afternoon, head journalist, Sophie Skeeter, was available to provide her knowledge on the topic.

"As a mother myself, my little Rita is about to turn eleven, I can safely say that this is a nightmare for parents everywhere. People are showing up dead faster than the Ministry can catch and interrogate suspects and-"

Lily snorted with disgust, crumpling up the page and throwing it across the room. Sophie Skeeter was a disgusting excuse for a journalist, always twisting words and changing facts so that they suited her mindset. Lily pitied her daughter and had always hoped that she would grow into something much more honourable than the breed of journalist her mother had become.

She tried her best to focus on her distaste for the Skeeter woman but her mind couldn't stop revolving around the new murders. People were dying all over the country and an anonymous "Dark Lord" was taking all of the responsibility. He was rallying people to join his cause and there was extreme trouble brewing, Lily could feel it in her very bones. There was nothing worse, she decided, than knowing something horrible was going to happen, but being too young or too uninformed to do anything about it.

The Ministry was useless, she was informed enough to know that. They were hardly putting any effort into properly informing the public about how to keep themselves safe and instead claimed that there was nothing to worry about, that the mob of Death Eaters that was slowly growing across the world was not a threat. They simply wanted to hush it all up, to keep people in a safe sense of security.

That was never an appropriate solution, Lily thought, pushing away from her desk and adjusting her top. It was time for another one of her runs. It was the only way she could clear her head. It was difficult, with all of the topics of the moment taking control of her mind. First of all there were her feelings for James. She cared deeply for him. She refused to say she loved him because it seemed childish and immature, how was she to know whether or not she loved someone when she had had all of two meaningful relationships in her life? She was uncertain as to whether or not James was genuine too. He preached about loving her and wanting to be with her, but then a random blonde girl receives a very warm, happy welcome inside of his arms. She refused to say she was jealous; because she was stubborn and didn't think jealousy was an attractive emotion on anyone.

Then there was the terrifying and baffling topic of the countless murders spreading across the globe. She hadn't heard anything else about the supposed DNA of dead wizards at the scenes, but she knew that James' father was far more well-informed than she was and much more generous with his knowledge than any other Ministry employee. She didn't know what to think. On one hand she wanted to curl up inside of her wardrobe with sweets and her wand and pretend that nothing was happening. But, on the other hand, she wanted to take a stand and take back the wizarding world from the monsters that wanted to make it homicidal.

Then there was the issue of her father. Lily Evans's life was a mess and she just wanted to wipe it all away and start over. However, that wasn't an option, no matter how much power was stored in the wand that lay in the rucksack under her bed. So, instead, she went for a run.

**

The Daily Prophet was dropped down in front of James at the kitchen table. He looked up and watched Beth flop into the chair across from him, already dressed and ready to the face the day. He hated morning people. She looked somber, though, as he looked down to the front page of the paper. He pulled it towards him and swore violently when he saw the headline. He already knew what it would be about without reading it.

He aggressively slid it onto the floor and the pages scattered across the tiles, "What the fuck is happening out there, Beth?"

She gnawed on her bottom lip and brought her knees up to her chest, "I don't know, James. But, I'm scared."

At that statement their age difference became much more apparent. Where James was on the brink of seventeen Beth had just turned fourteen. Of course she would be scared. She thought the world was crumbling down around her when she had previously believed that her family could keep it upright without breaking a sweat. He reached across the table and took her hand. She looked up and smiled softly.

"We can't even do anything," She said brokenly, "We can't even fix it because there's no way of finding out who's a Death Eater and who isn't!"

There were a few thumps and then James' father appeared in the kitchen. He took one look at the papers on the floor and heaved a sigh, letting his eyes fall on the two distraught teenagers at the table.

"Who wants breakfast?" He asked, pushing a smile onto his features, "Eggs?"

"I already ate," Beth said slowly, pulling away from the table, "Thanks, though." She scurried off, running up the stairs and slamming into her bedroom with so much force James was surprised that the door didn't fly off of its hinges.

"She's scared," James said, staring down at the wooden tabletop, "She's terrified." He paused, "Hell, so am I."

"The Ministry will take care of things, James," His father gently ruffled his hair, "It'll be alright."

"What if it's not?" James snapped, staring up at him, "What if this guy really is the strongest wizard on the planet? Who could possibly stop that?"

"They say he's the strongest," His father said slowly, "But if that's true then he's also the most evil."

"So?" James snapped, "That makes it worse, doesn't it?"

"Maybe," The answer was slow and the smile on his father's face bewildered him to no end, "Or maybe it makes it better." He touched James's face lightly, "Love and good will always triumph over evil, James. In the end, that's how it works."

James paused and his eyebrows folded themselves inwards above his eyes. His dad had always been there for him, ever since his mother died. He had never lied to James, or exaggerated details to make him feel better. If his dad was confident the Ministry could take care of it, then he was right.

James nodded, a smile on his face, "You're right. This guy won't get very far."

"Of course," His father patted his head gently and moved past him to the stove, "So, eggs?"

"Yes, please," James answered, leaning back in his chair as a sense of ease fell over him. The Ministry would take care of everything. This crazy wizard would be stopped and everyone could go on living their lives. Everything would go back to normal. He was sure of it. No one he loved would die.