Chapter 9: The Vision

A/N: So, last chapter we found out about The New Regime and what Toad Face, er, Umbridge wants to do. Draco is a spy for the Ministry to catch these people and take them down, Rose and Scorpius have feelings for each other, and Lily has become Fawkes's new owner. Now, we head back to Lily and the gang to see what our redhead is up to now. Needless to say, it's going to be very interesting, but you'll have to read on to find out what'll happen. A big thanks to those who have read and reviewed thus far. I couldn't continue this without your support. I hope you keep sticking with me.

Disclaimer: Do I really have to say it? You all know I don't own Harry Potter. If I did, I'd be rich right now and wouldn't be without a job.

Lily concentrated hard as she sorted files in the Defense Against The Dark Arts office. It was the first day of her week long detention with her father. Although she knew she'd done wrong by going into the Forbidden Forest, she didn't think this was such a bad punishment. She figured she'd be doing lines or something like that. Still, it wasn't that bad. She was spending time with her father, even though she didn't get a chance to talk to him. He was busy grading homework while she was doing the filing.

She heard her father put down his quill and sigh. He sounded as though he was tired of grading papers. She wanted to look up to him but felt that if she did, he would reprimand her.

"Time to call it a night, Lily," Harry said. "Mark your spot so you can come back to it tomorrow."

Lily did so and stood up. Her legs were sore after being in one position for so long. Maybe the punishment wasn't so easy after all, she thought. She walked over to Harry's desk and noticed how tired he looked.

"Are you okay, Dad?" she asked him.

"I'm fine, Lily," he replied. "Just tired. Come on, I'll walk you to Gryffindor Tower."

Lily smiled and followed him out of the office. "Dad, did you ever get a detention?" she asked him.

To her surprise, Harry laughed. "Yeah, I had a few," he said. "And, yes, I did go into the Forbidden Forest without permission, but that was to help solve a mystery. But that doesn't make what I did right even though I had good intentions."

"You didn't get in trouble for it," Lily pointed out. "Dumbledore rewarded you."

"Yeah, but that was after Ron and I went into the Chamber of Secrets and rescued your mum," Harry told her. "It's very different from what you did."

"What about when you had that dream about Sirius?" Lily asked him. "You broke into the Department of Mysteries because of it."

A look of pain crossed Harry's face at the mention of Sirius and that fateful day. "Look, we're not talking about this anymore," he said softly. "Just promise me you won't do anything like that again."

Lily knew she'd gone too far when she mentioned Sirius. "Okay, Dad, I promise," she said. "I'm sorry about what I said."

"It's okay," Harry replied. "You're right though. I was rash, and I regret it every day. It was my fault he died like that."

"No, it wasn't," Lily protested. "You didn't know it was a trap. You did what you thought was right. It's the same with me. I shouldn't have gone into the Forest, but I had to find out what my dream meant."

"You've told me this before," Harry reminded her. "As for that dream, I don't know what that was about. Maybe it was just a coincidence that you dreamed about Fawkes being in the Forest."

"Yeah, but then it happened," Lily replied. "How can you explain that?"

Harry shrugged. "I guess I can't explain it," he answered. "The important thing is that you're okay." He stopped before the Fat Lady, who looked angry.

"Where have you been?" she demanded of Lily. "You should have been in bed!"

"She was doing a detention with me," replied Harry. He turned to his daughter. "Now, go to bed, Lily," he said. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay, Dad," said Lily. She gave the Fat Lady the password and stepped through the portrait hole. She was surprised to find Hugo, Kenneth, and Miranda waiting up for her.

"What are you doing here?" she asked them.

"We just wanted to see how your detention went," answered Hugo.

"Well, for your information, it went well," Lily answered shortly.

"What did you have to do?" Miranda asked her.

"Just filing," Lily told her. "I don't know why you care anyway. You haven't talked to me since I returned from the Forest."

"Look, Lily, we're sorry about that," Kenneth interjected. "You just scared us when you dashed into the Forest. That's when we ran for help and got Hagrid and your dad to come find you. We didn't dare to do it ourselves."

Lily wanted to stay angry at them, but she couldn't. She knew they only did it to protect her, and that meant a lot to her. They were truly loyal friends. She broke out in a smile. "Okay, I forgive you," she said. The four of them laughed, happy to be friends again.

"Well, we'd better get to bed," said Miranda briskly. "We've got class in the morning."

"Yeah, and I have Quidditch tryouts, too," added Lily. "I'm trying out for Chaser."

"I thought first years couldn't get on the team," said Miranda.

Lily smiled. "They can't, but Dad persuaded McGonagall to let me try out," she replied. "He knows how much I want to play, so McGonagall is letting me do it on the condition that I make sure my grades don't slip and I practice hard."

"That's awesome, Lily," said Kenneth. "I hope you get it."

"Me, too," added Hugo. "Well, we'll see you in the morning. 'Night."

"Goodnight, you two," said Lily and Miranda. As the girls headed upstairs, Lily told Miranda the story of how her father became the youngest Seeker in a century. Miranda was impressed and thought that Lily had a good chance of making the team. Lily didn't respond because she didn't want to appear overconfident. She actually had misgivings about it and wondered whether James would give her a chance to prove herself, or whether he'd say she wasn't worth it. The thought plagued her as she settled down to sleep.

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The next day dawned with no clouds in the sky. Quidditch tryouts were to take place at the end of the day so they wouldn't interfere with classes. During the day Lily had butterflies in her stomach and had second thoughts about trying out.

"Maybe this isn't such a good idea," she fretted. "I was stupid to ask Dad if I could do this. There's no way I'm going to make the team."

"Oh, stop it, Lily," Rose rebuked her. "You're an excellent Quidditch player. You'll do fine. And if you don't make it, at least you did your best. Cheer up."

Rose's words made Lily feel better, and she ate a good lunch. Her classes went well and passed by quickly, which she wasn't expecting. During a break she talked to Hugo and Kenneth about Quidditch. Neither boy was going to try out because they weren't made for the sport though they loved to watch it. They both told her that they'd be cheering her on at her matches.

Just before break ended, she felt someone tap her on the shoulder and turned around to see Professor Trelawney standing behind her and looking a little harried.

"Are you Lily Potter?" she asked.

"Yes," Lily answered. "Is everything okay?"

"I need to talk to you, my dear," Professor Trelawney said. "It's urgent."

"Alright, but I have to go to class in fifteen minutes," Lily told her.

Professor Trelawney didn't reply and led her to the tower room. Lily went up the ladder, wondering what this was about. She had never spoken to the Divination teacher but had heard about her from Harry. She was the one who'd dictated the prophecy about her father and Voldemort.

"Sit, my dear," urged Professor Trelawney, indicating a table with a crystal ball sitting on top. Lily sat down and waited until Professor Trelawney sat down opposite her.

"I have been wanting to talk to you," began Professor Trelawney. "The crystal ball has informed me that you are a very important person."

Lily seemed confused. "Does this have to do with my Quidditch tryout?"

Professor Trelawney looked shocked. "Quidditch tryout?" she repeated. "Oh, no, no, no, dear. This has to do with the one who is destined to be the Heir of the Phoenix. The one who is the Heir will be the one to summon the phoenix to them."

"Wait, are you talking about my dream?" Lily whispered.

"Your dream?" Professor Trelawney repeated. "You had a vision, too?" She reached out and took Lily's hands in her own. "Oh, my dear, this is wonderful!" she exclaimed. "I'm not the only one who saw you in the Forest. Once I woke up, I consulted the crystal orb to see what it would say. It showed me what I had seen in my vision. I realized that I had to speak to you and to find out if what the orb told me was true." She took a deep breath. "My dear, you are the Heir of the Phoenix."

"Excuse me?" Lily inquired.

"You're the Heir of the Phoenix," Professor Trelawney repeated. "You called the phoenix to you when you were in distress."

"Yeah, but that was after I got caught by the centaurs," she pointed out. "I went into the Forest because I heard Fawkes."

Professor Trelawney nodded. "Yes, he was looking for his Heir," she explained. "He sensed you were there and came to your aid."

"So, what does this mean?"

"That you are destined to be the light that smothers the darkness," answered Professor Trelawney. "I do not know what the darkness is, but I will keep consulting the orb and let you know when I have an answer."

"Okay," said Lily. She felt a little uncomfortable around Professor Trelawney. "Thank you for sharing that with me. I have to go now."

"Of course, dear," replied Professor Trelawney. "I hope to see you soon."

Lily nodded and left North Tower. She went to Gryffindor Tower, gathered her books, and headed to class. She met Miranda, Kenneth, and Hugo and told them what Professor Trelawney said to her. All of them had different reactions to the news.

"That's creepy," said Hugo. "Both of you having the same dream like that."

"Yeah, but maybe it was a coincidence," said Kenneth. "Me dad says Professor Trelawney's a fraud and doesn't really predict anything."

"If that's the case, maybe she heard you talking about your dream," speculated Miranda.

"I doubt that," responded Lily. "I never saw her near me, and she rarely leaves her tower room. It's just weird. I'll talk to Dad about it later. Maybe he'll have an explanation."

"Yeah, isn't Trelawney the one who predicted the prophecy about Uncle Harry and Voldemort?" Hugo asked.

Lily nodded. "Yeah, so he can tell me whether the dream she had was true or not," she said.

Professor Binns cleared his throat. "Perkins, Nesbitt, Flannigan, and Weatherby, enough talking there," he chastised.

The four of them jumped, forgetting that they were in class. After Binns rebuked them, they stopped talking and focused on the lesson. Miranda was taking notes, but Lily wasn't paying attention. She was thinking about Quidditch tryouts and how nervous she was. What if she messed up? Would James make fun of her for it? What if her dad became disappointed that she didn't make the team? She felt that if she didn't make the team, she'd bring shame to the family name. People would be shocked that a Potter turned out to be a lousy Quidditch player.

She felt a poke in her side and turned to see Miranda looking at her. "What?" she asked.

"It's time to go," Miranda answered. "Why weren't you talking notes?"

"Because I just forgot," Lily told her. "I had Quidditch on my mind."

"Relax, Lily," Miranda urged her. "You come from a good family of Quidditch players. It's in your blood to do well."

Lily hoped she was right, and she kept repeating Miranda's words to herself to give herself courage. Before she knew it, it was time for her to go to the Quidditch pitch. Her friends and cousin wished her good luck, and she thanked them. As she made her way to the Quidditch pitch, she thought about her other family members. Her father had been the youngest Seeker in a century after retrieving Neville's Rememberall. Her uncles Fred, George, Charlie, and Ron were also good players and forged a legacy at Hogwarts. Even her mother became a famous Quidditch player for the Harpies and had even played Chaser at Hogwarts before then. Even her brothers were good players and both played Seeker for their teams. It was this, more than anything, that made her want to be on the team.

She spotted a small group of Gryffindors lined up for tryouts. Lily became even more nervous until she spotted Rose's best friend Cynthia Davies and hurried over to her. She saw James on his broom talking to the Keeper, Len Farnsworth. It seemed like they were waiting for more people, but Lily didn't see anyone else coming.

"Alright, listen up!" James said. "We're going to hold tryouts for Beaters and Chasers. Len and I will be helping you to see if you're any good. We'll see the Chasers first. You'll have three tries to put the Quaffle in the hoop. If you fail all three attempts, you won't be put on the team. If you've never done this before, you shouldn't bother trying out. Okay, when I call your name, try and get past the Keeper. Laura Abrams."

Lily watched Laura attempt to get the Quaffle into one of the goals. Her first and second attempts weren't good at all. She was close on the third attempt but fell a bit short. A few of the other applicants weren't good either. When Cynthia was called, she approached the hoops, sized up the distance, and let the Quaffle go. It soared into the first goal post. Her second attempt went well, but she missed on her third. Still, it was fairly good, and Lily gave her an encouraging smile. Cynthia returned it and wished Lily good luck.

Wen Lily was called, she mounted the broom her father had bought her and sped toward the goal posts, the Quaffle under her arm. She eyed the Keeper and tried to guess what he'd do. He was hovering by the middle post. Lily went toward the right post and sent the Quaffle in an arc. The Keeper tried to get it but missed. On her second try she almost missed the hoop, but it went in at almost the last second. She missed on her third try because the Keeper was too fast. She wasn't upset though because she was sure she'd made the team.

After the tryouts were over, James and Len conferred together and thanked all of those who tried out. "When I call your name, come over here by us," James ordered. "Stella Trent, Cynthia Davies, Lily Potter, Darren Ellis, and Jerome Keller. Congratulations, you've made the team. Trent, Davies, and Potter are the new Chasers, and Ellis and Keller are the new Beaters. For those who didn't make it, nice try. Maybe you can try out next year. Those on the team, I need to talk to you."

After everyone left, James turned to his team. "Good job, all of you," he said. "I really hope that we can secure the Cup this year once more. Our first practice will be next Friday at five, so be sure you're there. Any questions?"

Nobody said anything.

"Good," James said. "You can go now."

Cynthia was very excited. "I have to tell Rose," she said. "You coming, Lily?"

"I'll be along," Lily replied. "I have to talk to my brother."

Cynthia nodded and headed back to the castle. Lily waited until James was finished talking to Len and walked up to him. "I need to talk to you," she said.

"Okay, what's up?" James asked.

"Did you choose me because you thought I was good, or for a joke?"

James was taken aback. "Now, where would you get that idea?" he asked. "I thought you were excited to be trying out."

"I was, but I want to know the truth," Lily insisted.

"Come on, Lily, you know you're good," replied James. "You do so well when we're playing at home. I didn't do it for a laugh, Lily. I really think you have a good shot for our team."

"Thanks, James," said Lily. "I'm just worried people will think you chose me because we're related."

James shrugged. "Let them think what they want," he said nonchalantly. "They won't be laughing when they see you play. Look, I've got to go. Just don't worry about it, okay?"

"Okay," said Lily resignedly. She knew he was right, but she couldn't help but worry about it. She hated people making generalizations about her because of her last name. What would they say if they knew she was the Heir of the Phoenix? She had only told Rose, Hugo, Kenneth, and Miranda about it after all. If anyone else found out, they would start to spread rumors. That was the last thing she wanted for herself.

Lily approached the Fat Lady, gave the password, and entered the common room. She found Rose, Hugo, Miranda, Kenneth, and Cynthia all talking excitedly. Rose spotted Lily and came running over to give her a hug.

"Congratulations, Lily!" she exclaimed. "Cyn's just told us you made the team. This is so exciting!"

"Yeah, good job, cousin," Hugo added. "I knew you had it in you."

"Nicely done," Miranda chimed in. "I'm sure you'll do well in the matches."

"We better get her autograph now," Kenneth said. "We have a star Quidditch player in our midst."

"Come off it, Ken, I haven't even played yet," protested Lily.

"Yeah, but we know you'll be good," replied Kenneth. "You have good Quidditch genes in your family."

"I can't wait to tell Al," said Rose. "He'll be so excited. And your dad will be happy, too. Maybe we can have a party or something."

"Hey, you could skip out on your detention," said Hugo. "I'm sure Uncle Harry will let you."

"I'm not going to do that," replied Lily. "It's my last one, and I'm going to serve it. I don't want any special treatment from anybody."

And, sure enough, Lily went to her father's office that night, ready to finish her final detention. She knocked on the door and stepped in when told to do so. Harry was at his desk with a pile of parchment on it. His eyes lit up when he saw his daughter, and he stood up to greet her.

"Lily, I heard about your tryout," he said, giving her a hug. "Congratulations. I can't wait to see your first match. I already sent an owl to your mum. I'm surprised you came here."

"Why would that be a surprise?" asked Lily.

"Well, I figured maybe James would find a way for you to skip detention because of your win," said Harry. Then he grinned. "And it's something I would've tried to do myself."

"Even if he suggested such a thing, I wouldn't have done it," said Lily firmly. "I'm not that type."

"No, you're not," said Harry. "You stick to things until the end. Speaking of which, since this is the last detention, I'm going to help you finish the filing, and I'll allow you to talk as well. I figured you deserve a reward for willingly doing this."

"Thanks, Dad," said Lily. As they set to work, Lily remembered what Professor Trelawney had told her. She knew she had to let her dad know about it, and maybe he'd be able to tell her whether it was true or not.

"Dad, Professor Trelawney asked to see me today," began Lily. "I went to see her, and she told me she had a vision about me."

"Oh?" said Harry.

"Yeah, it was weird," Lily continued and told her father everything that Professor Trelawney had relayed to her. "Is it true, Dad, or was she making it up?"

"I'm not sure, Lily," replied Harry. "Did her voice change when she was telling you this?"

Lily shook her head. "No, it was the same," she said. "She wasn't making a prophecy really. She said it was a vision."

Harry looked thoughtful. "That's interesting," he mused. "So, she had the same dream you had?"

Lily nodded. "Yes, she did," she replied. "What do you think she means by it?"

"I don't know," answered Harry. "But I wouldn't worry about it now. You have Fawkes to protect you, and that's a good thing. Plus, you have me. Nothing is going to happen to you, Lily. I promise." But even as he said this, he couldn't help but feel apprehensive. Danger was coming, and he was determined to protect his family at all costs.

Lily felt comforted by her father's words and believed them. She knew nothing could hurt her while her dad was there. They finished the filing and went back to Gryffindor Tower. Lily bade her father goodnight, went up to her dormitory, and fell asleep, dreaming about Quidditch and seeing everyone cheer for her. She had no idea that evil was trying to rise again and that it would soon engulf her world.

A/N: Wow. So, now we know a bit about the Heir of the Phoenix. Is Professor Trelawney right, or is she just making it up? Will evil truly rise before good can prevail? Will my mother win the lottery so we can go to Disney World? Stay tuned to find out, and don't forget to leave a review after you've read this. Feedback is a good thing.