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The Corruption of Lily Potter	By : jamspectrum1274 Category: Harry Potter > General > General Views: 93627 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 6
Disclaimer: I do not own anything described in this story. All original works to the Harry Potter franchise belongs to J.K. Rowling. No copywright infringement is intended. I do not make any money off of this, as I am only doing this for fun.

Chapter List
- 3
- 4
- 5
The Corruption of Lily Potter
Chapter 3
Two Weeks Later-Longbottom Manor

          Lily watched as her son slept calmly and silently for the first time since he came here. For the last two weeks, she has done nothing but stand by his warm, comfortable bed as he tossed and turned having nightmares of what he had done. Not only that, but she had been just as terrified and worried about what Harry had done. She simply couldn’t believe that her son was capable of something like that. To destroy the entire town of Surrey with an earthquake like that was the most powerful magic she had ever seen. And while she knew Harry had no intention of causing something like that to happen, she also knew that they were going to be repercussions.
          Lily’s attention was drawn away as the door to the Longbottom’s guest room slowly opened and Thaddeus entered with a House-Elf, who was actually dressed in casual attire, following behind him carrying a breakfast tray for Harry. The House-Elf, who Thaddeus identified as Topy, placed the tray of breakfast food on the dresser next to where Harry was sleeping while Thaddeus walked over to the window and pulled apart the curtains. As the late morning sun brightened the room, Lily noticed Thaddeus’ eyes return back to his normal looking blue color while Thaddeus looked right at Lily before turning to Harry.
          “How has he been sleeping?” Thaddeus asked her. It still bothered her a bit that Thaddeus could not only see her, but talk to her as well. Lily knew that unless a spirit was bonded to a place, or an item, then there should be no natural way she should be seen. She knew Harry could do that and somehow more, but she believed that she bonded with her son the very night she had died. For her, it was the only logical explanation.
          “He has been sleeping peacefully.” Lily answered him, somewhat glad she could communicate with someone. “As far as I can tell, he didn’t have any nightmares this time.”
          “Some good news at least.” Thaddeus nodded as he looked at Topy. “Topy, I need you to get my small travel case and bring it to the living room. After you do that, please keep an eye out and tell me when both Augusta and Alice Longbottom will be returning home.”
          “Yes, Master Flamel.” Topy bowed, which Thaddeus frowned at him instantly for doing. Topy laughed loudly as he ran from the room looking back at Thaddeus who shot a small bolt of electricity at the House-Elf’s behind, missing by an inch.
          “I swear, I should’ve never saved his life.” Thaddeus muttered under his breath, which caught Lily’s attention with an inquiring glare. He sighed as he turned towards her and explained: “Long story short; I was travelling to Paris when I found him outside of a local village. He had decided apparently to make fun of a rather large mountain troll, who after Topy had gotten mad, wondered how a House-Elf might taste. After I had managed to free Topy from him, we made a run for it, and I have been stuck with him ever since, bad jokes and all.”
          “I don’t understand. Isn’t he your servant?” Lily asked, still confused at what was going on between Thaddeus and Topy.
          “Not really.” Thaddeus answered. “While he does owe me his life, American wizards are not allowed to have House-Elves unless they are employed by them. It’s one of the reasons why House-Elves are rarely seen in America.”
          “Mum, who are you talking to?” Harry said as he stirred from his slumber, opening his eyes and trying to see who was there. Thaddeus looked over at the young boy as he walked over to him and picked up Harry’s eyeglasses from the nightstand next to them. Handing them to Harry, Thaddeus sat on the bed next to him as Harry put them on. After Harry put on his glasses, he saw the man who had been taking care of him for the last two weeks.
          “Hello, Harry.” Thaddeus said to him after Harry had a good look at him. “Do you know who I am?”
          “Yes, sir.” Harry nodded with a slight smile. “You’re Thaddeus Prendergast Flamel. You’ve been helping me after I…er the earthquake happened.”
          “That’s alright, Harry. We already know what really happened.” Thaddeus told the seven-year-old boy. “We also know that you had no control over it at that time. You were simply too scared and angry to notice what you did until it was too late.” Thaddeus then sighed as he placed his hand on Harry’s forehead and asked: “How do you feel today, Harry?”
          “Much better now, thank you.” He responded, feeling like he could trust Thaddeus. “Can you tell me what actually happened to me?”
          Thaddeus put his hand back down and sighed again. “You went through what we, the magical community, call magical exhaustion. This can happen one of two ways. First is when a wizard or witch uses too much of their core magic, whereas the second is when a wizard or witch uses magic too powerful that their body simply can’t adjust to it, which I’m afraid is what you actually did.”
          “I’m sorry, but I don’t understand.” Harry said, frowning a bit. “What’s the difference between them?”
          “Well, your core magic is basically magic that you have inside of you.” Thaddeus explained. “Think of yourself as an empty glass; magic in your body gets stored the same way water fills up a glass. It can only hold so much magic at any one time, so when you use all of your magic inside of you, your glass becomes empty and you will always feel it. The other way allows a wizard or witch to access magic not inside of them. You see Harry, the purest form of magical energy exists all around us; within everybody and everything. It even exists within the air we breathe. It is also the hardest magic to access, not impossible mind you, just hard. That is what you somehow were able to do, and for someone so young, you’re lucky you are not dead.”
          “What do you mean?” Harry asked, somewhat scared now.
          “Well, as I said before, you suffered from magical exhaustion.” Thaddeus replied. “The effects of that can range from being passed out for a short amount of time, to actual death. Your case resulted in you passed out for a week, along with a high fever caused by malnutrition. Since then, my only concern was to get you well enough for us, the Longbottoms and me, to explain, well everything to you and your mother. For right now, Harry, you need to eat and get your strength back up. When you are ready, you’ll find a change of clothes in that dresser next to you, as well as sneakers underneath the bed. You can join me downstairs and wait for both Alice and Augusta Longbottom’s return.”
          Harry smiled and nodded as Thaddeus stood up and began walking out of the bedroom. Before leaving, he gave a slight nod to Lily as she took Thaddeus’ place on the bed next to Harry. After Thaddeus left, Lily bent over to Harry’s forehead and gently kissed him with her ghostly lips. Looking at her son, she thought about his recent ordeal, as well as how he overcame it. She herself, even though she was in terrible pain from Marge’s enchanted black tambourine, felt Harry’s power get unleashed for the first time. She was not only frightened for her son after he caused the earthquake, she was also amazed at the type of power he could wield. More than that, though, it seemed like Harry was definitely stronger somehow, and not just in a magical way. She couldn’t explain it, but he did seem stronger to her.
          “Are you really alright, Harry?” Lily asked her son.
          “Yes, I’m fine now, Mum.” Harry answered as he went to grab the tray of food. Before he began eating, though, he had to ask: “Do you know what happened to Uncle Vernon and Aunt Marge?”
          “No, son, I don’t.” She answered. “I do remember Marge’s dog near me before the house collapsing. He didn’t make it.”
          Harry nodded understandingly as he began devouring his breakfast. Lily watched him as he ate with a sad smile on her ghostly face. While Harry was eating, both Lily and Harry noticed a small boy standing by the open door. From Harry’s viewpoint, he looked like he was the same age and size of Harry, with the exception being that the boy was somewhat rounder to Harry’s skinny frame. Being noticed, the boy entered and walked over to Harry and offered his hand with a smile. As Harry took and shook the boy’s hand returning his warm smile, he noticed that the boy was holding a tiny brown frog in his other hand.
          “Hello, I’m Neville Longbottom.” He said as they shook hands. “Please to meet you, Harry Potter.”
          “Hello, nice to meet you, Neville.” Harry responded to him, warmly surprised at how different Neville was to his cousin Dudley. After they released each other’s hand, Harry asked: “Can you tell me where we are? I mean, I know that this is your house, but I don’t know where we are specifically. The last thing that I remember before waking up here was being at a playground in Surrey.”
          “Oh, we are just outside of London.” Neville responded. “My gran has this house hidden so nobody but us knows where we are. As a matter of fact, our house is just in front of a local playground. No one can tell that we’re really here.”
          “Thank you, Neville.” Harry said to him, taking a bite of his buttered toast. “So, can you tell me what happened after the earthquake, Neville?”
          “I can’t tell you much, I’m afraid.” Neville told him, frowning a bit. “All I know is that after the earthquake happened, everyone was compelled to say your name. Lucky for you, though, because most muggles just forgot that they actually said your name and went about their normal business.”
          “Muggle?” Harry frowned at the word.
          “Sorry. Muggle is what we call non-magic people.” Neville explained. “As for us wizards and witches, we repaired most of Surrey, as far as I know anyway, and we helped with anybody who was seriously injured in the disaster.”
          Harry and Neville continued talking for over an hour, even after Harry had finished eating and changed into his new clothes. As they talked, Harry found out many things about Neville. Like the fact that they both had lost their fathers on the same day. Also, while Neville knows about his wizarding upbringing, he was currently attending a muggle school, and had a friend named Dean Thomas. Harry also learned about Neville’s frog, Trevor, and how Neville kept misplacing his pet. By the time they both made their way down the stairs and into the living room, both Harry and Lily were smiling at the fact that Harry finally had a true friend.
          As Harry and Neville entered the living room of Longbottom Manor, Thaddeus Prendergast Flamel and Mrs. Figg both looked up from their reading, Thaddeus reading a weird-looking newspaper and Mrs. Figg a book. As both Harry and Neville made their way to a couch across from Thaddeus and Mrs. Figg, Neville looked around the room and asked: “Mum and gran not back yet?”
          “Sorry, Neville, but they’re not due back until much later.” Thaddeus said as he folded up his newspaper. Looking now at Harry, He said: “I know that both you and your mother have a lot of questions, but I can only answer those that I know about. For anything else, I’m afraid that you have to wait until Neville’s mother and grandmother comes back home.”
          Harry nodded and asked: “Can you tell me how you can see my mother? I know that I can, and even I don’t know how I can.”
          “Well, I was born Thaddeus Matthew Prendergast.” Thaddeus explained to Harry. “In America, where I was born and raised, the Prendergasts are wizards and witches that are born with a special trait; we can see and talk to ghosts and spirits that nobody else can see. While very few members of my birth family are still alive, the ones that have this ability are either declared unstable or insane. As for me, I’m the first Prendergast to ever have this ability, and thanks to my adopted family, the Flamels, I learned to master this ability. As for you, Harry, since you can only see your mother and not any other ghosts and spirits, I can tell you that a very strong bond exists between the both of you. How strong this bond is or how long it has existed, is something I don’t know yet, although I do have a guess as to how long.”
          “What do you mean, you’re the first when you know about others?” Harry asked, looking straight at the middle-aged American wizard. “You’re not very old, after all.”
          “Well, actually, I’m over 350 years old.” Thaddeus said with a fake cough. Everyone in the room, Lily included, looked at Thaddeus wide-eyed at his statement. However, Lily finally made the connection.
          “You’re the adopted son of Nicholas Flamel, the world-renowned Alchemist.” Lily almost exclaimed. Of course, the only people who heard her were Thaddeus and Harry. “The philosopher’s stone and the elixir of life.”
          Thaddeus nodded to Lily, but to everyone else he said: “It’s very hard to explain right now. Let’s just say that my adopted parents have the secret of long life and leave it at that for now.”
          “Okay, I guess.” Harry shrugged. “How did you come to find me?”
          “My mother is a Seer.” Thaddeus answered. “That means that she can see things before they actually happen. She saw the earthquake in Surrey and knew you were the cause of it. So, she sent me an owl and told me to get here right away to protect you and Neville. She said that both of you would be in very real danger if you two didn’t meet soon. She’s not very clear to as why, but she told me that if you two didn’t, first you Harry, then you Neville, will be killed before either one of you get to Hogwarts.”
          “That’s enough, Mr. Flamel!” Augusta Longbottom snapped as she entered the living room, followed by her daughter-in-law, Alice Longbottom. As Thaddeus stood and bowed to them in respect, Topy popped in right in front of them carrying a small brown case.
          “Lady Longbottom and Mrs. Longbottom have arrived, Master Flamel, sir.” Topy said laughingly before dropping Thaddeus’ case and popping away. Thaddeus looked down menacingly at where Topy just was before turning his attention to the Longbottom ladies.
          “My apologies, Lady Longbottom.” Thaddeus said as he picked up the case and sat back down. “I believed it was our intent to be completely forthcoming with both of them.”
          “That is still for me to decide, Mr. Flamel.” Augusta said sternly as she looked over at both Harry and Neville. “Harry Potter, it is good to finally see you well. You’ve given my daughter-in-law quite a scare.”
          Before Harry could respond, Alice ran straight towards Harry and grabbed him into a massive hug. Sobbing uncontrollably, Alice held Harry so tightly that Harry could barely breathe. Neville looked at his mother in confusion as she continued to hug Harry.
          “Oh Harry, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” Alice said as she cried in Harry’s embrace. “Please forgive me, I should’ve been there for you when you needed me.”
          “Um…Who are you?” Harry managed to say as Alice released her tight grip over Harry. Alice upon hearing him asked that finally released the hug and got down to one knee to face him.
          “I’m sorry, I’m Alice Longbottom.” Alice said as she pushed back her tears. “I’m your godmother, Harry. I was also your mother’s best friend at Hogwarts.”
          “Mrs. Longbottom, I think it’s time that we tell Harry everything.” Thaddeus said to her as he opened the case and set it to his side. “But first, Harry, I need you to tell me exactly what happened just before the earthquake. Please try to be as precise as possible.”
          Harry took a long deep breath and looked over to his mother Lily. After she slowly nodded, Harry turned towards the adults and began to explain. “Well, I came home after school during which time Mrs. Figg warned me about Marge Dursley being there as well as my Uncle Vernon finding out that my cousin Dudley got detention for picking on me at school. My aunt Petunia rushed me inside the house soon after, by which time Uncle Vernon grabbed me and threw me against the wall. After that, Marge sicked her dog Ripper on my Mum’s spirit as they both seemed to know about her being near me. When I tried to scream or beg them to stop, they hurt me and called me a Mudblood.” Everyone but Lily and Thaddeus gasped loudly at hearing that word, however Harry continued. “They then told me that they knew about mum helping me and used some weird tambourine to cause her pain. It didn’t make any kind of sound, but looking at mum it was hurting her to the point of destroying her spirit. It was at that point that I just lost control and the earthquake happened. I can’t explain how I did it, but I know that I did, because after it happened, I heard everyone say my name.”
          “Okay, first thing I need to explain to you is what you really did.” Thaddeus said to him. “Now, while I explained to you before how you accessed the magic that caused the earthquake, I didn’t tell you that for certain wizards and witches, they have the ability to call upon their primary elemental magic. That means that whenever the need is most dire, that element calls to that witch or wizard and they can use it. I’m not saying that they can’t access the other elements, mind you, it’s just that one particular element happens to be much stronger for them than the others. That is what happened to you, Harry. You, in an extreme moment of stress, accessed your natural elemental magic, which happens to be earth. Now how strong the magic that gets unleashed is dependent upon the natural strength of said witch or wizard, and in your case Harry, the fact that a seven-year-old was able to affect the entire town of Surrey is nothing short of impossible. After the earthquake, the toll on your body caused you to send out what I like to call ‘Magic Flare’. Your core magic, the magic inside of you, basically sent out an S.O.S. to everybody who could feel it. Again, for someone as young as you Harry, the flare you sent was so uncontrolled that almost half the continent felt it happen, both magical and non-magical. Now fortunately, most of the muggles simply forgot even saying your name and went on with their lives. However, there are certain muggles, like your uncle and his sister, who won’t forget and can’t be made to either. The reason behind this is that they are part of a powerful group who call themselves ‘Human Supremacists’. They are an extremely powerful group that hates all things dealing with magic, even though they are known to use enchanted items as weapons towards their goal. Their hatred, Harry, is based on centuries of foolish beliefs that the church condemns all things pertaining to the wizarding world, and they truly believe that the blood of any wizard or witch to be unholy, hence the term ‘Mudblood’. Unfortunately for us in the wizarding world, that same term is used to describe any witch or wizard who is muggleborn, or born with non-magical parents. Are you with me so far, Harry?”
          “Yes sir, I think so.” Harry answered, shocked at finding out who his Uncle Vernon and Marge were. Lily was shocked to hear this information as well, and was getting angry at Dumbledore for not knowing this much earlier. After she put a hand on her son’s shoulder, Harry asked: “Why are they after me, then, and why didn’t they kill me when they had the chance?”
          Thaddeus looked straight at Augusta Longbottom after Harry asked that. “He needs to know, Lady Longbottom.” Thaddeus said to her. “Hiding this until he’s older will not make the pain easier. Trust me, that is one thing that I truly know.”
          Augusta looked around the room at everyone but Harry and Neville, and only after Alice nodded her consent did she turn back to Thaddeus and said: “Alright, Mr. Flamel, but it will come from me and Alice. You weren’t here during the war, after all.”
          As Thaddeus nodded, Neville finally spoke up. “What war, mum?”
          “Neville, Harry,” Alice kneeled down in front of them. “Around the time you both were born, there was a wizarding war against a very powerful dark wizard known as Voldemort. He and his followers, called Death Eaters, wanted to rid our world of any muggleborn witch or wizard. The war against them went on for nearly two decades, and if things had gone on further, I’m not even sure if we would have won. As for us, the Potters and the Longbottoms, we had to go into hiding because we had openly defied Voldemort several times as he tried to get us on his side of the war. We trusted key people to help us hide, however we were discovered. Neville, I’m sorry to say this to you now, but your father gave his last breath protecting us from the Death Eaters that day. As for you Harry, I know that Voldemort himself found your parents and killed them himself, and we know that he was going to kill you to, but something happened that not only stopped him, he was destroyed in front of you.”
          “I don’t understand?” Harry tearfully said while Neville was silently sobbing himself. “This Voldemort was destroyed just after trying to kill me? How?”
          “We don’t know.” Augusta told him, her gentler side showing. “We just know that after that fateful day, Voldemort was gone and the war against him and his Death Eaters was over. After that, your name was known throughout our world as the one who defeated the Dark Lord, and you are called to this day as ‘The Boy Who Lived’. Ever since then, anybody who knew about you either wanted to kill you or protect you from harm.”
          Harry turned his head to his mother’s spirit. “Mum? Is that what happened?”
          “Yes, Harry.” Lily tearfully answered herself. “I used a very old magic spell to protect you from him. That’s how you survived that day, Harry. What happened to Voldemort after that, I really don’t know.”
          Harry took a very deep breath before turning back to Alice and Augusta. “That doesn’t explain why Uncle Vernon and Marge abusing me for all these years and not killing me.”
          “Because you’re not only famous in the wizarding world, Harry.” Thaddeus answered. “You’re famous in certain parts of the muggle world as well. If Vernon or Marge tried to kill you, and made it look like you disappeared or ran away, too many people would have noticed. As powerful as these Supremacists are, they are not above suspicions if something like that were to happen. If you disappeared, then Vernon Dursley would most likely be the person to blame.”
          “Well, I can see why I might be important here,” Harry said after a long moment. “But I don’t see why you and your mother want to protect me. Aren’t there wizards and witches closer than where you came from that want to do so? Both Mrs. Longbottoms and Mrs. Figg want to.”
          “I knew that was going to come up.” Augusta said nonchalantly. “You best tell him who we really are. Neville as well since you decided to let him know as well.”
          “Well, first off, while I come from America, my adopted parents live somewhere else.” Thaddeus explained to Harry. “I don’t know where specifically, but I do know they’re not in England or America right now. As for why I am here; I’m here not just to protect both you and Neville, but to prepare you both for what’s to come. You see, Lady Longbottom and I represent a very secret society dedicated to preserving the existence of magic in all forms. We are called ‘The Coven’ and we have existed since the time of Merlin himself. You see Harry, we are powerful witches and wizards that tries our best to keep the wizarding world alive, by any means necessary. This means at times we seek out special witches and wizards to join our cause. People like you and Neville have several qualities already that might make you the perfect fit for our group.”
          “I don’t understand.” Harry responded. “This Coven wants Neville and me to join them? Aren’t we too young to do that?”
          “Well, of course I don’t mean now Harry.” Thaddeus answered, chuckling a little. “When you grow up you might want to though. Also, we don’t force people to join us. We’re not like those Supremacists who practically brainwash anyone they want to join their cause. If you don’t want to join us, that is completely up to you. However, there are risks involved if you two chose to.”
          “What do you mean risks?” Neville inquired.
          “Well, Neville, basically the Coven are outlaws.” He answered. “That is to say that we are not a legally organized group. The Ministry of Magic, as well as The Magical Congress of America have strict orders to send any member of us straight to a magical prison, like Azkaban. Other political organizations within the magical world have similar orders, mainly because of the fact of the witch who started our group: Morgan Le Fey herself.”
          A still shocked gasp went along the group, with Augusta being the exception. Thaddeus nodded at their gasping, understanding completely at him saying the name of the most famous Dark Witch in history, not to mention the first. Alice stood up at that point and looked at her mother-in-law. “Mother, you knew about this?”
          “I’m the Head Voice of The Coven here in England, Alice.” Augusta said to her without blinking. “Of course, I knew about who created our group. It’s one of the reasons that we don’t reveal ourselves unless the need is dire. The Ministry knows about The Coven, but fortunately, they don’t know how many of us there are or who specifically is a member. However, you should know that The Coven is not based on what you consider to be either good or evil, we believe in only doing what needs to be done. That is why we must remain secret.”
          “We would like to explain more to the both of you,” Thaddeus said as he removed a golden magnifying glass and a small jar of gold sand from his case. “but being that the Ministry gave orders that you, Harry, need to return to Privet Drive under the care of your Aunt Petunia, there is very little we can do but make sure you get home safe and watch you from now on.”
          “What?” Harry said in shock, standing up and looking at all of them. “If I go back there, Uncle Vernon and Marge won’t stop abusing me. Can’t I stay here?”
          “I would love nothing more than to make that happen, Harry.” Alice tearfully said. “The Ministry decreed last week that it would be safer for you to remain as much as possible in the muggle world until your eleventh birthday. You should know that from now on, at least every other weekend as well as the month of July, you will be staying with us. I’m sorry we couldn’t do more, but we had to fight your magical guardian just to get that.”
          “Who’s my magical guardian?” Harry asked her.
          After a long pause, Alice answered crying softly. “Albus Dumbledore. He’s also Neville’s guardian as well, in case something should happen to Lady Longbottom and myself.”
          “So, this Dumbledore gets to tell me where I have to live and who I have to stay with.” Harry said as his anger began to rise. “Who is he and why is he my magical guardian?”
          “He’s the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.” Augusta replied as she walked over to him. “He’s also Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, which means he has the final say and vote over most of magical Britain. Once more, he was our informal leader during the war against Voldemort. We, the Longbottoms, were a part of his group, The Order of the Phoenix, during that time. Your parents were as well, for that matter. That’s why he was chosen to be your and Neville’s magical guardian should the worst ever happen.”
          Harry blinked confused about much of what Augusta told him, but he understood enough to ask one question: “Who choose him to be my magical guardian?”
          “We did, Harry.” Lily told him as Alice said the same thing. “Your father and I trusted Dumbledore with our lives. We had faith that he would protect you as well.”
          “I still don’t understand why he wants me back at the Dursleys.” Harry said angrily. As he did, the room began to shake uncontrollably. “Why would someone like him not know about them and how bad they actually are. I don’t want to go back there!”
          “Harry, you have to calm down.” Thaddeus said as they felt the ground beneath them shake. They waited as Harry took a very deep breath and slowly began to relax. As he did, the shaking slowed to a complete stop. When he finally calmed down, Thaddeus continued: “Now, unlike these ladies, your mother included, I have never fully trusted Dumbledore. For me, he has always done things behind several walls of secrecy. That includes the fact that he holds several seats of power within wizarding politics without anyone asking how he got it. He even has my father’s ear when it comes to important decisions within the Flamel family. He always claims to do things ‘For the greater good’, but the only good he causes seem to only benefit himself.”
          Harry blinked shockingly at the tone of Thaddeus’ voice. To Harry, Thaddeus seemed more angry about Dumbledore than Harry was. After a few moments, Thaddeus calmed down as well and began to reassure Harry with his plan.
          “Now, Harry, while you are going back to the Dursleys, you’re not going to be alone.” Thaddeus told him. “I’m going to move in across the street from where you live. Right next door to Mrs. Figg, so whenever you need help, you can come over to my place and I will help you whenever I can. Mrs. Figg will also be there as well to make sure you stay safe. Alright Harry?”
          Harry looked directly at Mrs. Figg and asked: “What about Dumbledore, Mrs. Figg?”
          “Dumbledore asked me to look after you, Harry.” Mrs. Figg responded to him. “So, even though I don’t like the situation of you going back there, I will keep my word and protect you whenever and however I can. I also promise that I will not reveal to Dumbledore about the Coven being here and in force.”
          “Thank you, Mrs. Figg.” Thaddeus said as he stood up and walked over to Harry. “Now, there is one last thing that I need to inform you about Harry. It concerns your mother.”
          Harry looked up at his mother worried a bit by what Thaddeus might be talking about, and as he handed Harry the gold magnifying glass, Lily returned Harry’s worried look.
          “That’s faux glass.” Thaddeus told him indicating the lens of the magnifying glass. “It allows the user to see things that other people can’t. You see, I noticed that Lily had only either talked to me or you during your time here, and not a certain someone else. Harry, if you would be so kind as to use the magnifying glass towards just behind the couch where Mrs. Figg is still sitting.”
          Harry did as Thaddeus asked, and when he did, he saw a spirit of a young girl nearly the same age as him and Neville, perhaps older. Harry gasped out loud at seeing this girl smiling and waving at him. Thaddeus then looked at Lily, who was dumbfounded as to what was going on.
          “You don’t see her, do you, Mrs. Potter?” Thaddeus solemnly asked her, opening the jar of sand that he had in his hand.
          “What are you talking about?” Lily asked, curious as to what Harry was seeing. “Is someone really there?”
          Thaddeus took a handful of sand from the jar and tossed it over Lily. In that instant, her spiritual form sparkled for several seconds before a collective gasp was heard from the Longbottoms and Mrs. Figg. Alice stared intently at the ghostly image of her best friend.
          “Lily?” Alice said disbelievingly. “That can’t be you, can it?”
          “The sand only allows you to see her, not hear her, Mrs. Longbottom.” Thaddeus told her. “It only works for a small amount of time, as well. I only did that so I could do this.”
          At that point, Thaddeus took another handful of sand from the jar and tossed it behind the couch where Mrs. Figg was sitting. To everyone but Thaddeus, a fog-like image began sparkling for a few seconds before a small brunette girl in wearing seventeenth-century looking clothing appeared before them all as another gasp went around the room.
          “Allow me to introduce you to my dead sister, Abigail Prendergast.” Thaddeus said, corking the jar of sand and facing Lily and Harry. “The reason I did this is because Abi told me that she could see and hear you, Mrs. Potter, but when she tried to talk to you, you never responded. That meant that you couldn’t see or hear her, and even though you are bonded somehow with your son, such a thing like this is simply not possible.”
          Lily listened to everything Thaddeus had told them, and while she did not know much about how spirits communicate, it became quite clear to her that she hadn’t talked with another spirit since she died, much less encountered one. Lily was simply shocked at discovering this new piece of information about herself, and looked straight at Thaddeus for the answer.
          “How can you be sure that my bond with Harry is not the cause of this?” Lily inquired as her form sparkled some more. In that instant, the Longbottoms and Mrs. Figg could no longer see her.
          “Because I am bonded with Abi.” Thaddeus answered, walking back over to the couch and sitting down. “She died when she was nine, accused of witchcraft and hung from her favorite tree. Ever since then, she has been with me through the good and the bad, and I’m not the only one she talks to. You see, ghosts exist everywhere, Mrs. Potter, and every spirit that I know of has been able to interact and communicate with one another. You are the only exception, and I don’t know how this can be happening.”
          “Maybe Marge did something with that tambourine of hers.” Harry suggested, putting the magnifying glass down. “After the earthquake, there was a moment when I couldn’t see her or even touch her.”
          “Well, that might be the case, Harry. I…” Thaddeus began to say, then realized that Harry said something that should not happen. “Did you just say ‘touch her’, Harry?”
          Harry looked at him almost wide-eyed and nodded.
          “Okay, well I can think of one explanation for that to happen, but I’m not sure you’re going to like it.” Thaddeus sighed and shook his head uncertainly. “Granted, I don’t know much about this, as something like this has never happened before.”
          “What is it?” Harr asked with Lily asking at the same time.
          Thaddeus looked at the both of them and with another long sigh, he answered: “You are not truly dead, Lily Potter.”

**********************************************************
Same time-#4 Privet Drive

          “So good of you to help me get back on my feet, Petunia.” The heavily bandaged Marge Dursley said to her sister-in-law as Petunia brought her a glass of brandy. Lying in the guest room of Vernon’s and Petunia’s home, Marge had gingerly been working her way on drinking her pain away, both physical and emotional. Losing her beloved Ripper as well as nearly dying herself had taken its toll on her. However, she already knew the cause of her pain and discomfort: Harry Potter.
          Watching Marge sip her brandy, Petunia left her to her own thoughts. As Petunia closed the door to the guest room, Dudley ran up to her with an exhausted look on his face. While Petunia was nursing Marge through her injuries, Dudley was doing the same with Vernon, at least as well as he could. However, Dudley had come to his mother for another reason.
          “Mum, there’s a man at the front door wanting to talk to Dad.” Dudley said almost out of breath. “I told Dad, but he said you should see who it is first.”
          Thank you, Dudleykins. I’ll take care of it.” Petunia said smiling at her child. “Please keep an eye out on your Aunt Marge, will you? She already on her fifth glass of brandy.”
          Dudley nodded as he went into the guest room to help his Aunt while Petunia walked downstairs and went to the front door and looked through the peep-hole. “Who is it?” She asked simply.
          “My name is Mr. Grin.” An elderly balding man said on the other side of the door. “I know that I’ve come at a bad time, Mrs. Dursley, but I’m afraid that this can’t wait. I need to talk to your husband right away, it’s very urgent.”
          “Very well, Mr. Grin.” Petunia responded, opening the door to the gentleman. “Please, follow me and I will take you to Vernon.”
          Mr. Grin entered the house and followed Petunia up the stairs to the master bedroom. When they entered, they saw a heavily bandaged Vernon lying in bed watching television. Vernon looked up and immediately shuddered at the sight of Mr. Grin. Vernon nodded respectively at the older man as Mr. Grin did the same. Vernon then looked at his wife and said: “Petunia, would you leave us alone for a while. We have something serious to discuss.”
          Petunia nodded and left them alone, closing the door behind her. Once she did, the pleasant demeanor of Mr. Grin instantly disappeared as Vernon eyes nearly teared up in fear of the man’s presence. Mr. Grin step closer to Vernon, his eyes glaring at him in pure hatred. By the time Mr. Grin was stand right next to the bed, Vernon was trembling.
          “Sir, I can explain.” Vernon said to the man. “We had every intention of doing what you wanted, but Potter proved to be too difficult. I promise you sir, that Marge and I will…”
          “Silence, Dursley.” Mr. Grin told him sternly. “Because of you two, we may have lost the one key that lets us discover the exact location of Hogwarts. I told you to keep that boy weakened until it’s time for him to go there. The goal was to keep him controlled, and trying to rid him of Lily Potter’s spirit right in front of him was careless and thoughtless. Both you and your secret lover should have known better than to underestimate a wizard, no matter how young.”
          “The boy will be returned to us soon, Mr. Grin sir.” Vernon told him. “Lily Potter will not be able to help him afterwards. As soon as we are able, Marge and I will place enchanted items around the house to keep her from entering. She won’t be a problem anymore.”
          “No.” Mr. Grin snapped. “You shall do exactly as you have before. Abusing and torturing the boy as much as you two can. I have already prepared something special for Potter for when he comes back. Lily Potter will not be able to stop you for hurting him, just ignore what she might do to try to stop you. Although, if I’m correct, the something I’ve prepared will undoubtedly take care of Lily Potter as well. Do I make myself clear, Dursley?”
          “Yes, sir. Perfectly clear.” Vernon nodded almost energetically. When he did, Mr. Grin turned and left the room. After he did, Vernon sighed in relief as he believed as bad as the magical world was, the leader of the Human Supremacists was ten times worse. Especially if he found out you didn’t follow his orders.
          Mr. Grin smiled as he said his goodbyes to Petunia Dursley as well as her son Dudley, before exiting their home. Taking a few steps onto the street in front of the house, he turned and looked directly above the house to see a floating cloaked figure. Genuinely smiling at the Dementor, he said to it: “Keep an eye on the boy wizard and report to me back at Azkaban if anything out of the ordinary happens.”
          The dementor nodded his understanding to his master, as the muggle world may know him as Mr. Grin, but to the wizarding world, he was the Dark Wizard Gellert Grindelwald. He simply laughed out loud as he continued to walk down the street until he knew it was safe for him to Apparate back to Azkaban. When he knew that it was safe, he said one final thing before disapparating in the afternoon sun.
          “Albus, my old friend. Our plan is working perfectly.”

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The Corruption of Lily Potter