2 Chapter 2

Looking disheveled, Lily emerged from the fireplace on the left side of the Atrium after flushing herself down the Ministry toilet, an unideal and distasteful way of arriving at work.

Arthur Weasley, a close friend, stood smiling before her and teased, "You really ought to be used to it by now, Lily. It looks like you've battled a dozen Death Eaters."

Lily rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "If only the telephone booth were near my house. Then I wouldn't have to use that revolting toilet to get in. It's foul!" she said, brushing loose strands of hair from her face.

"Would you mind carrying these papers for me?" she asked. "I'm afraid they're going to slip from my hands any moment now."

"Woah," Arthur said, immediately grabbing the papers. "The meeting must be very important if you have to bring all those documents with you."

"It is," Lily replied with a stretch of her arms.

As they waited for the elevator, Arthur changed the subject. "So, how's Harry doing?"

Lily's smile faded. "I'm afraid I made his morning miserable."

"Oh no, Lily. Not again," Arthur said, staring at her. "What happened? Why?"

The lift arrived with a crash of the gates and they stepped inside. As it slowly ascended, Lily spoke regretfully, "I lost my temper with him. This morning I yelled and said I'd be home at eight because we just got a big case."

"But there's an assembly at Hogwarts tonight!" Arthur exclaimed.

"I know," Lily said miserably. "Harry reminded me about the assembly."

"It's alright, Lily," Arthur said gently. "Molly also reminded me. She thinks I don't spend enough time with the kids. Just don't forget the assembly again later, okay?"

Lily nodded and gave a small smile.

"You know Harry performed really well in school this year, right?" Arthur asked, hoping to lift her mood a bit more.

"Yes, I'm aware," Lily said. There was a short pause. "I was thinking of buying him a present—that popular Quidditch book, maybe?"

"Teams of Britain and Ireland? Harry already has a copy," Arthur said.

"Really?" Lily asked, surprised.

"He was reading it here last time. Went on about how much he loved it."

"Where was I?" Lily asked.

"Right next to him," Arthur said.

Arthur gazed at Lily, and an awkward silence followed between them.

They reached the second level of the Auror Headquarters, and the lift doors opened for them to step out and look around.

"I want to open up a discussion about altering destiny," Lily began, hoping to ease the awkwardness hanging in the air.

"Altering destiny?" Arthur raised his eyebrows skeptically. "Do you really believe that's possible?"

"Yeah, of course I do," Lily insisted. "It's just a matter of changing certain events, you know?"

"Like with time-turners?" Arthur asked.

"Exactly!" Lily exclaimed. "But there's more I want to find out, like what could happen in the next fifty years—"

"Fifty years?" Arthur interjected with a smirk. "But people are still going to die. You know, that part is out of your control. The only things you can control are your own choices."

"Alright," Lily replied. "However, that would be another perspective. I don't have time to argue about predetermination. I only want to discover if there's more to it."

"I understand," Arthur said. "So you've conducted extensive research—"

"Extensive," Lily affirmed sincerely. "And—"

"And that explains why you're constantly returning home late, without dinner, and appearing exhausted the following morning when you leave for work. Is that accurate?"

Lily stared at Arthur, struggling to absorb what he had just revealed. "How did you know?" she asked, taken aback.

"Well," Arthur began delicately, "my children are quite close with your son. With Ron as Harry's best friend, I've gleaned certain insights about his home life that I probably shouldn't have." He met Lily's gaze apprehensively.

"So Harry's telling Ron everything about me?" Lily asked sharply.

"Please don't take offense," Arthur said quickly. "From what Ron has shared, Harry is confiding in both him and Hermione."

"Hermione?"

"Harry's other best friend," Arthur clarified. "When I noticed the letters, Ron confided in me out of concern for Harry. Molly doesn't know—Ron made me swear secrecy." He looked Lily in the eye earnestly. "The letters show how deeply Harry loves you. He may not express it openly, but his feelings are evident. Just give him the maternal love he so desperately needs."

Lily frowned, looking offended by Arthur's words. "I do love him. I don't think anyone except me and my son should know what's happening in our private lives. Thank you for telling me this. I think I'll need to have a discussion with Harry later."

"I know, Lily," said Arthur, growing worried. "We're just concerned, but please don't start yelling at Harry again. He's just afraid to tell you everything."

"Who said I'm going to shout at him? He should know better than that! Being afraid won't help him. He should be brave, like his father who risked his life for him!" replied Lily, annoyed.

"Harry's brave, and you're actually blaming him for what happened to James?" asked Arthur incredulously.

Lily just shrugged. She glanced at her watch. She still had five minutes left to prepare.

Lily gathered up the papers and said, "I have to run, Arthur. Catch up with you later!" She hurried off toward her office, rummaging through her bag for her eyeglasses as she went.

"Good luck!" Arthur called after her. "And don't forget tonight at Hogwarts!"

Lily waved a hand in acknowledgement, still distractedly searching for her glasses. As she lowered her hand, unaware that she was holding the glasses, she accidentally smacked it against the wall, cracking her glasses.

"Unbelievable!" she muttered to herself. "Can't I get a moment's peace?" Cursing under her breath, Lily stomped on toward the Auror's office, glasses askew.

While eating breakfast alone, as he often did, Harry slowly chewed a bite of toast, staring blankly at the empty chair across from him. His other hand aimlessly twirled his fork between his fingers.

Despite his mother's frequent absences during meals, even after her grueling Auror raids, Harry would still cook dinner. More often than not, the next day he would find the food barely touched, still sitting on the table where he had left it for her. Though he didn't complain, Harry knew his mother's Auror duties were demanding and draining, requiring courage, wit, and guile that few possessed.

Morning found Harry's thoughts drifting ahead to the day's tasks. He started each day with his usual chores—cleaning the house from top to bottom. Even after the morning's work, the whole afternoon stretched ahead of him before he would leave for Hogwarts and the evening's Recognition Assembly. Feeling a sense of urgency, Harry hurried through breakfast, rushed through his chores, and bolted up to his bedroom.

He crossed his room and let Hedwig out of her cage to soar around the ceiling. While she flew, Harry prepared his letters, folded them neatly, tied them to Hedwig's leg, and opened the window. With a final stroke of her feathers, he released her into the open sky.

Scanning the morning sky, he whispered "Safe flight, Hedwig" as he spotted a tiny dot that was Hedwig.

Sitting silently in bed, he pulled open the bedside drawer where his undisturbed school books, quills, and parchments lay. Apart from those items, Harry grabbed a leather notebook and quill, flipping through the pages until he found his long poem.

The poem was written so messily, with many scratched out words, scribbled substitutions, and crisscrossing lines, that the meaning was unclear and seemed to reflect the writer's struggle to find the right words.

Harry gazed at the blank page for a moment before putting pen to paper and scribbling a few lines.

'With stream in my eyes, I kneeled and looked above.'

He paused to think deeply. Then, smiling slightly, he dipped his quill in the ink bottle and slowly wrote the final words of his poem. Satisfied, he scribbled 'A Mother's Love' on the title page. Deciding to revise the poem later, he tucked the notebook in his desk drawer and began tidying his bedroom.

The clock chimed half-past eight as he finished cleaning his room. He hurried out and proceeded to his mother's room, slowly opening the door and stepping inside.

As far as Harry was concerned, the room was covered in pictures of his father, James Potter, grinning and gesturing excitedly. In one photo, Lily held baby Harry in her arms, nuzzling him close, while James tried to entertain the infant from behind with silly faces and jumping. The nearly sixteen-year-old Harry gazed at the image, smiling wistfully, clearly longing for the father he had lost.

Harry always felt at ease in this room, as if his father was still alive and enjoying himself. However, Harry tried not to linger on these thoughts; with a sigh of melancholy, he carried on with his daily routines.

Harry scanned the already tidy room for anything to clean, more out of habit than necessity. His eyes fell on a dark blue folder lying at the foot of the bed. Frowning, he picked it up. Scrawled across the front in slanted writing was "Ministry Report - Drafts."

Harry scowled at first, but then a huge realization hit him. His eyes went wide with panic as he thought, "Oh no, this can't have been forgotten!"

Without changing clothes or hesitating, Harry rushed from the room and sprinted downstairs to the fireplace. Though Floo travel wasn't his favorite, he grabbed a handful of Floo powder, stepped into the fire, threw down the powder, and vanished into the green flames.

The familiar sensation of Floo travel left Harry nauseated, the spinning making his head pound. Stumbling out onto the cold stone, he stood up and surveyed his surroundings. Struggling to remain calm as people took notice of his abrupt arrival, pointing and murmuring, he frantically wondered what to do next.

Nymphadora Tonks, an Auror and Harry's friend with a pale heart-shaped face, dark twinkling eyes, and short blonde hair, tapped the arm of a young boy who had been whispering and pointing at Harry. "That's rude, you know," she said gently. The boy jumped in surprise and ran off in the opposite direction.

Tonks walked over to Harry as he stepped out of the fireplace and said cheerfully, "Wotcher, Harry!"

"Tonks," said Harry, relieved to see a familiar face.

As they entered the lift, the usual memos zoomed above their heads.

"Are you in trouble?" Tonks asked Harry warily, eyeing him.

"No," Harry said quickly, then asked, "Have you seen my mum? She has a meeting today but forgot this folder."

"Oh, I haven't seen her yet. What meeting?" Tonks asked, thinking hard. "Ah yes, there's a meeting happening now."

"Can you tell me where?"

"Follow me," Tonks said, walking to the now crowded lift. "I'll take you there."

"Thanks," Harry said, trailing behind as they entered.

Tonks gazed at Harry with curiosity and asked, "Have you been up to something messy, Harry?"

Glancing at Tonks, Harry examined his reflection and noticed the dirt on his clothes. "Oh, I must have forgotten to tidy up after cleaning the house and finding that folder," he said as he brushed off the dust.

Tonks smiled warmly at him.

They heard a woman's voice saying, "Level two, Department of Magical Law Enforcement, including the Improper Use of Magic Office, Auror Headquarters, and Wizengamot Administration Services."

Stepping out of the lift, Tonks led Harry down the corridor lined with doors. Turning the corner, they passed through a pair of heavy oak doors into the cluttered, open Auror Headquarters, divided into cubicles. Though familiar with the area, Harry followed Tonks through another set of oak doors down a second passage. There, they stopped beside a glass door where a grim-looking man sat reading a newspaper.

"I'll leave you here, Harry," Tonks said, pointing at the glass door where Lily stood amidst the Ministry officials, her back to the door. "I believe that's Lily. See you later."

Harry nodded, thanked her, and watched as Tonks left.

Harry's heart hammered as he approached the grim man. "Good morning, sir," he said.

The man lowered his newspaper and rasped, "'Morning, Mr. Potter," before scrutinizing Harry's appearance in silence. When no response came, Harry persisted.

Harry held out a folder, stammering, "Excuse me, sir. Could you please take this to the conference room for me? My mother, Lily Potter, is expecting it."

The man did not take the folder. Instead, he raised his eyebrows and grinned slightly. "I'm sorry, but that goes against headquarters' policy," he said.

"But she could lose her job!" Harry protested desperately.

"Oh, how tragic," the man replied sarcastically, smiling widely. "But not my problem," he added dismissively, returning to his newspaper.

Taken aback, Harry eyed the man coolly. You're as nasty as Snape, he thought. Looking back at the glass door, he saw Lily frantically searching through files.

Harry took a deep breath, opened the door, and hurried inside.

The atmosphere inside the conference room changed abruptly when a boy suddenly entered, but Lily was so engrossed in searching through her file case that she didn't notice the shift.

Harry stood frozen, eyeing the crowd nervously, and said, "Excuse me for interrupting."

Hearing that familiar voice, Lily froze, her eyes widening as if seeing a ghost.

Lily turned around very slowly as Harry handed the folder to her mother, stammering "Um... this is for you. I just thought you might need this folder that you—" Harry saw to his horror that Lily was already holding the same folder he was offering her, after she looked inside her file case. "—already have..." Harry's voice trailed off weakly as he realized his mistake.

Oh great...this is pretty unexpected—what a nightmare! Harry thought, cringing internally.

Lily looked startled and shot Harry a "what-the-hell-are-you-doing?" look over her shoulder.

Harry took a step back and eyed the Ministry officials nervously. Sounding flustered, he said, "Er, false alarm... I'm terribly sorry. I thought that Lily—" he gestured towards her as she looked on the verge of fainting "—had everything she needed because she worked so diligently." Lily cast him an icy stare, but Harry pressed on, "This is my fault. I sincerely apologize for the interruption." With that, Harry promptly exited the room.

Lily paused, took a deep breath, and faced the crowd again. "So, let's move on, shall we?" she said.

Lost in troubled thoughts after leaving the conference room, Harry paid little attention to where he was going.

Rounding a corner, he collided with someone with bushy brown hair.

"Hermione?" Harry panted, scrambling up.

The girl turned, but it wasn't Hermione—it was Tonks.

"Harry!" Tonks straightened up. "What's going on?"

"Sorry, I mistook you for Hermione," Harry explained.

"Well, I only got her looks but not her brains," Tonks said with a chuckle.

"It looks nice, though," Harry assured her. "You're doing great."

"Thanks," Tonks replied. She noticed Harry's sudden gloomy expression. "What's with the face?" she asked.

Harry held up the folder.

"Oh," Tonks said, understanding.

"My mum already has this folder," Harry said through gritted teeth. "I never want to see it again."

Harry and Tonks were quiet for a moment. Then Harry spoke sarcastically, "I think the meeting went well."

"Did it?" Tonks asked.

"Yes," Harry said, feeling foolish. "The glaring, the discomfort, my mother's icy gaze - just what I was hoping for."

"That's quite alright. Don't worry about it," Tonks reassured him gently.

"I think I said too much," Harry confessed to her.

"You did?" Tonks asked, surprised.

Harry nodded, embarrassed.

"Well," Tonks said kindly, patting his shoulder, "don't let anxiety cloud your mind, Harry. It leaves less room for positivity." She gave him a warm, encouraging smile and a playful wink.

To be continued…