They were escorted to the library the next morning by Professor McGonagall, and were told to be expected at lunch. However, Lily's plan to 'get lost' was foiled. She hadn't anticipated the presence of another student.
She spotted him sitting at a table, immersed in a thick tome, and she was of two minds. On the one hand, having someone else around would make it harder for them to sneak off to this 'Room of Requirement'. On the other hand… it wasn't like she'd talked to many other people her own age. She glanced at T'Chone, who nodded. With that silent agreement, they stepped forward, and T'Chone announced their presence.
"Hey, we're new here." He said softly. The boy looked up. He sported a curly mass of auburn hair. His robes were meant to be formal but were clearly put on in a groggy morning stupor. "My name's Tevin." T'Chone said. "And this is Lisa."
"Septimius." The boy said. He nodded to the table. "Septimius Snape." Lily tripped, catching herself at the last minute on the table. "Ah, I take it you've met my father. Or perhaps my mother?"
"Your father." Lily admitted. It was far easier than saying 'Oh hey, I'm your half-niece? I think?' Honestly, even getting into the mechanics of how they were related was likely to give her a headache. "He… screened us yesterday."
Septimius looked apologetic. "I'm sorry. He's…" He shook his head. "Well, he doesn't like people."
"So it wasn't that he specifically hated us?" T'Chone asked.
"No. He's pretty disagreeable with everybody."
"That sounds tough." T'Chone said sympathetically.
"It's fine." Septimius said unconvincingly. "I'm just lucky that both my parents are alive. What about you, where are you from?"
"We escaped from Hydra. We've been stumbling around Britain for the past few months." Lily said.
"See, this is how I keep the self-pity in check." Septimius gestured to them. "There's so much wrong in the world. Complaining about my parents just seems… petty."
Lily frowned, feeling a little guilty for lying now. While it was true that neither of their lives were easy, both she and T'Chone had two loving parents. T'Chone snorted. "Nah, you're allowed to complain. And it must suck to have both your parents as teachers."
"Ha!" Septimius exhaled. "Like you wouldn't believe. My mum isn't too bad, but my dad expects me to be a potions prodigy." He rolled his eyes. "Well, even moreso than his other students."
"Yeah… I know a few spells." Lily said. "But I know basically nothing about potions. The professors say they're going to put us on accelerated coursework but…"
"Yeah." Septimius nodded severely. "McGonagall is fair, as long as she sees that you're trying she'll be fine. Riddle plays favorites, so try to impress him early on. My mum is probably the friendliest teacher, but if you get her upset…" He suppressed a shudder. "And my dad, well... hold on a sec." Lily and T'Chone watched as Septimius ruffled through the shelves, before selecting a book. He plopped it in Lily's hands- The Best Basics for Brilliant Brewing. "Memorize as much of this as possible. He likes to ambush new students with a bunch of questions, if he finds a reason not to like them."
T'Chone winced. "I did kinda yell at him yesterday."
"Yikes." Septimius said quietly.
"He was digging through Li-Lisa's mind." He justified. "I couldn't just let him-"
"Please." Septimius held up a hand. "Nearly everyone on the staff has yelled at him at some point, and most of the student body would like to. But he is going to be a prat to you, so…" Septimius smirked and patted the table. He seemed to take a little joy in undercutting his father. Perhaps there was something of a rebellious teen in him. "Take a seat. Maybe I can help you two out."
Septimius, it turned out, made a good tutor. He never seemed to get frustrated with either of them, even when they had to ask basic questions about ingredients, or even more basic questions about life in the wizarding world. Eventually, the discussion veered away from classwork. "So, what house are you in, anyway?" Lily asked.
"Ravenclaw." Septimius said. "I suppose I'm too much of a bookworm for anything else."
"I was kinda hoping you'd be in Slytherin." Lily admitted. "Just so that I'd know someone there."
"My father would agree with you, though he'll say that 'at least I wasn't a dunderhead Hufflepuff.'" He seemed chagrinned as the words slipped out. But neither of them batted an eye. The longer they talked, the more he let slip little complaints about his home life. Lily wondered if he'd ever gotten a chance to vent before.
"I don't get it." T'Chone muttered. "What's supposed to be wrong with the Hufflepuffs?"
"Oh, all the Houses have rivalries with each other." Septimius said, glancing between them. "Gryffindor and Slytherin is about the worst of them, and lots of people look down on the Hufflepuffs. It's pretty dumb."
"Well, Tevin and I won't be like that." Lily said. It wasn't like they were planning on staying, after all.
Septimius nodded. "You're both going to have to stand your ground on that. There will be people who'll expect you to act a certain way, and that includes not befriending the 'wrong sort'." He rolled his eyes.
Lily wanted to probe further on that, but T'Chone shifted the conversation. "So do you just live at the castle, then?"
"No. Unfortunately." Septimius replied. "I'd love to be here every day. But during the summers I stay at Godric's Hollow. My parents have business with the Headmaster, and they let me tag along today."
"Teacher stuff?" T'Chone asked.
"Based on what mum said… probably war stuff."
"War stuff?" Lily leaned in, discreetly sharing a glance with T'Chone. He silently gave her permission to take the lead. "I didn't realize your parents were so involved with the war. I guess it makes sense."
"Yeah, they're constantly working." Septimius said carelessly. "I'm pretty sure that they've got some sort of project at the castle, not that they'll say anything." Secret project, at Hogwarts? Could this be what they were looking for?
"Wow, so I guess they'd never tried to involve you, huh?" Lily asked.
"I wish." Septimius sighed. "Not like I'd be of any use to them. I'm just a student, and a pretty average one at that."
"Come on, you seem to know your stuff." T'Chone said. "We would have been completely lost at potions without you."
"Septimius." All three of them turned at the new voice, and Lily found herself frozen. It was her. Her namesake. She had Septimius' auburn hair, and her own emerald eyes.
"Professor Snape?" T'Chone managed. "We're new students. Septimius was helping us with potions."
"I see." Lily Snape smiled. "Its good to see you making friends, Sep."
"Mum." Septimius ducked his head in embarrassment.
"It's time for lunch. Why don't you two join us?"
"Sure." Lily swallowed her nerves. They couldn't exactly refuse.
-----
Septimius was a little embarrassed by his mum's interference. Mostly, he felt bad for Lisa and Tevin. It seemed like they'd been through the wringer in the past few days. After dealing with his father, he didn't want to subject him to his mum's more subtle form of interrogation. Sure, she was just curious about his new 'friends', but her enthusiasm still put them on the spot. Lisa and Tevin fielded her questions, though some of the more probing ones about their past they dodged. It was understandable, he thought, they'd clearly been through a lot.
Eventually, Lisa managed to redirect his mum with a well placed question about charms. His mum shifted seamlessly into 'professor mode' then, and turned the rest of the lunch into an impromptu lesson. Septimius thought they might all get out of this unscathed, but as if summoned by his optimism, his father appeared at the doorway like a shadow.
"Oh, hello. Father." Septimius said, as much in greeting as he was warning Lisa and Tevin. His two classmates (friends?) stiffened.
"Septimius." His father said. "Lily." His voice warmed. "And company." His eyes flicked to Tevin, before lingering on Lisa. "Welcome to Slytherin House, Ms. Rushman."
Lisa shifted uncomfortably in her seat, while Tevin tensed further, coiling like a spring. He looked ready to put himself in front of her at the slightest trigger.
"Severus." His mum said cooly. "Have you finished your business here?"
"I have." His dad said.
"Well." She smiled stiffly, making no move to rise from her seat. Septimius wanted to cringe at the tension. "I'll be seeing you."
"I suppose you will." His father turned with an overdramatic swoosh of his robes.
"What a creep." He heard Lisa mutter. None of them objected.
-----
Their time was limited. They'd been dropped headfirst into classwork to prepare them for the imminent start of term. The upside was that they learned a lot and had plenty of opportunities to impress the professors by quickly 'picking up' spells. Both Lily and T'Chone were getting a reputation for being a whiz at practical magic. Riddle had even had them duel. They'd gotten lost in the moment, and perhaps done a little better than they 'should' have. Lily told him they'd both had good instincts from their time on the run. She hoped he was convinced.
Severus Snape sat them both down for a potions lesson. True to form, he'd rounded on T'Chone and peppered him with questions. With each correct answer, Snape had grown more frustrated, until after the fourth question, he bit out. "The art of potions is more than rote memorization." While he didn't relish drawing the professor's ire, he much preferred his attention on him than on Lily. Despite Snape's declaration, T'Chone proved to be a natural. He chalked it up to his mom's influence, but at Snape's imperious stare, he could only shrug and say that 'it just came naturally to him'. That answer did not mollify the man.
They'd both, on separate excursions, located the Room of Requirement. T'Chone had summoned it using the phrase 'I need a way to get out of the castle.'. Sure enough, a door had appeared and within, a stone passageway. He was wary of being 'missing' for too long, and scurried back to his dorm. Despite his anxieties, no one confronted them, or showed any sign of suspecting them. Their lessons were challenging and they had a mountain of books and homework, but the heavy workload helped the days leading up to the start of term pass quickly.
Before he knew it, he was being shoved to the end of the long table as his new Housemates piled in. They came, it seemed, from all over the world, with more diversity than he'd ever seen before. T'Chone tried to make small-talk, but he was wound far too tight. He kept looking for Lily in the crowd, and felt a spike of anxiety when he lost her. They were so close to the end, now. Once they got to the Room of Requirement tonight, they could slip away safely while his dad raided the castle. They just needed to get lost in the crowd, and if everything was going according to plan, the team was about to set up the perfect opportunity for them to do so.
The sorting ceremony was interminable, all T'Chone wanted was for it to end. He repeatedly glanced (he hoped discreetly) at the head table, looking for some sign of a disturbance that refused to materialize. Finally, after the start of the feast, T'Chone glanced up again and saw that Dumbledore's seat was empty. Riddle was rising from his own seat and beating a swift retreat. The hall exploded into speculative murmurs, while the remaining professors sat stiffly, anxiously in their seats.
T'Chone let out a breath. The end of dinner couldn't come fast enough.
-----
The wards around Godric's Hollow had shattered, the magical backlash of their destruction humming in the air. To Riddle it was almost an electric charge, like the taste of ozone in the air after a lightning strike. Whatever- whoever- had broken the town's wards, they were powerful. The possibilities were limited. In fact, he could only think of two who could potentially pull it off. He could only hope that it wasn't Hela. The Goddess of Death attacking now, at this critical juncture, would be a worst-case scenario.
"What do we have, Albus?" Dumbledore had been the first on the scene, though for the moment he merely observed.
"I'm not quite sure." Dumbledore admitted calmly. With the wards down, it was possible to apparate out. Mothers scooped up their young children and fled. The men would be required to stay and fight. "Whoever it is, will surely-"
Around them, portals opened. Water streamed out of one in a high pressure jet that carved into the ground. Dumbledore parted the stream, sending it cascading on either side of them. Meanwhile, out of the other portals… "Sorcerers!" A wizard yelped. They were surrounded.
Dumbledore was quick to respond, launching spells with preternatural speed. The 'sorcerers' vanished as they were struck. "An illusion." Riddle muttered, taking a step back. Silently, he cast Homenum Revelio, and in the corner of his eye spotted the outline of a body. Quick as a viper, he struck with a killing curse. Ice rose up between them, intercepting the curse and exploding into splinters. More ice welled up around him, and for a moment he was ensconced, before he summoned an intense pulse of heat that vaporized the ice. He had drawn his quarry out. He wasn't human, neither was he Asgardian, but a blue skinned giant. On his head was a horned helm, and in his hands was a curved blade. "Who are you?" He asked.
"You admit your own ignorance?" The giant taunted. "I am Loki, of Jotunheim, human. You would do well to…"
Riddle quickly checked on Dumbledore while his opponent spoke. He was deep into battle with the sorcerers- or rather, one in particular. As Riddle watched, he transfigured the ground beneath her. Stone arms erupted, grasping, and clawing at the sorcerer. Space distorted around her, splintering into fractals. The arms were diced into pieces, and she slung the spatial shards at Dumbledore. The rubble around him reformed into a wall, intercepting the projectiles. Then, with a flick of his wand he enchanted the bricks. The purpose of the enchantment became clear when Dumbledore launched the bricks at the sorcerer, rapid fire. The Sorcerer deflected one with a magical shield that she projected from her hands, but on contact the brick exploded with a flash of light and storm of sparks. The Sorcerer was blown into the air, landing in a roll and putting up a portal up to redirect the next volley. The bricks instead fell on the town, sending wizards running for cover from the brilliant explosions.
If Dumbledore was pulling out his 'experimental' spells, it meant he wasn't feeling particularly hard pressed. The Sorcerer seemed equally content to let this play out. It raised the question of why they were even attacking if they weren't fighting to win. What were they waiting for? What did they want?
He glanced back at the giant, and smirked. "Actually, I don't particularly care." He sent out a gout of fire, which carved through the ice that rose to meet it. Loki tumbled back, bracing for another attack. It wouldn't come from the direction he expected. Riddle apparated silently, leaving an illusion at his former location. He liked the irony of using his opponent's own strategy against him. He sent another killing curse, but as it streaked through the air, Riddle and his surroundings were enveloped in a shower of light. Thor, the God of Thunder, swung Stormbreaker in the curse's path, and the unblockable spell fizzled against the metal.
Riddle gaped at the Asgardian. He knew him from Harry Potter's memories, and his presence here could only mean one thing. Potter was behind this, but why? What could he gain from a pointless attack on Godric's Hollow? All of the civilians had already escaped, and even if they did get the upper hand in a full-on battle, Dumbledore would just escape to the protection of Hogwarts. There was nothing for him in Godric's Hollow, and Potter wasn't even here.
It was a diversion.
Thor swung his axe, lightning crackling around him as Riddle idly dodged. He detonated the ground beneath the Asgardian, sending him flying back. Simultaneously, a barrage of explosions heralded Grindelwald's arrival. While Dumbledore preferred creativity and cleverness in his fights, Gellert Grindelwald was all power and aggression. The ground around the Sorcerer was blasted apart and obscured by flames.
"Sorry I'm late, Al." Grindelwald crowed. "I was in China trying to-" The Sorcerer reappeared, and a portal opened at Grindelwald's feet. He apparated, reappearing several feet away while Dumbledore focused his fire on the Sorcerer.
Riddle wasn't concerned about the two archmages. Together, he suspected they could best all of Potter's little friends, but if one of them did happen to fall, all the better. Riddle turned on his heal and apparated.
Potter was going to Hogwarts, and he intended to meet him there.
-----
The trek through the corridor was hauntingly reminiscent of his last journey into Hogwarts, all those years ago. Except now it felt like almost yesterday. Like yesterday when he, Ron, and Hermione had cooked up an insane plan to break into Gringotts and had ridden out on the back of a dragon. Like yesterday, when he'd thought he'd seen his friends for the last time in this life. Like yesterday, when he decided to leave them all, not saying goodbye because he couldn't bear to, and because he knew they'd stop him. Now he was back, with three of those friends at his back, here to find the last two and bring them home.
There had been a tension in Harry's chest for the past week. Peering into Riddle's mind had eased it, but it hadn't taken long for the uncertainty and worry to return. Harry had resisted the urge to check again. The risk of being detected wouldn't be worth the fleeting relief from anxiety. Even now, on the long walk through the passageway the Room of Requirement had created, that his children had made for them, the tension didn't ease. He didn't think he'd relax until he had them both in his arms.
Yet, as Neville reminded them, they needed to take it slow. It wouldn't do to barge blindly into a trap. At a door, they stopped. Neville looked through it with his enchanted eye, and with a smile, nodded at Harry to go ahead.
"Dad!" T'Chone shouted, and Harry surged forward, crushing him in his arms. For a moment, he felt at peace. "I don't know where Lily is!" The moment was gone.
Reluctantly, he pulled back, taking note of the fear in his son's eyes. "What happened?"
"I lost track of her at the feast." T'Chone said quickly. He was spiraling. "I don't know… Snape seems really interested in her. What if he- he-"
"I'll find her." Harry said. If Snape had so much as touched his daughter, he'd rip him apart.
Ginny grabbed his hand, and Harry's nerves calmed fractionally. "We'll find them. You find her."
T'Chone looked miserable. "Its not your fault." Harry grabbed his shoulders. "We'll get her back. You need to stay here and keep the room open for us."
T'Chone nodded resolutely. Harry looked to his friends, from Neville, to Ron, to Ginny. "Let's do this."
-----
Hela let out a breath, taking a moment to savor the sacred silence within the chamber.
The wizards had discovered the Veil, and though they had recognized its importance, they couldn't truly understand what it was. They had used it, to execute criminals and create monsters, but they didn't grasp the implications. Only a few could hear the voices that called from the other side.
The Veil of Death was a door, and doors could be opened. Hela gazed at the tattered black fabric that hung from the archway. It rippled from a breeze that none could feel, except Hela could. The Invisibility Cloak hung off her shoulders and fluttered from the same silent wind. She held her hand up, her fingertips grazing against the barrier, and it stilled.
Doors could be opened if one had a key. She didn't have the key, at least not in full. But she had a part, just enough to open a crack. Hela felt her fingertips tingle with power. Through the Veil, she saw her.
Death smiled.