HP - Shadow Monarch!

[Chapter Size: 1900 Words.]

Third Person POV

London.

...

...

'Strange movements of goblins alert the magical world of England—what is happening inside the white Gringotts?' The newspaper began with an unusual headline.

'Unfortunately, we couldn't obtain an answer as to why the goblins have been so active lately. While they're buying many strange things, some say they are beginning to forge again after a century, since Ranrok's revolt in 1890. The goblins refuse to talk about what's happening, being as curt as ever and even threatening to close the accounts of those who are too inquisitive. Many speculations have started, suggesting that the goblins might be allying with the Dark Lord, or that, as in 1890, they are once again initiating a war in the magical world. Others say that perhaps the goblins are attempting to create something new and unique. No one knows their motivations. Even the famous investigator of magical England, Steve Vujin, refuses to comment on it.'

This was part of the newspaper, as a feminine hand flipped through its pages and turned to the current day's edition.

'The Black Family receives two managers from Gringotts at their residence. What is happening between a powerful Wizarding family and bank managers...?'

The headline was quite eye-catching, describing the visit of the two managers but without specifying what they wanted, aside from speculations. Since the Black family was clearly aligned with the Dark wizards—after all, this was an open secret—rumors returned that the goblins might be joining forces with the Dark Lord, causing widespread panic. However, on the next page, the goblins themselves denied this, declaring neutrality in the wizarding war in England.

"The magical world has been quite unsettled lately..." murmured the girl, her voice soft as she glanced at the many other newspapers scattered around her feet.

Papers reporting on a mysterious alchemist were piled up, describing how this figure was beginning to emerge and place potions of extremely high quality on the market. No one knew the alchemist's identity, while various groups and organizations were after them without any leads.

Other newspapers continued covering this alchemist with updated information, attempting to uncover their identity without success, finding no match among any potion masters listed by the Ministry. Even those potion masters operating illegally were investigated, but the unique way of creating potions proved that this alchemist was none of those already listed and investigated, as if this mysterious person had come out of nowhere.

Another article described the destruction of the black market and how this mysterious alchemist had appeared there to purchase a house elf, whose whereabouts were unknown. This alchemist allegedly caused total destruction in the illegal market in a fight against an important figure visiting the country. Wanting to avoid issues with this figure, they didn't pursue her, and the mysterious alchemist remained an enigma.

Other newspapers mentioned the massacre in Hogsmeade, about the mysterious masked man who killed Dark wizards with blades—a method no one else used in the magical world. The papers continued and even reported on a recent event in the Forbidden Forest, where a massacre of giant spiders had taken place, beginning and ending without anyone discovering who was responsible. This individual managed to enter and leave without being traced, although some Aurors said the person had exited near the entrance of one of the school houses, Gryffindor.

The person hovering over the newspapers knew very well about this event, for she had taken part in it. They declared that this same person responsible for the massacre was also the one who had attacked the wizards in Hogsmeade.

"They still call him a villain… but why?" she asked, looking at the newspaper with a hint of anger.

She didn't just have a few newspapers—she had several. She had always had a habit of collecting every newspaper, using a bit of her savings to buy them daily and keeping each one. However, this particular collection was special, as it contained what she believed to be the most important events of the year, some of which she already knew the truth about.

"Lily!! We're leaving!" A voice called from downstairs, prompting Lily to quickly get up, open her bedroom door, and rush down the stairs to meet her family—her father, mother, sister, and a boy whom Lily was surprised to see with her sister. Though she knew him, they had never officially been introduced until this holiday, thanks to her mother, since her sister rarely shared such things.

"You'll be alright on your own, dear?" her father asked as Lily drew closer.

They were heading off on a holiday trip while Lily had chosen to stay back because of some things she needed to handle. Her sister didn't want her to come along, so she seemed quite pleased to have time alone with her boyfriend and their parents.

"I'll be fine, Dad..." Lily murmured as she hugged him.

"Are you sure you don't want to come? You could get ready quickly, and we'd wait," her mother said as Lily embraced her, while Petunia made a face beside them.

"Sorry, Mom... but I have some important things to take care of..." she replied, unable to join them after receiving a letter.

"Alright then... just stay safe..." Her mother seemed uneasy about leaving her.

Lily glanced at her sister, who stood beside her boyfriend, the shy boy who turned his face away as Petunia refused to say goodbye, leaving Lily to sigh, unable to change things. Her sister had never let her get close to her again like they were before the age of ten, before the Hogwarts letter arrived.

Then her parents began leaving, with Lily watching them from the doorway as they loaded up the car, arranged their bags, and started to pull away. She waved as they left.

Her gaze shifted to the houses down the street, and her eyes fell upon Snape's house nearby. She thought about how she hadn't seen Snape recently, and she had hoped to meet him and spend time with him during the holiday, but he had simply vanished after the incident with his father.

"He said he'd be moving away... I at least hoped he'd tell me where..." she murmured, shaking her head.

"What am I thinking? Why does Snape keep clouding my thoughts, appearing at random moments like this?" she murmured, a hint of dissatisfaction in her voice.

Not that she hated Snape—he had treated her very poorly this year... yet still, her heart raced at the thought of him. As her friends had pointed out, she had somehow ended up falling for him, and of course, she thought about him all the time.

'Are you alright? Think carefully, Lily... you're acting strange... you should check on yourself.' These words suddenly echoed in her mind, igniting a sense of alertness.

"Am I really alright...?" she murmured as she realized she was standing in front of the door. She began to head back into the house, closing the door behind her and leaning against it with a sigh.

"What's happening to me..." she murmured. "Does he think I'm fake or something...? I mean, stop thinking like this, Lily!" She felt the urge to slap her own face, frustrated by the confusing and strange thoughts.

She immediately went up to her room after that, grabbing the newspapers and starting to put them away, seeing nothing useful in them that she didn't already know. She still saw Snape as a hero of Hogsmeade for saving many Muggle-borns from the Dark wizards, contradicting the way he used to mock her once.

She put everything away and lay on her bed, staring up at the ceiling. "Am I really alright..." she asked herself once more, feeling unsettled by the questions running through her mind, as if her mind was telling her everything was fine, yet deep down, something felt wrong.

"I'd better look into this later... for now," she murmured, reaching to her bedside table and picking up a note resting there—a personal invitation from none other than Headmaster Dumbledore addressed to her.

"An invitation to a meeting of brilliant wizards of this generation, to form an order aimed at maintaining peace and fighting Dark wizards, the Order of the Phoenix."

Lily read it, wondering what this was all about, but she was certainly interested. She trusted Headmaster Dumbledore greatly and was well aware of how magical England was descending into chaos, with a civil war brewing among the great families for pure-blood supremacy—something Lily disliked intensely. Not only was she a Muggle-born, but she also couldn't stand any form of prejudice.

"Who else might be joining... my friends, the professors, him?" she murmured, still staring at the ceiling before giving herself a light slap on the cheek.

"Why do I keep thinking about him all the time!" she complained once more. "At this rate, it feels like I've been hit with a love potion involving Snape..." she couldn't help but joke, as these thoughts were becoming obsessive, beginning to affect her ability to think clearly.

She ended up dozing off for a while, waking close to lunchtime before preparing something to eat and getting ready for the meeting that afternoon.

It wasn't long before she left home, heading toward the location indicated on the note. She entered a strange alleyway after getting off the bus, where she saw a female figure in clothing that obscured her face—specifically, a large hat that cast shadows over her features. The figure stood still, waiting.

Lily swallowed nervously and approached.

"You're very punctual, Lily Evans," the person remarked as Lily came to a stop, looking at her.

"You're... Molly Weasley?" Lily asked in surprise, as it had been years since she'd seen her.

Molly Prewett had helped her since her first year, although Molly graduated when Lily was in her second. Lily had heard that she'd married into the Weasley family, adopting the Prewett surname.

"Yes, it's me... I'm glad you still remember me..." she said with a smile.

"Of course... you always helped me back in sixth and seventh year... I never got the chance to repay you," Lily murmured, as Molly had been something of a mentor to her.

"Well, let's chat as we head to the hideout... Did I tell you that Arthur and I have two sons?" She began talking about Bill Weasley and Charlie Weasley, and how they might even be expecting another child this year, whom they planned to name Percy.

They talked until they reached the end of the alley, where Molly tapped the wall with her wand, causing a door to open, revealing a sprawling garden.

"Welcome to our HQ, where the first meeting of the Order of the Phoenix will take place, a force against the dark shadows that are beginning to spread across England in these troubled times," Molly said as Lily nodded, still unsure what exactly would unfold there.

Lily and Molly entered the garden, noticing some movement in the house.

"You must be wondering who's already inside... well, we're the last ones to arrive, so let's go," Molly commented with a smile, leading Lily forward to enter the house.

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Raccoon Here:

I enjoy a lively world, not just involving Snape in every corner, so let's have a variety of reactions. I want to bring the great families into focus in the upcoming chapters, as there are many characters I haven't written about yet. It's time to give them some attention, especially since Snape has quite a few enemies.

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