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Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K. Rowling.

I own nothing but the original characters I make.

"Dialogue"

'Thoughts'

-Author notes-

Chapter 175: Incomming Threat

"I can't believe you are engaged…" Lily said as she stared at her plate. "I heard stories about political marriages between old wizard families, but I never thought that it could happen to someone I knew…"

"To be fair, my family isn't exactly that hung up on old traditions. If that was the case, then my parents would never have gotten married in the first place." James recalled how his mother, Euphemia, went against the wishes of her house, and that was what got her expelled.

"Then I understand it even less. Why would they force you to marry someone? And it had to be Bellatrix Black? She is always so… angry…" Lily muttered.

'Bella does give a terrible first impression…' James had to admit that he thought the same.

"It is a bit complicated, and I cannot reveal everything to you. But in Magical Britain, pure-blood houses are mostly divided into two fronts: one that supports change and progress, while the other wants to preserve old traditions."

"I know that much… after finding out that magic existed, I have been reading a lot about how our society works," Lily said. Her former friend Snape had also told her many things about the politics of the magical world.

"Most students in Slytherin come from houses that are on the 'old tradition' side. And they hate muggleborns because they believe that our blood is not pure enough to deserve having magic." There was a tint of bitterness in her voice.

The word 'mudblood' was something that had been used against her a few times already.

"Correct. And the House of Black has always been on the traditional side. However, very recently, the Patriarch made a decision that put him directly in conflict with several of the most powerful traditional families. That left them in a difficult situation." He purposely avoided any mention of a Dark Lord.

"They changed sides?" Lily was surprised to hear this.

"They had little choice at that point. The Potters are a well-known family from the progressive side, so my father offered an alliance to the Black Patriarch to cement the position of the house. That way, no one will have doubts about where they stand."

"And the marriage contract is part of this alliance?" Lily asked.

"That's correct." James nodded. "A marriage is the most efficient way to unite two houses."

"I understand it, but… it still feels wrong. What about what you want?" Lily asked. "Surely your parents care about that."

"They do. That's why I was given the choice to reject this engagement if I wanted to," James finally revealed.

Lily's eyes opened wide with shock. "Wait… so you actually want to be with Bellatrix? …do you like her?"

"I…" James had to take a moment to think about how to properly answer that. He had to admit that he had become somewhat fond of the girl over the past months.

"I don't dislike her." That was as far as he could go.

The idea of liking a girl who was so much younger than him… mentally at least, was still something that made him a bit uncomfortable, even if he had been able to get over the trauma caused by the betrayal of a certain redhead girl from his previous life.

"I see…" Lily looked very disappointed. "I really thought this date was going in a different direction…"

It was normal that she thought that way. After all, the real James Potter had spent the first three years chasing after her. And he would have done the same this year if the dragon pox hadn't claimed his life.

"I do care about you, Lily. That's why I wanted to tell you about this in person, before the rumors began to circulate around the school."

"You care about me?" Lily asked. "But you mean as a friend."

"Sorry," James said in an apologetic manner.

"You know… usually it's the girl who says those things," Lily responded.

James thought that things were going to go much worse than this. But observing her expressions, she didn't look all that upset.

"I apologize if I gave you the wrong impression," James said.

Lily smiled. "You have nothing to apologize for… it was just my fault for… never mind." She looked down at the food on her plate. "We should eat something. It seems like a total waste to leave this delicious food untouched."

"You are right. Not many students get to eat here either." James picked up the cutlery and cut the steak in front of him. It was still warm at least, despite having been talking with Lily for several minutes after they brought the food.

"Mmm! This is delicious! What kind of meat is this?" Lily asked.

"I believe it is dragon meat, but I'm not sure which one. We didn't listen much to the explanation of the dishes, and I had just asked for a bit of everything," James told her.

"Now I feel bad… we should have let the waiter explain." Lily said while staring at the dish. "Could it really be dragon meat, or were you joking about it?…"

"Of course it cou—" James stopped mid-sentence when he felt something strange.

"James? What is it?" Lily asked after seeing him make a very serious expression, as if he was upset all of a sudden.

"Someone is searching the place with magic… I just felt the spell tugging on me." James took his wand out of his sleeve and held it firmly in his hand.

"Searching? What do you mean? Who is search—"

"We have to go." James stood up. "Now."

Lily became alarmed after realizing that he was not joking. "James, I don't understand."

James extended his hand to her. "I cannot clarify it now, but someone very dangerous is coming this way, and we need to leave immediately. Do you trust me?"

Lily looked at his extended hand and grabbed it with no hesitation. "I do trust you."

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