Lily Emberwick's Arc

Chapter 3 of 5

Professor McGonagall stood at the base of the tower stairs, arms folded, her expression sharp enough to cut glass. The light from Lily's robes had faded, but the professor's eyes tracked to the exact spot where the glow had been. Lily's heart hammered against her ribs. She'd been so careful burying the vial, pressing moss into every crack. But she'd forgotten about the light bleeding through her pocket on the way here. Lily stopped just past the carved stone archway that marked the tower entrance. The archway's metal lanterns threw yellow light across McGonagall's face, making her look older and more tired than usual. "Miss Emberwick," the professor said quietly. "I watched you leave the hospital wing. I watched you run here instead of to the bathroom. And I watched something glow in your pocket bright enough to light your path." She paused. "I need to know what you're carrying." Lily's mind raced. She could lie, but McGonagall would see through it. She could refuse to answer, but that would mean losing access to the Thunderbird. She made her choice the same way she'd chosen to stay with the creature in the forest: by trusting what mattered most. "I found something near the Thunderbird," Lily said. "Someone's been using Thunderbird blood for rituals. There's an altar in the forest. I hid what they left behind because I thought they'd come looking, and I wanted to see who it was." McGonagall's expression didn't change, but something shifted in her eyes. "Show me where you hid it," she said. Lily knelt by the loose stone and pulled the vial free. It pulsed once in her palm, brighter than before. McGonagall stared at it for a long moment, then looked at Lily with something that might have been respect. "You'll help me investigate this," the professor said. "And in return, you'll be allowed supervised access to the Thunderbird during its recovery." Lily nodded, the vial's warmth spreading through her fingers. She'd lost her secret, but she'd gained something better: permission to stay close to the creature she needed to understand. But McGonagall wasn't finished. She pulled a worn leather folder from inside her robes and opened it carefully. Yellowed documents filled the pockets, handwriting Lily didn't recognize covering page after page. "Your family has a history with magical creatures," McGonagall said. "Your great-grandmother worked with Hippogriffs. Your grandfather studied Kelpies in the Highlands." She closed the folder. "I suspected you'd try something ambitious. I didn't expect it this soon, or this dangerous." Lily felt her chest tighten. McGonagall had been watching her since before she'd even found the Thunderbird. The professor knew about her plans, or at least guessed at them. "I'm not trying to hurt it," Lily said quickly. "I want to help them. All of them. There aren't enough Thunderbirds left." McGonagall's face softened just slightly. "I believe you," she said. "But wanting something noble doesn't make it safe. You're going to learn that the hard way if you keep rushing forward without thinking." The professor took the vial from Lily's hand and held it up to the lantern light. The purple powder inside swirled like storm clouds. "This is concentrated essence," McGonagall said. "Someone extracted it from living Thunderbird blood. Whoever built that altar isn't just studying these creatures. They're harvesting them." She looked at Lily directly. "If you want to protect Thunderbirds, you need to understand what you're fighting against. Starting tomorrow, you'll meet me here every evening after dinner. I'll teach you what I know about magical creature protection, and you'll tell me everything you've already learned." Lily felt something settle in her chest. This wasn't the solo journey she'd imagined. But McGonagall was offering her real knowledge, real access, and a path forward that didn't require hiding. She'd have to share her stillness technique, her notes, everything she'd worked to figure out alone. But in return, she'd learn from someone who understood the danger and still believed she could do something that mattered. Lily met the professor's eyes beneath the mossy stone archway. "I'll be here," she said.