HEY GUYS! Here's the beginning of the sequel to "Winning Her Love." Mucho thanks to PranksterAngel for her honesty (:-P) and then the wonderful title! Enjoy!
Into the Shadows
Chapter 1: The Shadows Around Us
The night was like a dark black abyss that sucked her in. There was no company, yet no privacy. No noise, yet no silence. The emptiness hit her ear drums like a mallet beat a gong. There was no escape. No light.
No light.
Lily was huddled in the corner of her bedroom. Arms wrapped around her legs and chin resting on her knees she lay there, waiting, praying for the first rays of sunlight to reach her eastward window.
The silent form of Samantha lay in the bed across the small room. Her blonde hair was sprayed across her pillow and her chest rose and fell with her every breath. One night a week previous Lily had decided to count every breath Sam took during the night. She had stopped after 3,000, knowing it was pointless to keep on going. Still, it got so boring in her little corner all through the night.
At first it was the dark that got to her. Pooky was there to keep her safe before, but he was gone now, along with... She had to go to a special store in Diagon Alley to get an enchanted crystal the held light within it. It was a secret purchase; she didn't want anyone to know that she had developed a fear of the dark at the age of 18. During the day she hid it under her pillow and when she was sure that her roommate had fallen asleep, she would take it out and begin the endless wait.
Then it had been stomach aches - Lily had no idea where they had come from, and no potions she tried would help. Even with Jill studying as a healer and giving Lily all sorts of different treatments for them, nothing would make them cease. With her crystal next to her and a pillow clutched to her stomach she would sit through the night alone. Lily seemed alone all of the time those days. It was as if her insides were gone and she was hollow.
Everyone was too busy or tired to notice what was wrong with Lily. Sam, Sirius, and Lily herself were preparing to go into auror training and were flanked with endless amounts of paperwork sent from Alastor Moody, the head of the department at the Ministry. Before they could even go to training they had to fill out those forms and take evaluations of their magical ability.
Jill was going into healer training, which meant constant studying and long days as an intern at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. Shayla had just gotten a desk job at Gringott's Bank; it was required for people going into Curse Breaking to work at the bank itself for at least a six-month period.
Remus, on the other hand was not yet employed due to his... "furry little problem." Every morning he'd set out and look all over the magical community for a job, and late at night he'd come home exhausted and collapse into bed. It did not help that it was two weeks until the full moon came again.
The four girls were the first to find lodgings in a small flat on the edge of magical London. It was one step short of a hovel, but in those days they were lucky to get anything. It had a miniscule kitchen and a small sitting room right next to it. There was also a narrow hallway which led to two bedrooms - one shared by Jill and Shayla, and the other by Lily and Sam; those were barely 12 feet across and 12 feet wide (and painted a most horrid color, as Sam often pointed out). In the last corner of the flat was a bathroom with a small, round shower, a sink, and a toilet. Living there was not easy, but the girls were happy to be together.
The two males, on the other hand, had had a difficult time finding a place to live. Sirius had to go and collect his things from the Potter's old house (He had really went there to check for James, but alas, his best friend was nowhere to be seen - his things cleared out as well). They had wandered like wizard nomads for days before the girls intervened and asked their landlady - a kind, elderly squib - if there was another apartment available. The boys had gotten the top floor - the entire place was maybe 20 square feet. Sirius and Remus basically just used it as a bedroom and study and went to the girls apartment to use the bathroom and kitchen.
Rent was hard to come by. The females relied on Shayla's small income and donations given by their generous parents. The boys relied on Sirius' inheritance from the Potters, which was not small, thank Merlin.
But the one thing Lily cared about was James.
Why did he leave? What was the use? Where was he? There were endless questions! All Lily had to remember him by was the faint feeling of his last kiss, a picture, and a letter.
Dear Lily,
I bet you're wondering why you've woken up to find a letter right next to you. Well, here's the truth - I'm leaving. Please, don't be angry with me. I don't have a choice though. I need to do what's best for you, my love. You were kidnapped by a Death Eater acting on Voldemort's orders.
Why do you think Voldemort wants you? It's because you're my girlfriend. He killed my parents and now he wants to finish off the entire Potter line. I won't... I can't let you be in danger like that all of the time.
I'm going into hiding and I'm not telling anyone where I'm headed. No one will know, so don't be saddened that you don't know either. It's for the best, I promise you. Lily, I hope that one day this will all be over and we can be together safely. Until then, consider this an indefinite goodbye.
I love you so much... more than I could ever tell you. Forget about me. Even though I will always remember you.
James Potter
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Sunday was the entire group's only day off. Most of them spent it sleeping, i.e. Sirius, Sam, and Remus. However, Jill spent it studying and Lily and Shayla (who took a late shift at Gringotts on Sundays) found themselves come over with a serious case of Chronic Sighing Disorder.
Sigh.
Sighhh...
Siiiiiiiiiiggggggghhhhhhhhh...
Sigh.
Siiiiiiiiiiiigh.
SiGh.
sIgH.
SIGH.
Crack!
Jill had snapped her quill in two. "In the name of bloody Merlin's beard if you two don't stop wallowing in your misery I will personally throw you out of this flat using force - don't think I won't do it little Miss Sigh over there! I am trying to memorize fifteen different ways to stop a nosebleed and it is not fun! Don't underestimate a Jones on the edge!"
"Sorry, Jill," Lily and Shayla said in unison and fell silent.
Lily's reason for sighing was obvious enough. Shayla was sighing because after graduation, which had been two weeks previous, no one had heard from Peter at all. Shayla was sick out of her mind with worry and guilt. Lily had put it in one word: love. The french girl had denied it at first, but after she got to thinking (in french, like most deep thinking is) there could be no other explanation for her sorrow.
And so the two girls sighed... when not in the presence of Jill.
It was nearing 4:00 in the afternoon when Sirius finally decided to join the land of the living. Lily went to open the door for him and without even a simple "hello" he walked briskly in, half-jogging to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. Lily rolled her eyes and returned to her place on the couch. Sirius always ate half of their refrigerator on Sundays, when he had time.
Sirius walked into the sitting room with a box of cereal and a carton of milk. He proceeded to pour cereal into his mouth and then chug the milk carton until they were both empty. Tossing them into the garbage can, which was 10 feet away, he then proceeded to go into the bathroom, and was not seen for an hour.
Now, don't be afraid. This was normal.
An hour later Sirius cam out of the bathroom smelling fresh due to his shower. "Well, lassies. Who's up for an early dinner in London - my treat!"
"You've just eaten!" Lily said.
"Ah, too true, Lily, but alas, I am hungry again with this spiffing metabolism of mine. Now, I know at least one of you wants to come and keep me company." he put on a puppy-dog face and pretended to beg.
"Oh Sirius, I cannot. I must be at Gringotts een an 'our." Shayla told him with a small frown.
"Don't bother me, I'm studying!" Jill snapped and turned back to her books.
Sirius smiled and looked at Lily. He began to approach her and said, "Lily-flower, you know that you would just love to come with me."
Lily rolled her eyes, "Very well, then, Sirius." He did an exciting jump in the air and grabbed Lily's hand as they sped out the door.
It was a peaceful, warm July afternoon as the strolled down a small, deserted street. Sirius was happy; he had wanted to get Lily alone for quite some time now. The truth was, Sirius was almost as affected by James' departure as Lily was. Plus, Sirius didn't even have a note to remember him by - just a picture of the Potter family that he had taken from their house.
They made their was to a main road in London with many different people strolling by. Their destination was reached fifteen minutes later: a small café which served food and had the best coffee anywhere, as was the opinion of Sirius and Lily. They ordered their food and then sat down across from each other at a small circular table outside.
There was a long, awkward, silent moment before Sirius decided to get straight to the point. "Lily," he said.
"Yes, Sirius?" she replied.
Sirius sighed, "I've been meaning to talk to you alone ever since we left Hogwarts two weeks ago."
Lily pushed her eyebrows together and looked at him confusedly, "Why?"
"Because..." Sirius thought for a moment, "Alright, I want to go and look for James." Lily reacted as he had expected her to. She looked shocked for all of five seconds and then hope filled her eyes. "Really?" she asked. "You have an idea where he might be?"
"Not exactly..." he started, and then continued on quickly. "But there are a lot of places that he and his family went that he might be able to go. His family owned a lot of estates in England - they were rather wealthy, and I intend to look under every rock until I find him."
Lily grinned, "Oh Sirius! We simply have to find him - we have to! No one leaves like that without saying a proper goodbye, and no way did he leave for the right reasons."
Sirius smiled, "Precisely," he leaned in over the table, closer to her, "But, Lily-flower, we need to keep this quiet from the others. You know what they'll due if they find out."
"Ah, yes..." Lily replied. The others would not want them going off to find James, but want to keep them close together.
"So, say we start an expedition next week when all of our paperwork will be finished - and we get that week of before our evaluations."
"Alright, Sirius," Lily said with a small smile. Just maybe they would find him.
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Meanwhile, in the Forbidden Forest, one lone man faced his boss. Peter knew that he could not refuse Voldemort and had to bring Shayla to him, but he feared what the Dark Lord would do to her. Peter could not stand it if she got hurt - he loved her with all his heart. Alas, that was what Voldemort would never understand.
"My Lord..." Peter began.
"Yes, Wormtail?" Voldemort glared at him with contempt.
"It is about the girl, My Lord - Shayla Divine..." Peter said.
"Ah, the girl you are to bring to me within two weeks."
"Two weeks, My Lord?" the boy exclaimed.
Voldemort's features sharpened, "Two weeks, Wormtail! I believe that a month is perfectly enough time to get a small, weak girl here."
Peter's eyes widened. He did not even know if Shayla would forgive him for their fight all that time ago. At any rate, he had to try.
"Two weeks, Wormtail... or else."
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The sun was red as it set that night. James Potter sat watching the last dim rays of light sink under the horizon. He was sitting facing west leaning against a sturdy oak tree. Even after the sun was well gone and the moon was fully visible in the night sky, James sat there, thinking.
He thought of where he was going to go next. He thought of what he could eat that night. He thought of why he was just sitting there when he could be moving. He thought of his friends and how their lives are going.
He thought of Lily.
Sigh.
James got to his feet and started to make his way down the smal dirt road. In the distance the lights of a small village flickered. he shoved his hands into the pockets of his cloak and looked down at his shoes for the rest of the walk. Fifteen minutes later he arrived at the entrance to the village. A sign read:
Welcome to Godric's Hollow!
James was momentarily stunned. He knew he was somewhere in southwestern England, but he had no idea he was near Godric's Hollow! Memories of his childhood flashed through his mind. This was where he was raised ever up until it was time to go to Hogwarts! That was when they had relocated to their house outside of London; there it was easier to get to King's Cross and easier for James' parents to get to work.
But, oh what times they had had. James remembered the first time his father had taken him on a broomstick. He remembered helping his mother garden in the back yard. He remembered eleven years of his life before Hogwarts - when everything had been so simple and carefree and happy.
Happiness. What was it anymore?
James sighed an walked into the village. Street lights lined the deserted road. James looked around to get his bearings and walked the streets until he found what he was looking for: his old house.
It looked just as he remembered it. It was as if nothing had changed. At first he'd half-expected to walk in to find his parents in the sitting room, father reading the evening Prophet and mother digging into one of her old novels.
But when he entered the house it was deserted. There was an inch-thick coat of dust on everything. James just stood there in the entrance hall, looking around for all of 10 minutes. Then there was a loud knock on the door. James nearly jumped to the ceiling from shock. He walked back and opened the door.
Staring back at his was none other than Bathilda Bagshot.
"James!?" the elderly witch exclaimed.
"...Mrs. Bagshot!?" James responded.
"Oh please, my dear boy, you're not nine anymore - call me Batty." The lady smiled back at James.
James was absolutely dumbfounded. Mrs. Bag- err... Batty had been his neighbor while he had lived in Godric's Hollow. She was like an unofficial grandmother to James and had even kept sending him Christmas cards and letters every now-and-then since he left. It was so great to see her again.
"James, my dear... I don't think you should really sleep in here tonight - dust is simply everywhere! Come on, my boy, you'd better stay with me tonight, eh? Just like old times!"
James could not help but smile, "Just like old times..."
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A/N: Hey guys! New story up pretty quick, huh? It was mostly the title holding us back. Again, thank you PranksterAngel! We hope this was a good start to the sequel. Don't forget to review!