The December air smelt of vanilla tea, and laughter echoed through the small house in Godric's Hollow.
"I've got nothing against Muggles, I'm sure some of them are great, I'm just saying," said James Potter with a chuckle, "the guy's a freaking pig who feels the need to brag about his fancy cars and snooty job in every sentence just to pretend he isn't good-for-nothing, lazy lump of dough he is. I'd be upset if I was a bridesmaid at their wedding."
Lily lifted her head from James's chest and moved her feet from the couch to the floor, sitting upright to take another sip of tea. "I know, but she's still my sister," she sighed in between gulps. "It isn't right for her to do that just because she thinks I'm a freak of nature."
"She's the freak if she isn't jealous of you. Think about it, she's stuck with Baconface, while you're marrying the sexiest, most talented, wicked, strong- yet sensitive, intellectual-"
James was interrupted by a glowing, silver rhinoceros charging through the front door into the house. He and Lily jumped at the initial shock and reached for their wands on the coffee table.
"Who do we know with a rhino-?"
"Three legs," Lily mused, pointing at the stub where the animal's back left leg should have been. "It's got to be Moody."
James laughed as the patronus opened its mouth and spoke in the voice of the auror who conjured it. "Lucius just left the Ministry. From what I've heard, someone flooed Order headquarters and the Death Eaters figured out where it was. Get there as soon as you can, and get ready to fight." After the message concluded, the rhinoceros dissolved like smoke, leaving the dumbfounded couple staring at the empty spot where it had been.
They had only recently joined the Order of the Phoenix, and though they knew its purpose was fighting the dark forces threatening to take over, it had seemed like an adventurous and glamorous fantasy up until that moment. They had participated in meetings, planning out strategies and practising spells, but the reality finally dawned on them that they could be facing an entire army, fighting to the death, or even facing Lord Voldemort himself.
After the patronus' message had finally started to make sense to them, Lily and James hopped to their feet in unison and scrambled to get ready. They jammed their feet into their shoes, not wanting to spare the time to tie laces, and grabbed their jackets off the coat rack. They double checked that they had their wands, and approached the fireplace. Lily stopped abruptly in front of it, almost knocking James off his feet. She realised she was walking right into a life or death situation, and either outcome was possible.
She grabbed James's hand and tugged him down to her level. As he leaned forward, she wrapped an arm around his neck.
"Sweetheart, we can do this," James whispered into the ear of the woman he seemed to love more and more every day. He breathed in the strawberry scent of her hair just in case they couldn't, but knew she needed the reassurance, so he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close to him.
Lily kissed James then, as he comfortingly rubbed her back. It seemed they were closer than they had ever been in that moment, both physically and emotionally. The two packed as much passion, as much love and memories as they could into that kiss, and in no more than five seconds, it was over. Not wanting to waste any more time, they broke apart and stared at the fireplace before them.
"You first," said Lily, removing her hand from James's cheek. He took a handful of Floo Powder and stepped into the fireplace.
"Hogsmeade," he shouted, making sure to keep a strong and confident expression as he dropped the sand from his hand.
Tears welled up in Lily's eyes, still anxious about the task to come. On a last minute impulse, she ran to a shelf in the parlour and grabbed two objects; a red badge with the Gryffindor crest on it, and a strip of photos she and James had taken in a Muggle photo booth. She reminded herself of the bravery that must have been inside her, and who she was fighting for. Running back to the fireplace, she took her Floo Powder and transported herself to Hogsmeade in record time.
The first thing Lily noticed upon arriving at her destination was not half of the Order of the Phoenix, waving from about twenty metres away, but the streetlights that illuminated them. They looked like the ones in Muggle London, surrounding the park where she and James had eaten in Muggle London the night he proposed to her. She remembered those city lights vividly, the way they had made his hazel eyes shine when he smiled at her and told her he loved her, and she remembered thinking they provided just what they were supposed to for her: bright streaks of colour through the darkness. On this night, they looked different, and seemed more sinister than cheerful.
Regaining her balance after landing, Lily ran to catch up with the rest of the Order. Gideon and Fabian had their wands drawn and each held a fierce expression of concentration. Frank and Alice were speaking quietly to each other, alongside Sirius, Remus, Marlene, Dorcas, and most noticeably, Hagrid. She knew that her old professors, McGonagall, Flitwick, and Dumbledore, as well as his brother Aberforth, who had been hosting order meetings in the Hog's Head Inn, were all inside, prepared to take down anyone who dared to attack.
A clock tower in the distance struck midnight, and suddenly the soft glow of the city lights was joined with a roar of bright blue flames. The shadowy mask of a Death Eater could be seen above it, and the outline of a swarm of at least thirty more, all in black cloaks, masks and hoods could be seen around him. They seemed to come from the darkest corner of the streets, and quickly dispersed, ready to fight.
Before that night, the sight would have been only possible to Lily in a nightmare, and she was sure she would have run away and hidden at home. But she caught James's eye, and those city lights reflecting off of it gave her a surge of adrenaline. She would fight for every minute until the day of their wedding if she had to.
This is a gift for Anna (aka Annaisadinosaur). I don't usually write Marauder era stuff, but I'm a hardcore Jily shipper as well, so I hope you liked it :)
I used the prompts fire, London, midnight, and city lights.
Anna is sweet and clever and funny and you should go read all of her stories because I love her.