Title: Finding You
Disclaimer: Obviously, this is fanfiction. I don't own Harry Potter no matter how hard I wish for it.
Summary: Tragedy strikes his life one fateful night when the Death Eaters arrived to wreak havoc in his home. She was a clueless redhead who just happens to be one who can help him. Can she save him? LilyJames
Chapter 1: Attack of the Death Eaters
He'd be dead by the time his parents went back to their house. He just knew it.
James swallowed hard and wiped his sweating forehead with one flick of his sleeve. He forgot his wand in his room upstairs. Cursing silently, he pressed his whole body on the old wooden door and strained his ears to listen.
Outside the room, a group of black- hooded figures emerged from the end of the hallway. One of them was clutching an immobile house- elf on his left hand while holding his wand on the other. They were talking in low murmuring tones that James had a lot of difficulty catching their conversation.
"Where are they?" someone hissed.
"The house is empty. They must have known about our plan."
James' head began to spin wildly. Who are these people? No, he already knew they're Death Eaters. But what do they want with his family? Are they going to kill him?
James lowered himself to the floor slowly. He took comfort by the fact that they couldn't find him hiding in the secret room no matter hard they try. It was small and had a low ceiling but it was enchanted and protected with hundreds of spells. James let his eyes roam around him.
The room was cozy with plush purple carpeting and small, gold cushions. A round, wooden table stood on one side of the room. Beside it, a chair draped with thick red fabric was placed. James saw a stash of food hidden away safely on the top shelf and he felt relieved. At least he had food for now.
He remembered that it had been a perfect summer evening since his parents are out- of- town for an abrupt meeting. He saw the short note his mother pinned on the fridge.
'James, your dad and I had to go to a meeting. Take care of yourself. Sorry for not seeing you on your first day back from Hogwarts. Love you! Mum'
He sighed. That felt like a long time ago. Now, he was trapped inside a room with no other way out but the door separating him from the Death Eaters. He'd have to think quickly and use whatever resources he had. He needed to contact Hogwarts and inform Professor Dumbledore about the attack.
While James was mulling over the idea, a shrill woman's voice broke the silence, "Fool!"
"My thoughts exactly Bella. No one knows about the Dark Lord's plans. By the time they figured it out, someone's already dead," the same hissing voice answered.
"Very well then, how do you explain this?" someone else asked. His voice was deep and brooding that it made James' skin crawl with sweat.
Without warning, he heard a loud crashing noise in the hallway. James stared at the ceiling, unblinking. He thought that they were probably blasting out furniture or maybe even whole rooms in their fury of not finding anyone at home.
"We can't just go back! The Dark Lord will punish us for returning empty- handed!"
'No, just go back! You got nothing here!' James thought, his eyes tightly shut.
"Search the house again. Get anything that may be essential to our plans. If you don't find anyone within twenty minutes, return to the grand staircase."
"Are we leaving then?"
"Probably. We'll talk about it later."
James heard their footsteps gradually fading away and he heaved a sigh of relief. He stood shakily and willed himself to walk over the chair. There he sat and tried to calm his thumping heart. 'Twenty minutes,' he thought. 'Twenty bloody minutes and the death eaters would be out of here.'
His only hope now would be the Death Eaters leaving the house so that he might have a chance to escape. There may be supplies inside the room but James knew that they weren't enough if Voldemort's followers had decided to stay and inhabit the mansion.
He had to risk it. He had no way of knowing whether the Death Eaters had left the mansion unless- James thought nervously- unless he left the safety of the room and sneak around the house, unarmed and helpless. He needed to get his invisibility cloak and his broomstick. But they were back inside his room upstairs together with his wand.
No, he had to do it. Who knows what might happen to him if the Death Eaters chose to stay? He'll be locked inside the room and the supplies would run out. His parents might be gone for weeks and James would be dead by then.
After that, James thought, if he ever did escape successfully from their evil clutches, he would go to Remus' house. Padfoot was there. Sirius always stays there during the first week of summer then he goes to the Potter mansion for the remaining weeks. He would tell him everything that just happened. He'd tell Remus too, of course. Then he would owl his parents and tell them that their huge estate isn't safe anymore. The death eaters had infiltrated it.
Lucius Malfoy was livid. How come the Potters aren't at home? Do they know something about the attack?
It had been carefully planned. All the Potters would be surely back in the house that night after fetching their only son from the Hogsmeade train station. They would be eating in their dining room, unaware of the danger that they would later face that night. The Death Eaters would triumphantly break down the spell protecting the whole house and stalk on the unsuspecting Potters.
But all the brilliant planning they had done was put into waste. There was no one inside the house except for a few house- elves lurking and hiding underneath the furniture.
They had been inside the mansion for more than twenty- four hours now. He ordered the other Death Eaters to stay in the receiving hall near the grand staircase, just in case the Potters got back.
He cursed. "Reducto!"
The wall beside him smashed into pieces. Blocks of white stone came hurtling down the floor as Malfoy stepped aside to avoid them. Clouds of dust appeared around the area that he had a bit of trouble breathing.
An amused voice spoke out, "My, my, aren't we a little angry, Lucius?"
Malfoy looked up and saw a gaunt- faced man with tiny black eyes and sleek, matted hair descending down the stairs. His face was set into a taunting sneer that Malfoy fought the urge to curse him.
"I'll have you know that the Dark Lord won't be happy with your poor performance Lucius," he mocked him. "I've told you on many occasions that it wouldn't be a good time to kill the Potters. They are way too clever for our own good."
"Shut your mouth, Harper. I don't need your opinion." He turned away from him angrily and saw the other Death Eaters strutting towards where they stood. Even as he tried to deny it, he knew Harper was right. The Dark Lord had been expecting the death of the Potters tonight. He would be greatly enraged by the failure.
"Did you see anything new?" he asked Crabbe who was closest to him.
"Nothing very interesting. Although I did see James Potter's room upstairs."
"Anything of importance?" he demanded, annoyed that he wasn't informed earlier.
"Yeah, it seemed like he got back from Hogwarts. His stuff was all over the place. His school robes and broomstick was there. I even saw his wand," replied Crabbe, tilting his head back.
"Did you take it?"
Crabbe nodded then he put his hands inside the pocket of his robes and showed them the piece of wood.
"Good, this confirms one thing. It might be possible that Potter was still here in the mansion," Malfoy said grimly.
"Don't get your hopes up. I've searched the whole second floor and Nott here has done the third. We found nothing," muttered Avery sullenly.
"Could they have went here first then left immediately to fool us?" asked Bellatrix darkly. She pulled back her hair a bit to prevent it from swinging around her face.
"Possibly," said Harper. "If you ask me, maybe we should leave. This is a complete waste of time." He made a motion to walk towards the door then he stopped. "We can come back another time Lucius. Just admit it. This operation is a failure."
Malfoy seethed with anger. He knew Harper had been waiting for him to fail so that the Dark Lord would lose his trust with him. He looked at the other Death Eaters but they just shook their heads.
Avery and Nott were the first ones to leave. They nodded towards him then swaggered towards the large oak doors at the end of the hall. Crabbe followed next, then Bellatrix.
He and Harper were the only ones left inside now. The hall was barely lit so Malfoy could only see a shadow on Harper's face. He looked solemn.
Malfoy cussed bitterly and thought about staying alone and finishing the job himself. But Harper had already said, "Come on now Lucius. Don't be an idiot. Surely you're not thinking of killing them yourself, are you?"
"What the fuck do you want Harper?"
Harper sighed but did not speak.
"You've been eager to leave this fucking house ever since we set foot on it. Don't tell me-" Malfoy sneered. "Are you actually afraid of the Potters?"
"Of course not, you moron," retorted Harper viciously. "I've told you many times already. The Potters are just way too clever for your own good."
"Really now? You don't really want to attack the Potters don't you?" Malfoy continued, fully aware that this would only infuriate him further. "You've been against this whole plan since the beginning. If you ask me, it even feels as if you're protecting them."
Harper laughed harshly. "Don't jump into conclusions. Just because I don't approve of your lousy scheme, doesn't mean that I actually protect those mudblood lovers."
He turned away from Malfoy and marched towards the doors. When he held out his hand to push them, he froze.
He heard something, the sound of delicate china breaking. It was very mute, he thought he only imagined it.
'It had been more than twenty- four hours,' thought James, glancing at the grandfather clock in the corner beside the food shelf.
He went to the shelf, took some bread and stuffed himself with it. He had been thinking of a plan ever since he got stuck inside the room. He arrived to the conclusion that he had to get out of the room and escape from the house without the Death Eaters knowing. He heard them prowling around the corridors ten hours before. Maybe they had left.
Brushing off the crumbs from his robes, he stood up and opened the door warily. From the narrow opening, he could make out the dark hallway outside. It was empty.
Silently, he moved outside the room and into the corridor. He debated upon himself whether he should go upstairs and take his broomstick and wand or just find a way out immediately. He decided to go back to his room. He had a better chance of escaping with his wand.
The whole corridor was a mess. James wrinkled his nose. It smelled like something was horrid burnt. The once polished floor was littered with an assortment of broken glass; large blocks of marble stones, destroyed furniture and- James cringed at this point- something that terribly looked like blood. Everywhere he looked, he saw large portions of the walls blasted off, exposing dimly lit rooms. Crouching low, he found a bloodied house- elf lying rigid under a huge wreck inside one of the rooms.
James continued his trek along the hallway and noticed that it was very silent. There were no sounds of people talking or even harsh footsteps. He felt more confident now, thinking that the Death Eaters had probably abandoned their house.
When he turned around a corner, he saw a small, wooden drawer on one side of the passageway. On top of it was a large, delicate porcelain jar decorated with intricate green vines and violet flowers. He instantly recognized it as his mother's. It had been a habit of hers to collect expensive ceramics. James realized sadly that his mother would be greatly distressed upon finding the house in ruins and her lovely jars destroyed.
The floor had become wet, James noticed. Water from the pipes in the adjacent room had flooded the area. He walked cautiously across the drenched floor taking care not to lose his balance. Making a loud noise was what he least wanted to happen.
It was treacherous. James dreaded that he would slip and immediately attract the Death Eaters with the commotion. He successfully maneuvered around a particularly slippery area when he made a fatal mistake.
He slipped.
He accidentally knocked out his mother's porcelain jar from where it sat. James watched in horror as it fell to the damp floor with a loud crash.
Listening intently for any sound of footsteps, James breathed raggedly. He feared for his life. He did not care anymore if he just broke her mother's prized jar and would be reprimanded for it.
He sprinted towards the hidden room and was only a few steps away from it when he heard someone hiss.
"Going somewhere?"
His breathing stopped. Whirling around, he came face- to- face with none other than a former Hogwarts student, Lucius Malfoy.
"You!" he screeched.
Malfoy was wheezing. He grasped his wand tightly, bringing it to James' eye level. He and Harper had fled towards the second floor when they heard the noise. Sure enough, he noticed Harper hovering slightly beside him, his wand poised.
"Me," he choked out, pointing his wand straight at James' heart. He saw him recoil at the sight of it.
"You're a death eater, Malfoy!" James spat, horrified. He was merely a few steps away from the room. If only he could grab the handle, open the door and-
No, it was no use. There was another death eater besides Malfoy. He saw him raise his wand too, preparing for an attack. James looked at him intently. He saw him stare back at him. There was something different in his eyes. Concern, perhaps?
James shook his head. The Death Eaters don't have any pity for their victims. They only kill them for amusement.
"It's amazing, isn't it?" Malfoy asked, his eyes glinting in the darkness. "To have so much power over another human being? I could crush you now Potter. Unless-" he sneered. "You tell us where your parents are. We'd be definitely happy to see them."
Suddenly on impulse, James took a step back away from Malfoy. He knew not to mess with him. He had gone no more than five steps when Lucius cackled, "Crucio!"
There was flash of red light and James instantly felt that his bones were on fire. He collapsed on the floor tormented with pain, screaming for his life.
After what seemed like an eternity to him, the torturing stopped, but his muscles still ached horribly. Malfoy spoke. "Was that painful? Now if you'd tell me where your parents are-"
"No!"
Malfoy blinked. "What did you just say?"
James was on all- fours panting. He was trembling slightly but he resolved upon himself to stand and face his attacker. "No! I don't care what you do to me but you will not find my parents!"
Malfoy was beyond angry now. "Stop playing the hero, Potter! You could live if you would tell us where they are!"
"What do you want with my family? With my parents? Did they do anything to thwart your Lord's plan huh?"
It was like in slow motion. Malfoy started brandishing his wand, muttering a few incoherent words with an ugly look on his face. James jumped out of harm's way as a flash of green light blinded his eyes.
He evaded it, he knew. But another spell hit him full on the back. He remembered gazing into a pair of worried black eyes before he lost consciousness.
-End of Chapter 1-
Author's Note: There you go. First chapter. How was it? Please review!!!! I would really appreciate it. Next chapter would be focused on Lily, I promise!!
Don't forget alright? REVIEW! That's the only way I'd be able to get feedback from the people who read this story.