Summary: Lily Evans is supposed to marry James Potter in only a few weeks' time. She is sent on a mission with a few other Order members and ends up being kidnapped by Death Eaters. She doesn't know how long she is held captive and tortured before an old friend finds her. Severus Snape is horrified to find Lily locked away in the Dark Lord's dungeon, starved and broken. While he devises a plan to get Lily out, he does everything he can to make her as comfortable as possible without alerting any of the Death Eaters or Voldemort himself. He eventually comes to the conclusion that he needs the help of the Order and goes straight to Dumbledore. After being rescued, Lily refuses to let anyone near her, except for Severus. As Severus works to fix Lily, they forgive each other and become closer than ever. Will love bloom? Or will Lily end up going back to James? SS/LE
Author's Note: So this is my very first Severus/Lily fanfic! I've always loved this pairing and just recently started reading SS/LE fanfics! They made me love this pairing even more and once I got this idea, I knew I had to write it! I love reviews, they make me so happy! So, once you read it, review it! :]
Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own Harry Potter, nor will I ever own it.
{ always }
Begin Again
Captured
Lily's POV
It was silent that night as she walked to headquarters, the kind of silent that made her feel like cotton balls were stuffed in her ears. Snow fell softly from the sky and encased Lily Evans in a Winter Wonderland. It was amazing to her that even in the middle of chaos the world could still produce beauty. She paused just outside of headquarters and looked around warily. Once she was sure that she wasn't being followed, she spoke the words that would reveal the house to her. Where there was once only an empty field, a cozy cottage suddenly sprung into existence. Even after eight years in the wizarding world, magic still never ceased to amaze her. She looked around again before quickly making her way into the cottage. Once inside, Lily hung up her scarf and jacket. She could hear soft voices coming from the dining room and quickly walked through the cottage. She stood in the doorway of the dining room for a few moments, just watching. James, Sirius, Remus, Fabian, Gideon, Frank, Alice and Dumbledore were all laughing at something. Laughter was a rare thing lately and she relished in all of their smiles, the different pitches of their laughter. It was only a moment longer before James turned towards the doorway and his eyes lit up when they landed on his fiancée.
"Lily!" he stood up from his seat and practically ran towards Lily then picked her up and spun her around.
She laughed lightly, "I missed you too, James!"
"Who said I missed you?" he teased, kissing Lily gently on the mouth.
She rolled her eyes and smacked his arm when he set her down on her feet. He laughed again, that throaty laughed that sent tingles down her spine, and pulled her over to the table. As they sat down, the atmosphere changed drastically, from happy and carefree to serious and grim. Laughter didn't last lately. They were always sobered by the threat of Voldemort looming over their heads. James grasped her hand tightly, his presence was comforting to her and she was thankful that she didn't have to go on this mission without him. They were all quiet for a few moments, taking in the reassuring presence of their friends, here and alive. They never knew how long that would last and they relished in the vitality of their lives. Lily was brought out of her musings when Dumbledore stood. Even though she had graduated almost a year ago, he still held her rapt attention.
"We have found another one of the Death Eater's hideouts. There is estimated to be about five of them stationed there," Dumbledore said, "I've made a portkey that will take you all there. Remember to split up into pairs, watch out for each other and good luck."
It was one of Dumbledore's shorter speeches. Lily was a little thankful for that, though. This was only her fourth mission, but her first with actual combat in it. She wanted to just get it out of the way. Lily was nervous, but she knew that James would look out for her. Dumbledore produced a tea kettle and set it down in the middle of the table. They all glanced at each other, memorizing the faces of their friends and taking in the glow of their friends' lives before touching the portkey. Lily stared at James, drinking him in, the dark untidy hair, the hazel eyes that were flecked with gold and the sensual curve of his lips. She had always thought James was handsome in school, but never noticed just how much until… Lily shook her head, cutting off the thought before it could form. She wouldn't think about him. All too soon, she felt the familiar tug behind her navel and then they were spinning out of control. She hated traveling by portkey. It always made her feel so disoriented. After what seemed like hours, Lily's feet slammed into the ground and she staggered. A pair of strong arms swiftly wrapped around her waist to steady her and she leaned into the familiar embrace.
"Alright, Evans?" James whispered into her ear.
"Perfect, thanks to you," Lily whispered back.
After a quick kiss, they moved forward. Once they were close enough to see the dilapidated house, Lily turned to hug Alice. They didn't need words to convey their friendship and their need for the other to come out of this alive. After pulling away, Alice took Frank's hand and they disappeared to the right. Fabian and Gideon followed them after inclining their heads towards the rest of the group. James grasped Lily's hand and they followed Remus and Sirius to the left of the house. The windows were dark and Lily couldn't see any movement inside, but dread pooled in the pit of her stomach. She didn't know why, but she suddenly felt like after this, things would never be the same again. With the signal shown from Gideon, they moved forward. When they were only a few feet from the house, all hell broke loose. Light flooded the yard and the front door burst open, Death Eaters pouring out of it. Lily's mind frantically tried to count them all, but the only thing she could think was, 'There's more than five!'
She could faintly hear James calling her name and she could feel him pulling on her arm. A jet of green light just barely missed her shoulder and that brought her out of her trance. Lily pulled out her wand and started firing stunning spells in seemingly random directions. Lights burst around her, brilliant flashes in green, red, white and yellow. Plumes of dust coated her hair and face, leaving a sour taste in her mouth. James clutched her hand tightly as they ran through the house, trying to follow the shouting voices of their friends. She cast a few spells at the Death Eaters that were following behind them while James fought off the ones in front of them. A jet of white light ricocheted off of the mirror to her left and hit the wall to her right, an explosion booming through hallway. Almost in slow motion, she felt the force of the blow, her hand being ripped from James' grasp and saw the wall crumble between them as she was thrown backwards into a table. Stars winked behind her eyes and the sounds around her were muffled as she struggled to sit up. Her hands groped on the ground near her, searching for her wand but coming up empty. She knew she should panic, but she didn't have the strength.
"LILY!"
It was James screaming her name and she tried to answer, but her voice wasn't working. Rough hands hauled her up to stand, but she knew they weren't the hands of anyone she knew. Her eyes were able to focus for a moment, locking on the mask of a Death Eater before she let out a pathetic whimper and darkness claimed her.
{ always }
Consciousness slammed into Lily like a bucket of ice cold water. Quite literally. She jerked awake, gasping and sputtering, blinking the cold water from her eyes. She went to brush back the wet hair that was plastered to her cheeks, but found her wrists bound by chains. She tugged at them frantically, her surroundings finally coming into focus. The room she was in was bare. The walls were made out of stone with a single wooden door set into the wall to her right. The floor was dirty and she found herself sitting in a chair, her hands and feet both bound. She heard movement behind her and she whipped her head quickly from side to side, searching for the source of the noise. She couldn't see behind her and she let out a whimper before a man moved into view. She couldn't make out his face, he stood far enough away from her that it was hidden in shadows. She watched as he pulled his wand from the inside of his robes and pointed it at her chest. Lily struggled against her bonds with only small pathetic noises passing her lips; she was disgusted to find she couldn't even scream.
"Crucio."
A shrill scream tore from her lips and in the back of her mind, she was glad she could still scream. The pain she felt was white hot and blinding. It ripped through her veins and burst from her skin. She couldn't focus on anything but the pain. It surrounded and suffocated her, willing her to give in and break. She refused; Lily knew she was stronger than one unforgivable curse but she didn't know how long she could last. Her muscles tensed, cramped and released. Tensed, cramped and released. Over and over. She could feel her body contorting, straining against the bonds that held her down. Vaguely she was aware that the Death Eater in front of her was laughing cruelly, he was enjoying her pain, but the thought was gone as soon as it came. The blood roaring in her ears was too powerful. After what seemed like an age, she felt her body go limp, her muscles twitching and cramping. Her head lolled forward and rough hands grabbed her chin, jerking her head up. Her eyes couldn't focus enough to make out who was in front of her, but she could see his sneer.
"Filthy mudblood scum," he snarled, "We'll have fun breaking you down."
Lily gathered her strength and spat in the man's face, glaring at him. The man only laughed and drew away from her. With a quick flick of his wand, the chair underneath her was gone and she found herself chained to the cold stone floor. Pain shot up her leg and she grimaced. When he lifted his wand again, Lily tried to brace herself for the pain she knew she was about to endure, but knew she stood no chance against the crippling curse.
"Crucio!"
The pain tore through her again with unbelievable force. She felt her back lift off of the ground as her muscles tensed and she screamed until she didn't realize she was still screaming. The world around her was falling away and she tried desperately to beat back the waves of pain that crashed around her. She knew the man was yelling at her, calling her foul names and it brought back memories of him. The man she had loved more than life itself, only to have her heart shattered. She ignored the end of their friendship and tried to focus on all of the happy memories she had. It was almost impossible when she felt like her body was being rent in two, but she found a rhythm and she repeated that rhythm in her mind like a mantra.
Tense, cramp, release.
Tense, cramp, release.
Tense, cramp, release.
The pain kept intensifying; he never let up and only drove the power of the curse higher. It was to the point where she couldn't make a sound, her throat too raw from screaming. She was losing her strength and blackness clawed its way up her throat and encased her. She knew she wouldn't last much longer so she let the darkness carry her away. It was only a brief respite and when she woke up next, she found herself alone. Her entire body was shaking and she couldn't tell if it was from the cold or the soreness in her muscles from prolonged exposure to the cruciatus curse. She curled in on herself and attempted to keep what little heat she had left before she let the darkness claim her again.
Lily was at the park. The park by her house that she always went to with him. She was younger, though, much younger, and Petunia was there. Lily had a flower cupped in her palm and she was opening and closing the petals, fascinated by what she could do by just wishing that it would happen. At first it had only happened when she was scared or angry, but then she had learned how to control it and she was able to do lots of things. Things she had never dreamed she could do before.
"Stop it!"
Lily looked up at her sister, surprised at her outburst, "It's not hurting you." But Petunia's words had hurt Lily and she crushed the flower in her palm and threw it to the ground.
"It's not right," Petunia said, and Lily watched how Petunia's eyes longingly watched the flower's descent to the ground, "How do you do it?"
"It's obvious isn't it?"
Lily turned her head to where the boy had emerged from the bushes. Petunia had shrieked and ran towards the swings, but Lily just observed him calmly. He was wearing a ridiculously large coat, but Lily could tell from his sharp cheekbones that he had to be rather thin. His skin was pale and almost sickly, but his dark eyes were wide and earnest. He had hair so dark that it almost looked blue in the sunlight and Lily found herself fascinated by him for reasons she couldn't explain.
"What's obvious?" Lily asked him, tilting her head slightly to the side.
She could tell the boy was nervous or excited by the way he shifted from foot to foot. He glanced at Petunia quickly before turning his attention back to Lily and lowering his voice, "I know what you are."
"What do you mean?"
"You're… you're a witch!"
Lily gasped as ice cold water was thrown over her head once again. She didn't know how long she had been out this time and she was honestly afraid to know the answer. She stayed in the same curled position she had fallen asleep in and only moved her head to see who was in the room with her. It was a different Death Eater; she knew this because he had a bigger build than the man who had been in the room with her before. She glared at him, too, and immediately regretted it. In a flash, he had her pinned up against the wall, gasping for breath. He moved quickly for someone so large and Lily tried in vain to pry his hands from her throat. He held her throat tight enough for it to be uncomfortable for her to breath, but not tight enough to stop her from breathing completely. He leaned in close to her and buried his nose against her throat, inhaling deeply. Lily shuddered involuntary at the unwanted contact and turned her head away.
"Don't turn away from me, mudblood whore," he drawled, "You're a pretty little thing for something so dirty."
Lily felt his tongue shoot out of his mouth as he licked and bit her neck, none too gently. She felt like she was going to be sick. He moved away from her slightly before kissing her mouth roughly. Lily struggled to move her face away from his, but he bit her lip hard, making her gasp in pain. He took the opportunity to shove his tongue into her mouth and Lily used the opportunity to bite down on the offending appendage. He pulled away from her, yelling in outrage. He let go of her neck and she dropped heavily to the ground.
"Filthy bitch!" he shrieked and slapped her hard across the face.
Lily felt her head snap to the side and her vision danced with stars from the force of the blow. Lily didn't even see him pull out his wand before the familiar pain snaked through her body with a mind blowing force. Her mantra didn't help this time as scream after scream fell from her lips as her body twisted and she felt herself bite her own tongue. The pain was too much to handle and she quickly blacked out.
{ always }
James' POV
James Potter was unable to hide his temper when he stormed back into Order Headquarters. Everyone had come out of the battle relatively unscathed, except Lily was missing. He was absolutely furious. He flung open the door and slammed it shut behind him. He knew Dumbledore would still be here and he wanted to give that man a piece of his mind. James was the first one back to Headquarters so he knew he could face Dumbledore alone. He thundered into the kitchen and found Dumbledore sitting calmly at the table, a cup of tea in one hand. He took a sip as James stood in the doorway, fuming.
"You lied to us!" James shouted, "We were ambushed! They took Lily!"
Dumbledore calmly set his tea on the table and looked at James over his half-moon spectacles, "I can assure you, James, I had no idea that there were more than five present in that house."
James wasn't quite ready to let go of his anger, but he knew that Dumbledore was right. He knew that someone must have tipped the Death Eaters off. He sat down heavily in the chair across from Dumbledore and dropped his head into his hands. How could he have lost Lily? He was supposed to protect her! He had to get her back. Whatever it took, he would get her back. He would find her and marry her just like he was supposed to do. Slowly everyone else started to make their way back to Headquarters but no one said anything to him. No one wanted to tell him that Lily could already be dead.
"Don't worry, James," Sirius said, "We'll find her."
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Author's Note: The bit that's in bold and italics is taken from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, chapter 33, The Prince's Tale on page 664. Although, I changed it to be more from Lily's point of view than from Severus'. I was going to put Severus in this chapter but I didn't want it to seem like Lily was only held captive for a few hours before he found her. So here is chapter one! Please review and let me know what you think of it! I would really appreciate it and I would love to hear what you think! It makes me want to upload the second chapter faster!