James

James Potter knelt in front of the Dark Lord Voldemort. Not to show him respect, but gasping for air and wiping blood from the corners of his mouth. His forehead had small cuts on it; his arms were bruised. He felt as though his skin was beginning to tear itself apart. As his breath became calmer, James opened his eyes.

"That hurt, didn't it?" sneered Voldemort's high, cold voice. He paused as if looking somewhere off into the distance. "Did you hear that? It's the sound of death – a few more times and she will die just like all the others did."

Even though James didn't want to listen, his body disobeyed him, and he listened to the shrieks of pain that cut through the air. James took a deep breath as Lily's screams echoed through the great stone dungeon, bouncing off walls and slicing the silence inside his head. It was true: she, his love, was suffering the same fate as he – the Cruciatus curse.

With each of her screams part of his self broke and died, shriveling away as he witnessed her pain. But no, he needed to stay together; he needed to save her, put her needs before his own.

"So young. Seventeen and dying," Voldemort said playfully.

"What do you want with us?" James asked as calmly as he could manage.

"It's simple, really – just that you join me. I want you to switch sides – to the one that will win." For a moment James could have sworn that he saw a gleam of red cross his captor's eyes.

"And Lily?"

"She refused, choosing to suffer a painful death instead of selling her soul."

James' thoughts were ringing with escape plans. But nothing that he thought up seemed to work in the situation that he was in.

"Now you decide – live…or die!"

He didn't need to waste a second thinking about it. If Lily was going to die, then he would, too, just to be with her.

James took a deep breath and swallowed his fear. "Die."

Voldemort shrugged. "Your choice, though you would have made a wonderful addition to my army. Crucio!"

Hot pain shot up and down James' spine. It melted its way through his veins, and his bones were on fire. It felt as though hot knives were being forced into his flesh. Then, inside his mind's eye, there was a flash of white light.

James was eleven years of age and getting ready to board the train for his first ever year at Hogwarts. There, not ten feet away, was a small, skinny girl with beautiful red hair and enchanting, emerald-green eyes. This girl had gotten her trunk stuck when she was pulling it up the stairs. For only a second, James watched her struggle, then went over to help her.

"Hi, I'm James Potter; it looks like you need some help?" he said extending a hand

The girl looked at him, then smiled the most beautiful smile that he had ever seen.

"Lily Evans. Yes, please, I need all the help that I can get," the girl said while shaking his hand.

"Alrighty then, you pull and I'll push."

Lily nodded and said, "Good for me."

After a few more minutes of struggle, they managed to get both of their trunks up the stairs and onto the train. Together they made their way to a compartment full of boys, all in their year.

"Hey James, who's this firecracker?" said a boy with long black hair that fell elegantly into his steel-grey eyes.

"Lily Evans. And for your information, I don't like to be called 'firecracker,'" Lily replied sternly.

"Too bad, because that's your new name with us, unless you'd prefer Red?"

"And what's your name? Black sheep?"

"Ahh… No, but close, so very close."

"Then what do I have the privilege of calling you, sir?" Lily replied sarcastically.

"King Sirius Black, if you will – now get lost!"

Lily looked to James for support, but he suddenly found his shoe laces very interesting.

"Fine. I can see when I'm not wanted," Lily said defeated. She grabbed her trunk and left the compartment.

Pain once again shot through James' body. He wished that it would stop, that it would just go away, that he would just pass out already.

Suddenly, there was another flash of white light.

James was now sitting in his chair by the common room fire, surrounded by the rest of the Marauders.

"Next game is us versus Ravenclaw; they have great Chasers, but their Beaters are weak. Still, the word in the halls is that they are favored. What do you think, James?"

James didn't hear though. Now in his third year, he had other things on this mind. Instead, he just stared after a girl with long wavy hair and her nose stuck in a book.

"James...Jamie...Potter!"


"Huh? What?"

"You're an idiot," Sirius said.

"Why?" James said dumbfounded.

"Looking over at Evans. She's a bitch, man; give it up already."

"Whatever, Sirius."

Lily, having heard the insult that Sirius had shot her way, walked out of the common room; James followed her, ignoring the shouts of protest coming from his Marauder friends.

"Evans…Evans! ...EVANS!"

"What do you want, Potter?" Lily yelled, as if she were talking to the dirtiest scum on the face of the earth.

"Well, I just wanted to say…"

"Save it; I don't give a damn about whatever the hell you have to say! I mean, a bitch wouldn't, and that's what I am, right?"

"No, wait, Evans…"

"Didn't I tell you to shut your trap, Potter?"

"But…"

"Ah, some of my least favorite people. Potter, Mudblood, out after hours, are we?" the venomous voice of a hook-nosed boy sneered.

James could feel his blood boil at the sound of such a foul name being directed toward Lily.

"Snape," Lily said in a cold voice.

"Snivellus," James said.

Snape turned to look at James with his cold black eyes. "It's not safe for blood traitors and Mudbloods to be wandering around this huge castle at night. Wouldn't want anything to happen to you now, would we?" he said with amusement in his voice.

"You lay one hand on Lily, I'll take you apart piece by piece, you hear me?"

"I'll heed your warning this time, Potter, but don't think that'll happen again."

"Sod off, Snape!" James yelled, his voice echoing down the hall.

"Potter, Mudblood –" the Slytherin said, but in a lower, more dangerous whisper he added, " – watch your back."

After he had left, James turned to Lily to try and finish what he had started, but the look on her face scared him somewhat.


"I can fight my own battles, Potter!"

"What?"

"Don't you dare to try and speak for me ever again!"

"But I was just trying to help…"

"I DON'T WANT YOUR HELP!"

"God, Evans, I came down here to apologize for Sirius calling you a bitch, but now I don't know why I even thought to in the first place! Because, Evans – you are a bitch!" James yelled. With each word, he could see water rising in her eyes.

Lily ran away with tears streaming down her face.

"I'm sorry, Lily," James whispered into the cool night.

There was one last bright flash of light and the inevitable pain returned. Each second it grew worse; James didn't know where he was or what was going on. All he knew was the pain, and the shrieks of another.

"I'm sorry, Lily," he choked out.

"What was that?" asked Voldemort.

"I'm sorry, Lily!" James yelled into the chamber.

"How very touching. The one who will soon die can only think about the one who is dead already," Voldemort said as he lifted the curse off James, who fell to his hands and knees, spitting up blood.

"You see, James, she is going crazy because of the pain being inflicted on her. She'll never again be the same Lily you once knew. That Lily is gone."

"You're wrong."

"Oh yes? How am I wrong?"

"She'll always be the same Lily."

"Well, to prove to you that I am never wrong, I might as well show you."

He grabbed James by the collar of his shirt and dragged him across the room and through a big wooden door. Then he flung James into yet another dark room, where he hit the cold stone floor with a thud.

Voldemort left him lying in the floor in the dark room as he had landed. James couldn't move; everything hurt, even to breathe. But he had to get stronger; he had to fight against the pain. James bit his lip till he tasted blood, and rolled over on to his back.

The door opened once again and Lily was thrown into the room, landing just to the right of him. Even thought it pained him to do so, James stretched out his arm and pulled her on top of him. She was still breathing, but just barely.

Her eyes were closed, her body was limp, and her face was beaded with sweat. James draped his arms protectively around her back and started to stroke her hair. After a few minutes, his Lily's breath returned to a normal speed, but still she didn't move.

"I heard you," she whispered.

"What?"

"I could hear you yelling, saying my name."

"You could?"

"You said that you were sorry."

"Yeah, I am, for everything…"

"James, we're going to die; you know that, right?"

"No, Lily, don't think like that."

"But I can't take it any more; it hurts so much. I can't fight it any more like I could yesterday."

"I won't let them hurt you, not as long as I can protect you. I promise."

"I never hated you, James, even when I said that I did; never, not in a million years."

James paused. He thought about what he was going to say; he wanted to say it, but they hadn't even dated… was it all right to not think about and just blurt it out?

"Lily, I love you," he whispered into her ear. She nodded and they fell asleep, but not before a smile passed over her lips.

Writers words...

OK this is my first chapter of this story there are about five more to go but thats all! yay! please R/R makes me and every one else happy, it only takes like ten seconds of your long day! so please if you found the time to read this then im sure you can find the time to review it! Oh on a less pleading note... IF YOU DONT REVIEW JUST REMEMBER THE EVIL BUNNIES ARE WATCHING YOU! lol yeah and you get to read the stupid things that i say when i respond!

3

Mel