I am in such a Harry Potter mood at the moment I thought I would give a Marauders era fanfiction a go. It has been so long since I have wrote anything. I don't know If I will continue this or just leave it as a oneshot. Please read and review and let me know what you think I should do.
It was the Summer before 7th year. Hogwarts students where enjoying their Summer holidays, playing at the seaside, sunbathing, going on dates. It was a wonderful clear summers night. That is what Hogwarts students should be doing. But not Lily Evans.
Lily Evans panted as her legs gave way and she fell against the nearest tree in exhaustion, how long had she been running? She looked around wildly, but saw nothing but a vast forest of trees in front of her. She didn't even know exactly where she was. The funny thing about forests is that each tree seems to look the same in the dark.
As her breathing slowly returned to normal she heard screams in the distance, she pushed herself up and took off running towards the screams gripping her wand tightly, ignoring her brains protests that it was too dangerous and her body's groans that she was just too tired.
She stopped when she saw a clearing with an obvious battle going on. Her heart stopped when she saw the familiar figures of her friends fighting against hooded attackers. James Potter and Marlene McKinnon were dueling the hooded figures with such verisity that Lily knew this was life and death, and it truly terrified her. She gripped her wand tightly and aimed it in the middle of the battle, she noticed that her arm was shaking a lot that she could not even hold it still to properly aim.
She closed her eyes and let out a deep breath, this wasn't the time to lose faith in herself, she needed to protect her friends. Lily emerged from behind the tree and pointed her wand; 'Protego' she shouted.
The shield spell had its desired effect and knocked the two attackers over, as they lost their balance their identities where revealed, an average sized man with short dark hair and scars on his face, Lily recognized him as Travers a Death Eater and the other was a boy that was in their year in Hogwarts, Wilkes. Wilkes was in Slytherin and was friends with Severus, he quite small for his age and kind of chubby. His hair was still parted in dirty blonde curtains that she felt they could be standing in the school corridors having this fight.
James smiled slightly at the sight of Lily but quickly turned and caught Marlene who fell down, she was bleeding quite badly from her right arm.
'Well looks like we have a new toy to play with.' Travers sneered pointing his wand at Lily.
'Hey!' James yelled, 'Leave her out of this! You're problems with us remember.' Travers looked at James and smirked, 'Feelings get you hurt kid, let me show you.'
Lily felt a sharp thud, she had hit the ground, she couldn't blink, she couldn't move. It took her a second to realize that Wilkes had turned his wand on her.
You can't move a voice taunted her from inside her head, All you can do is watch. She couldn't move, she couldn't even blink. She realized with horror that she was under the Imperious curse. The voice kept repeating this to her over and over again.
James, distracted with Lily's fall turned his body as if to run to her, Travers took this distraction and aimed his wand, 'Crucio!' He yelled.
James fell to the ground in agony, he screamed out. It was pain unlike any Quidditch injury, any rejection he had felt before. It was as if every inch of his very being was on fire. He wanted it to stop. He wanted it to end. To die. And suddenly it was over. Jamed turned over onto his stomach and tried to get up, but he couldn't. His body was shaking too much.
'I told you, tsk tsk getting distracted by a pretty face, although I must say it is very pretty,' Travers droned walking towards Lily. James grabbed his wand and made a slashing motion towards Travers, a slash appeared on the older mans trousers.
'Now that wasn't very nice now was it?' He snapped looking mildly amused, 'Although I am surprised to see that you can move at all after being under for three minutes, lets try five, crucio!'
'Stop it!' Marlene pleaded, 'Stop it!' Travers kicked her to shut her up.
Lily felt tears run down her face, James' screams off agony were consuming her, his face was twisted into an expression of agony so intense that Lily was sure she would see this image in her nightmares for years to come. She looked around and saw that Wilkes was watching as well, his wand was pointed at Lily still so the connection of his Imperious curse didn't falter, but it didn't feel as strong as before.
You can't move the voice taunted her again. You are helpless
Yes I can, Lily argued I need too. James. He needs me. He needs me!
Lily suddenly felt her fingers spread through her, she could move?! That should be impossible. Seeing that the two men were distracted and not paying attention to her, she slowly began to stand up despite her body feeling like it was made of lead. She took a step forward and almost screamed, it felt like she was walking on knives. Suddenly impulsively she leaped forward and ran at Travers and charged into the side of him.
Travers toppled over and the spell connection broke. His eyes widened at the physical contact. He turned and looked at the redhead girl helping up the black haired boy. Her emerald eyes glaring at him with blazing fury.
He smirked. This was going to be fun. But his arm burned so he knew that this time this battle was over, but the war, the war was just getting started, and it was going to be an interesting one.
The two men looked at each other and then In a flash of dark grey they were gone. Lily fell to her knees overwhelmed with what had just happened.
'Lily!' Marlene cried running towards her, 'Are you alright?'
'I-I'm okay.' Lily sighed swallowing back the tears that were fighting to get through. She looked up and saw James getting to his feet and fixing his glasses.
'It's pretty impressive.' Marlene said, 'You went through all that without losing your glasses.' She smirked at James who forced out a laugh.
'What can I say. I'm full of surprises.' He said smiling, he then looked up at Lily meeting her eyes. The two both stared at each other, trying to communicate their feelings to each other without actually saying the words.
James knew, from the moment that he met her that he loved her, when she was looking at him in disgust on the Hogwarts train in first year. Lily knew from the moment she saw him screaming in agony that she would go through that pain herself a thousand times over to make sure she never saw his face like that again.
But now was not the time to express their feelings. James held out his hands for Lily to hold, she accept and he pulled her up. James surveyed her face and brushed her red hair out of her face to examine a cut on her face.
'You have a cut.' He stated, 'It looks small though, it should heal up fine.'
'Thanks..' Lily said
'That was amazing!' James said, 'You shouldn't have been able to move at all nevermind run at him like that.'
'I.. I couldn't.. I couldn't watch you like that.. It was.. Too painful..' Lily said trying to keep her voice even and trying to not breakdown. James seemed to sense Lily's emotional turmoil and tried to put his arm around her but Lily moved out of the way.
'Please no. No I'll fall apart.' She explained.
'Oh.' Was all James managed to say. He then stood there torn between his desire to listen to Lily's wishes and his own desire to pull her into him and never let her go.
Marlene broke the tension between the two by shoving her hand into James' right pocket.
'C-Can I help you?' James stuttered taken at back by Marlene's clear disrespect for his personal space. The blonde responded by tutting and bringing out a mirror.
'Sirius!' She called into it, 'Sirius!'
'Marlene! Is that you?' Sirius voice called out.
'Does anyone else look this good?' She asked smiling
'Good? Good compared to what?! Love you look a mess?!'
Lily walked away and folded her arms, she sighed deeply and tuned out the banter between Sirius and Marlene. Trying to clear her head of recent events.
She thought back to the beginning of the year. This year, their 6th year was the beginning of their NEWTS. Lily was hoping that her biggest fear would be deciding exactly what she wanted her career to be and how hard studying was going to be. But alas life had other plans. This year was the beginning, the beginning of the war, the beginning of her feelings for James. The beginning of the end.