In Aeternum

- . -

Chapter 2: The Curse

James was the first to notice that Lily had been hit by a spell. Well, nobody really noticed, as the spell was so colourless – almost invisible, save for a sort of misty substance came shooting toward Lily's chest, and that was painful.

He felt the redhead sitting beside him go limp against his right shoulder. But nothing caught his attention as much as the sound of someone's voice…so weak and fragile – it couldn't have been Lily's…

"James…"

He turned his head around. Lily was sitting there, yet she looked truly distraught – and pained. As though she couldn't breathe. As though she'd collapse soon…

"What the hell -?"

James didn't have time to finish his sentence, as the redhead collapsed onto his shoulder.

"What's up with Lily?" Alexis asked, recovering from her laughing fit.

James didn't take his eyes off her limp form. "I dunno – but I saw something…maybe someone hexed her…"

That stopped the laughter in the compartment. All eyes were on Lily's unconscious form, slumped against James' shoulder.

"Is she breathing?" Hilary asked tentatively.

Sirius put a hand in front of Lily's mouth. "Nothing," he proclaimed gravely.

James laid two fingers on Lily's neck. "There's a pulse – but it's weak. She'll live."

"She'll live," Alexis scoffed. "James, this isn't some random hex Lily's under. It's a curse. And a Dark one at that. What kind of magic do they teach at Hogwarts that can bring around such freakish results?"

"We need more than just a counter-curse," Niles said. "We need Madam Pomfrey. Or any Healer, at this rate. What happens if her pulse dies out? Then what?"

"I'm telling the driver," Marlene said in a shaky voice. "Maybe he has permission to set up a Portkey or something if it's urgent."

Without a further comment, she left in a swish of black robes.

"Malfoy," Alexis said through clenched teeth. "I'll bet you anything that scumbag cursed Lily behind her back."

"You can't prove that," Peter argued. "It could have been anyone."

"Whose side are you on, Peter?" Hilary demanded.

"I don't believe you! Evans is here, literally dying and here you are arguing about – what the hell is this?"

All stared at James, who was examining a silvery mark that had appeared on Lily's left forearm. It was quite blurry, but it looked somewhat like a serpent crushing a human skull…

- . -

"The driver said he's sending a message to Hogwarts. He's waiting for a response from there. It should be coming any minute now. The moment he gets the word, he'll send the Portkey right over," Marlene said breathlessly. "How's Lily?"

"Cold as ice," James replied. "But her pulse is holding out. But just to be careful…"

"Madam Pomfrey will be able to sort her out," Niles said. "She hasn't failed yet."

"I hope so," James looked into Lily's chalk white face. Her eyes were closed, and her mouth was slightly open.

"If she was only breathing," Alexis said frustratedly, "then I wouldn't be half as worried."

"Once she gets to Hogwarts, I'm sure they'll be able to specify what curse it was, and a counter-curse to boot," Marlene said anxiously.

There was a crack of sound, as someone Apparated into their midst.

"Who here needed the Portkey?" the man asked urgently.

Everyone pointed to Lily.

"Goodness," the man said, "she looks terrible. Minerva sent me an owl a minute ago. She said that someone should go with her, just in case – "

"I'll go," Alexis said quickly, but James shook his head.

"You didn't see it first hand, Kensington. I'll go," he said firmly.

Nobody argued with him on that.

"Okay then," the man said. He picked up a discarded Chocolate Frog card. "This anybodys?" he queried.

No one answered.

The man shrugged, and pointed his wand at the card. "Portus," he muttered. The card glowed blue for a moment, and became perfectly still.

"Okay, you two. This leads right into the hospital wing at Hogwarts. Get the redhead to get a finger on it and that's all. The moment you get there, I'll get a message. On my count…three…two…one…"

James whipped out his wand and cried, "Accio Portkey!"

The card zoomed toward his outstretched hand. The moment it made contact with his hand, he slapped the card onto Lily's arm, his hand stuck to it, as he felt a pull beneath his navel, and suddenly, the compartment melted away from view as he and Lily went twirling away in a flash of swirling colour.

- . -

His feet landed on the ground with a thud, Lily's weight on his side. For a minute he simply looked around, before remembering where he was.

"Madam Pomfrey!" he cried, trying to hoist Lily up, as she kept slipping toward the ground.

The matron came rushing in.

"Yes, Potter. Bring Evans around here. Minerva will be here soon."

She gestured hurriedly to a bed beside the office, before rushing into her office. James lifted Lily off the ground and placed her in the hospital bed none too gently. He was beginning to feel worry gnawing away at his senses. Sprawled against the white sheets with her fiery hair all about her, he truly began to see exactly how pale she was, as her face and hands blended perfectly to the sheets.

There was a clattering of footsteps behind him. James turned around and saw Professor McGonagall dash into the hospital wing.

"Professor –" James began, but Professor McGonagall cut him off.

"No time," Professor McGonagall said. "Tell me what happened, from the start."

"There isn't really that much to tell, Professor," James said. "Except for what the spell looked like. It was silvery – and almost colourless – but misty, sort of –"

"Like a Disillusionment spell?" Professor McGonagall said sharply.

"Sort of…more like a Disillusioned hex, if you know what I mean, Professor."

"Who did this?" Professor McGonagall asked coldly.

James shrugged. "It happened right after Malfoy and his toadies left the compartment. But it could have been anybody."

"Well then," Professor McGonagall said, after giving James a surveying look. "I really do not know what kind of spell this is. However, I shall try my best to counteract the visible symptoms."

"Thank you Professor," James said, relieved. He turned to go, when he remembered something.

"Professor McGonagall?" he said suddenly.

"Now what, Potter?"

James lifted Lily's left arm and rolled up her sleeve, and displayed her forearm to a puzzled McGonagall. "This mark appeared after she'd been hexed. What do you make of it?"

Professor McGonagall looked carefully at the mark. "I do not understand what this is. I have strong reason to believe that powerful Dark magic could be behind this."

No really, James thought sarcastically, albeit he kept his mouth politely shut.

Professor McGonagall let out a sharp exhale. "I must consult with Flitwick. In the meanwhile, Potter, you can wait in your common room until the rest of the school arrives –"

"No Professor," James said, "I want to stay here."

Professor McGonagall's eyes narrowed. "Very well then, Potter. But kindly make sure you do not pose an obstruction in Poppy's way. She will be busy, you know."

James nodded mutely. The image of Lily's chalk white face was still haunting him.

- . -

"James! How's Lily –" Alexis began, when she was hushed by Madam Pomfrey's reproachful glare.

"Miss Evans is in need of quiet, Miss Kensington," she said coldly. "If you wish to learn of her state, then very well, you may consult with Potter here. But one at a time," she added, noting that all of the Gryffindor sixth-years were piled in front of the door.

Alexis gave them all a wan smile and walked into the hospital wing, leaving the remaining students to converse quietly.

"Do you think they found a cure?" Hilary asked, voicing the most hesitant thought.

"Of course they did," Sirius said, a little unsurely.

"This is the best wizarding institution," Niles said firmly. "How could they not have found a cure?"

"She's right," Niles' twin brother, Miles, said firmly.

"Maybe it was an incredibly complex spell," Peter piped up. "Or powerful Dark magic."

"Did I detect a sense of hope in that last statement, Pettigrew?" Marlene asked, her tone forbidding.

"Shut up, Marlene," Niles said dismissively. "There's a time for jokes, but now is not it."

"Anyway," Remus said, "there's no magic invented that can't be beaten if Rowan and Dumbledore put their heads together."

"Fair point, Remus," Miles said. "Nothing can stop Rowan from knowing the Dark Arts. That's what makes him the best Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. And, we all know that once Dumbledore's in the mix, everything else is just a hoot."

"Who do you suppose hexed Lily, though?" Hilary asked quietly.

"I'll bet you anything it was Malfoy," Marlene said angrily. "Who else would be such a low-life, cowardly git?"

"Any other Slytherin?" Niles suggested.

"True," Marlene agreed. "But what's the betting Malfoy convinced them into doing it?"

Their heated discussion was interrupted when Alexis stepped out of the hospital wing.

"She's still sleeping," she said in a low voice. "But Madam Pomfrey reckons she'll be okay."

"I'll go see her next," Remus said quietly. The relationship between Lily and Remus was so close, it was almost brother and sister.

They watched Remus enter.

"So, what happened?" Hilary asked.

Alexis shrugged. "They figured it was a cross between a Total Body-Bind and something that slowed down the heart rate as well as the lungs. James said it was – I can't remember, too long. Anyway, they managed to counteract both curses. She'll be around by tomorrow morning."

Sirius let out a sigh of relief. "That's good."

"Good job too, else Lily would miss her first day of classes. And you know how much she'll love that," Marlene said.

"Goodness! She'd be furious," Hilary agreed.

They all smiled.

"What's wrong, Alexis?" Niles asked sharply, noting Alexis' downcast expression.

"Well…" Alexis struggled for words. "That was too easy, if you know what I mean…such a big hex and she'll be out by tomorrow? Somehow, I think we've overlooked something…"

"Oh, put a cork in it, Kensington," Miles yawned. "I know you're really good on terms and everything, but you worry so much, I'm sure it can't be healthy. Anyway, it's not like some great Dark wizard hexed her, it was a Hogwarts student, so obviously one of the professors were bound to recognise something."

"Maybe," Alexis muttered. "But I still think that there's something a little more long-lasting attributed with that curse. It wasn't ordinary. Something that'll take a while to show…"

She trailed off, leaving six blank faces staring at her.

"Miles is right," Sirius said. "You do worry a lot."

Alexis bit her lip and looked away.

- . -

It was sometime after midnight when Lily finally regained consciousness. Her eyes snapped open as though she had just had a nightmare. It took her at least a minute to realise where she was.

Her eyes accustomed to the darkness, she groaned and put a hand to her head. It was aching badly, and she could swear that it was the cause of her hallucinating. She was positive she could see a silvery mass hovering in the corner of the room…

She blinked. The room swam around. Now there were two silvery masses. Interesting…

She blinked again.

The room came into sharper focus, as Lily's head gave a painful twinge. Instead of meeting a silvery mass again, she realised that she was face-to-face with –

"You!" Lily whispered, hate and fear mingling into her voice. "What are you doing here?"

Lucius Malfoy smirked, his eyes cold. "How's your head, Mudblood?"

Lily narrowed her eyes at him. "Evidently that wasn't the answer to my question, Malfoy. It's too much of a strain on your delicate pureblood reputation."

"Temper," he sneered. "I would have thought a sample of the power of Lord Voldemort would tame you in the slightest bit."

Lily was nonplussed. "Lord what?" she asked, confused.

"Lord Voldemort!" Malfoy hissed.

"Who's he?" Lily asked.

Malfoy's lip curled. "Only the greatest wizard of all time – or soon to be."

"Right," Lily said sceptically. "You decided to become a Seer then, if you're planning to tell the future –"

"How funny of you to mention the future," Malfoy said, his sneer growing more pronounced. "As you do not have one."

Lily looked at him, confused. "What the hell do you mean by that, Seer boy?"

"It means your time is running out," Malfoy said pointedly. "What else do you think that curse meant?"

Lily's expression changed like a set of traffic lights.

"It was you!" she said furiously. "You hit me with that curse!"

Malfoy bowed ironically. "Very good, Mudblood. Yes, it was me. Subtlety has never been an area of great strength for me."

"I wonder why," Lily muttered sarcastically.

"The Dark Lord –"

"You mean Voldything?"

"Voldemort!" Malfoy said in outrage. "He is the Dark Lord – the Darkest of Dark wizards – and so to ensure his power, his followers – I, for one – have taken the liberty of arranging an Aeternum spell –"

"A what?"

"The Aeternum spell," Malfoy said. "Don't tell me you have never heard of it, Mudblood? Can you tell me what aeternum means?"

Lily blinked. "It means eternity," she said slowly.

"Exactly," Malfoy breathed, a mad gleam in his eyes. "It means eternity. And through this Aeternum spell, Lord Voldemort will live for eternity!"

"But wait," Lily said suddenly. "So you're trying a crazy, run-of-the-mill spell to get this lord Thing to come back – or become all-powerful or whatever lunatic thing you're trying to do. But what does that have to do with me?"

"Good question, Mudblood," Malfoy said. "You see, the Aeternum spell involves a…a ritual sacrifice. It is when one insignificant life is traded in for another's immortality. In this case, the insignificant life is yours."

"And I'm supposed to believe this?" Lily asked incredulously.

"You have been targeted and marked," Malfoy said smoothly. "And you are a Mudblood too, which we aim to remove from the wizarding community. You will be the first to go – and in his name. What an honour, don't you think?"

"No," Lily said. "I'd prefer not to die for some cracked nutcase."

"You have no choice," Malfoy said, his eyes gleaming madly. "The curse – the mark – it has already come into effect. Over a course of time, it will slowly – yet effectively – drain you of your energy and life support. Once the time comes, you will have to ingest a certain selection of – ingredients – to complete the transfer."

"And my other option is…?"

"Watch the one you love die," Malfoy said, the fire in his eyes burning fanatically. "Would you stand by and watch James Potter die, and know his death is the cause of your life?"

Lily's eyes went wide. "What do you – how did you –"

"So now you have received your options," Malfoy said. "And I know your answer, because you are a fool, a Mudblood and a Gryffindor. You cannot watch James Potter die. After all, it was you who brought him into this…right?"

"You – you –"

Lily was too furious for words.

"This is not possible," she said icily. "There's absolutely no way you could find out how to – to take someone's life and – and –"

"What the supporters of Voldemort can do would terrify your weak Muggle mind," Lucius Malfoy said, his smirk widening.

Lily glared at him. "And I don't believe half of it."

"You have no choice," Malfoy said, in a voice that was sickeningly calm. "Sweet dreams, Mudblood."

- . -

Disclaimer: I am not J.K. Rowling, although I really desperately wish I were…I could use the money…and the talent…I own Alexis Kensington, Hilary, Niles and Miles Fletcher. Anything else belongs to J.K. Rowling.