Summary: Lily hates James. James loves Lily. Lily has a secret which James has found out, and now she's afraid he'll tell. Begins with an excerpt from Order of the Phoenix, no longer in Harry's POV, but through Lily and James. Now DH compliant, so some spoilers! Rated M for adult themes in later chapters and some language.

Disclaimer: I own nothing that you may in any way recognize. All of the characters save for a few of my own imagination belong to J.K. Rowling.

Author's Note: Yay for new chapter's and complete revision of the beginning of the story. The story is now DH compliant, but it shouldn't give to many spoilers. I completely rewrote the Shrieking Shack scene, and I think it meshes a lot better with Lily's character.

Also, if you've noticed, the story seems to have "lost" a chapter. No worries, it hasn't, I've just combined six and seven into one because standing alone, chapter six was pure fluff.

Chapter 10: Destruction

Lily was in a dark and damp corridor. It smelled strongly of mildew, and something else she didn't recognize.

Lily shouldn't be here. She knew that if she were caught she'd be in danger. All of her senses were alert and the hair on the back of her neck stood on end.

Pulling out her wand she walked down the corridor.

A scream ripped down the corridor, terrible and pained, worse than a banshee. Lily's heart leapt into her throat and she turned and ran through the corridor and into—

She was in a house. It was a rickety old thing, probably meant for destruction by the city somewhere down the road. Dust was thick along the floor and the wallpaper of the hallway that she stood in. From another room she heard noises and she walked toward them.

The door stood open. Lily peeked around the doorframe. At one point in time it had been a living room. And old couch was against one wall, and an armchair sat near the decrepit fire place.

Two men dressed in black robes stood in the middle of the room. One man might have been dastardly handsome with his dark hair and aquiline nose if not for the inhuman and cold eyes he had. They were in the shape of slits and a dark crimson red.

Another man was on his knees in front of the inhuman one. He was wearing a mask.

"My Lord, I have brought her to you."

The man with the dark hair laughed softly. "Yes, I see her elusive spells did not work as well as she'd have hoped."

Lily saw now that behind the masked man was a woman bound and gagged. Her hair was straggled and dirty and there was a bleeding gash near her hairline. Her face was tearstained over the gag.

The dark lord pondered her for a moment, and then raised his wand and shouted, "Crucio!"

The woman imediately went into convulsions, twitching in her bonds and writhing as much as the tight ropes allowed. Gagged and muffled screams issued from her body. Her eyes rolled up in her head. Lily pulled out her wand, she had to help her—

Lily was standing in the foyer of her home. The electricity seemed to have gone out. Lily held her hand out in front of her. It was almost too dark to see it.

"Mum?" Lily called. "Dad?" There wasn't an answer.

Lily walked forward. She felt her throat close up tightly. Something was desperately wrong.

She walked through the hall and she stumbled over something. She now remembered her wand. "Lumos," she whispered, and then held it over the object.

Her fathers empty face stared back at her, the eyes open and unblinking. His red hair was disheveled and his mouth was open in a silent scream. "Dad?" Lily whispered, her voice choked. She said it louder, "Daddy?"

He didn't respond. Lily grabbed his arm, and it was very very cold. He was dead.

Lily stumbled backwards from the body in terror. Her father was dead, he was gone. She trembled, and her mind whirled. Her father's voice would never joke with her or laugh with her again. She felt tears well up in her eyes and fall down her cheeks.

Lily heard a crash from the kitchen, and she stood up quickly and ran towards it, away from her father.

A dark figure whooshed and was disapparating as she entered the room. She screamed and ran towards it, but it was already gone in a puff of smoke.

Lily looked around, tears streaming down her face. Then she heard a voice. She turned to look for it.

Her mother was on the ground in a pool of blood. She was holding a kitchen knife and clutching her side. "Lily?" she heard her mother whisper, "Lily?"

Lily ran towards her screaming, "Mum—."

---

Lily tumbled out of bed screaming. The dormitory was lit,, someone had turned on the lamps. The bright light hurt her eyes.

Cassandra was in front of her, her face white as a sheet. "Lily? Lily what's happened?" She reached out to touch her friend and Lily flinched backward.

Lily tired to breath, tried to stop screaming, but her entire body was in shock. The screaming of the tortured women, her dead parents, it was all too much. Lily pressed her hands to her face to stop the tears. When she pulled them away there was blood on her hands.

In the background she heard Cassandra tell Lane to go get McGonagal. Lily began to rock back and forth. Why was there blood on her hands.

"Lily?" Cassandra asked her, "Can you hear me Lily?"

Lily had curled herself into a little ball. She nodded almost imperceptibly.

Cassandra stood up, and came back with a handkerchief. Gently she pulled the crying Lily towards her and pressed the handkerchief to her nose. "Lily, your nose is bleeding. I need you to tilt your head back alright?"

Lily followed her instructions. She had stopped screaming. She had gotten a grip. As her head was tilted back she found her voice and said, "I need to go home. I need to see my parents."

"Alright, we can make plans to floo you out in the morning. Lily tilted her head back forwards and she felt the blood gush into the handkerchief. She ignored it. "No," she said adamently, "I need to go now." Lily stood up.

"Lils, you shouldn't get up, we're not even sure what's wrong..." she trailed off as Lily grabbed her outer school robe. Lily was moving slowly, she was still trembling. She stumbled as she moved towards the door and Cassandra was by her side like a shot.

She took Lily by the elbow and guided her out the door.

All along the curved staircase girls were peeking out at the trembling pair. In the back of her mind Lily knew she must look frightening in a nightgown and over robe with dried blood underneath her nose.

The common room was a buzz with people, all of them having been woken up by the screaming. When they reached the ground floor Professor McGonagal came in through the portrait followed by Lane.

McGonagal's eyes went wide when she saw Lily. She looked around at the chaos of students around her. Her face became very stern and she barked, "Everyone, back to your rooms this instant!" her face softened as she turned back to Lily. "Miss Evans, I will take you to Madame Dewitt."

"No, no I must go home," Lily told her, her voice weak.

"In the morning—" McGonagal began.

"No!" Lily shouted. She walked forwards a bit, loosening Cassandra from her elbow. "I have to see my parents."

The movement disrupted her body in the state that it was in and Lily was suddenly very dizzy. She began to fall backwards when two strong arms caught her around the waist. They scooped her up, cradling her. Lily leaned against the very male chest and looked up in the highly concerned eyes of James Potter.

"Clearly, you need to see the nurse Lily," McGonagal told her.

Lily struggled to be free of James and stand up again. "I am going home," she stated firmly.

James managed to keep hold of her and told McGonagal seriously, "I think you're not going to get her to come quietly mam."

McGonagal's mouth had gone into a very thin line. "Fine," she said crisply. "Perhaps her parents can convince her that she may need medical attention. We'll go to Dumbledore."

Lily relaxed at that, into James body. He didn't place her on the ground, for which she was grateful as she wasn't certain that she would be able to stand. Her entire body seemed to have gone haywire and her senses she on high alert for any danger. Being in James's embrace was the safest she had felt since she'd woken up.

McGonagal left through the portrait and James, Lily, and Cassandra followed. As Cassandra passed Lane, Lily heard her whisper, "Go start the word that everything is fine."

McGonagal bustled quickly through the halls and soon they were at a great gargoyle statue that marked the entrance in Dumbledore's office.

Before McGonagal could say the password, the gargoyle slid left, and the door opened. Out came dumbledore, who looked mildly surprised to see McGonagal and three Gryffindors in the hall so late in the evening.

"Minerva," he nodded to her. He swept the door open and ushered them back into the office.

As soon as they were in the circular room, Lily said, still within the crook of James's arms, "I need to go home right now Professor."

McGonagal jumped in here, "Albus, I was woken up by one of my students telling me that Lily Evans was in great distress and screaming like a banshee, and when I arrived in the common room, I found her downstairs among a throng of students, very shaken, with a bloody face, and almost unable to walk. Surely you must see that she needs to go to Madame Dewitt?"

Lily pulled herself out of James's arms, though she kept a firm grip on his tricep for balance. "I really must insist Professor Dumbledore, that I go home right now. I need to see my family." Her voice was very firm. The walk through the corridors in James's arms had calmed her down considerably.

Dumbledore stood very calm. "Minerva, there is a letter on that table there, I need you to take it, read it, and return to Gryffindor tower. Miss Miers, I would like you to please accompany her. Now." Cassandra had looked as if she might protest, but, with a frown on her face, she followed McGonagal. James stood resolute, watching Dumbledore. Cassandra may have left, but he wasn't going without a fight.

Dubledore said very quietly, "Mr. Potter, I have something very private I need to discuss with Miss Evans. If she asks that you leave, then you will have to leave." He looked towards Lily for confirmation.

His words had made the blood in her veins freeze. She squeezed James's arm tighter until the knuckles of her fingers were white. Gently James pried them off his arm and took her in his own large one. He squeezed it briefly back, a comforting gesture that worked albeit mildly.

"He can stay," Lily managed to choke out.

"Perhaps," Dumbledore said, gesturing, "You would like to sit."

"No thank you," Lily said as politely as she could while her stomach dropped like a stone.

"Ms. Evans, I am going to put this too you very bluntly. You have heard of the man who calls himself Lord Voldemort?" He waited for an affirmation which came as a quick nod while Lily remembered the handsome young man with the cruel snake-like eyes.

"Lily, tonight Voldemort entered the home of your parents. Your father has died, and your mother is in critical condition in St. Mungos. Your sister Petunia found them not long after the attack occurred. I was leaving to come get you when you came to me. I know this is a very difficult time, and I will get you the quickest and safest form of transport to St. Mungos that I can—" Dumbledore's words roared in her ears.

Her father, her laughing, bright, and happy father was dead. Her mother, her rock and anchor in all things, could die soon. The room was one giant blur, and the words were nothing but a soft buzz in the background.

Lily promptly fainted.