A/N: Major thanks to all of you who reviewed for this story! I'm sorry that it took so long to upload, but such is college life. Please r/r, let me know what you thought of this chapter. I know it's short, but I just wanted to do a couple of things in order to get back to my main plot, the Lily/James story. This story is not yet even close to being over! Major thanks to my wonderful beta, p3charmed!
THE BEWITCHMENT OF JAMES POTTER
Chapter Eleven – Come Together
"Oh, Lily! Please stay here, with me," he says, his arms wrapping around my trembling figure.
I bury my face in his chest, my forehead resting in the way it had many times during the years. As I inhale his familiar scent, I think of the many times when I had been held here, the one place where, during the rare occasion that I felt vulnerable, could be safe and protected from everything in the outside world. Tears spring from my eyes. "I can't, I can't" I repeat, mumbling into the robes.
"You can!" says James, his face contorted with emotion.
"How can I?" I whisper miserably. "There's nothing for me here."
James moves me away from the hug and holds me at arm's length. He traces my cheek with his index finger tenderly.
"Marry me," he whispers barely above the sound of the wind.
"What?" I say, my eyes widening.
James blushes, the boyish blush that was cute and so James at the same time. "I know we're ridiculously young. I realize we have no idea what the future may hold. But I know how I feel about you, and if you feel the same way... Lily, please, think about how amazing it could be. Will you marry me?"
James, James, JAMES! Say YES! my heart screams. But I listen to my brain, not my heart. I hang my head. "James, you don't want to marry me..." I say, dropping my eyes.
"Don't I?" James says, his eyes scorching mine. "I have wanted to ever since I realized..."
"Realized what, James?" I ask unhappily.
James straightens up. He puts one arm around my waist and draws me near to him. He takes my chin with the tips of his finger of the other hand. "Lily, I love you, I'm in love with you. Don't you know that?" He draws a deep breath. "I've loved you for so long. Merlin help me, I won't be able to stand it if you leave," he says, his voice cracking at the end. "I didn't want to love you, Merlin knows that I even tried not to, okay? But now, the only thing I care about is you and being with you." James takes another deep breath. "I want to marry you, Lily, and quite frankly, I've been considering the idea the past couple of months."
I stand frozen to the ground. It seems like all my dreams could come true...
I am mesmerized and totally petrified – both at the same time.
I break away from his embrace. "James, I... I can't marry you."
James pulls back. I feel my soul wrench and I see his hurt eyes fill with tears. He shivers and hunches over. He breathes in slowly. "Why not?" he whispers, his voice barely audible.
"Goodbye James." I whisper sadly but firmly, my voice as final and hollow as a gavel falling.
As I turn away, I am crying.
Marlene slowly opened the door to the laboratory. She, James, and Sirius had donned their masks and hoods again before leaving the broom closet.
As the door creaked open, Marlene went in first – she had reminded James that it was most important that he keep his head throughout this mission. She poked her head in and looked around inside and whispered back. "All clear."
She stepped inside completely so that the other two could follow her.
James hurried in. Looking around quickly, taking in his surroundings, he spotted the bed.
The bed where a single person was covered by a white sheet, only dark red hair and a pale face poked out above the sheep; she was fast asleep.
As soon as he saw her, James purposely forgot everything Marlene had told him and did everything she told him not to do.
"He sedated her," Marlene whispered, "He sedated her before he left."
James ran across the room and crawled into the bed, pulling the limp body into his arms.
"Oh Merlin!" His relief was such that he reacted in a way he had never, ever, predicted would be the way he would react when he first saw her. Warm tears spilled out of his eyes, dripping down the interior of the mask.
Her pale pink lips were chapped and broken, her cheeks were flushed as if with fever. James wished harder than he had ever wished for anything ever in his life that she would open her eyes and he could see those beautiful emeralds, the ones that had branded his soul so long ago. He yearned to see them flicker, to see them blaze, to see them dance, flash, spark - even glower at him! He hungered to see her merely look at him so that he could feast his eyes on hers.
James ran his fingers lightly on her face, tracing her closed eyelids, her cold cheekbones. He didn't know how he could have survived for so long without touching her.
Suddenly, touching wasn't enough.
He pushed off his hood, and yanked his mask off, throwing it into a corner. His lips free, he kissed her cheek softly and reverently, and then wrapped his arms around her as if he was afraid she would evaporate. From the moment he saw her, and from the moment he touched her, he knew he never wanted to stop holding her.
Ever.
"James!" hissed Marlene as she rushed over to the bed. "Control yourself! Right now we need to get her out."
Lily's eyebrows furrowed and stirred in her sleep, her voice mumbling in her sleep.
James pulled her closer to listen.
"What's she saying?" asked Sirius, walking over to the bedside.
Lily stirred again, and whispered audibly enough for all three of them to hear her. "Goodbye… James."
Her words had the same effect as slapping a panicky person on the cheek – he sobered up and became the intelligent, in-control wizard that he made him an excellent Auror.
James pointed his wand at the corner. "Accio Mask!" and the Death Eater mask soared into his hands, and he quickly put it back on.
He slowly got out of the bed, and reluctantly released Lily from his arms, setting her carefully back inside the sheets. I'll have plenty of time to hold her later, he promised himself. It was the only thing that allowed his hands to let go of her even for a second.
However, he had moved away from her just in the nick of time.
Just when he was about to ask Marlene what they should do next, they all heard the same sound.
It was sound that made them stiffen and their hearts pound.
The lock had clicked, and the door to the room began to open noisily, scraping across the stone floor.
A tall wizard stepped into the room. Noticing James and Sirius in the room, he closed the door and locked it.
"What is all this?" he asked sneeringly, directing his question towards Marlene.
"The investors, sir. They've come to inspect the facilities."
"Why did you not come for me immediately?" Brushing her answer aside, he walked up to James and Sirius. "I am Councillor Four, and I am the one in charge of this branch of our Brotherhood." He extended a long pale hand.
James glared at the hand, refusing to shake it. His own hands were curling into fists, concealed in the folds of his robes.
Sirius, having noticed the rigidity of James' posture, took the wizard's hand. "So tell us about your experiments on this particular Mudblood."
The Councillor nodded slightly. He walked over to the bedside table. "The first thing I can tell you is that she has been kept under sedation, and unless I administer a second round, the Mudblood will soon awaken, which is something that is never pleasant."
James walked over to her bedside and observed the frail form lying there. Thank Merlin I have a mask on, James thought as he felt his face screwing up in anger. It was all he could do to restrain himself from taking her back into his arms there and then. "D'you always keep her under sedation?" he said, his voice was sharper that he had intended it to be.
The Potions Master shook his head slightly. "No. However, she had a rather violent episode earlier today, and had to be treated with more than normal cautions."
Sirius scoffed, his voice haughty as he spoke. "A Mudblood can't possibly be too hard to manage."
The Councillor stared at him fixedly. "She's not. But make no mistake of it, this one is highly intelligent, and is almost as magically powerful as many purebloods."
James, tearing his eyes off Lily's pale face, turned to the Councillor. "That I can never believe," he declared in a voice that was just as haughty, if not more conceited, than Sirius's.
The Potions Master glanced between the both of them. "Clearly both of you have had extended experience with the study of Muggle psychology." Sarcasm dripped from his voice as he spoke.
"Can't say we have," said Sirius, his voice drawling.
"We just know that we're superior to them. Must we remind you of that fact?" James couldn't seem to keep the icy edge out of his voice. It must have been the sight of Lily lying unconscious on the bed that made him instantly and inexplicably hate this Dark wizard in front of him.
Sirius abruptly stepped on James' foot.
James, ignoring the warning, kept going. "When I looked into the possibility of investing in your little experiments, I expected to find a wizard who would be competent in his capabilities as a pureblood and confident in his knowledge of his own superiority over Mudbloods. Instead, you seem to be willing to admit that this Mudblood is smarter than you."
"I have said nothing of the sort!" hissed Councillor Four, and with that, he turned his back to them and began preparing a solution by mixing two potions on the bedside table. "Witch, answer the rest of their questions, I need to concentrate on this potion."
A few minutes went by in which Sirius had to think of question after question to ask Marlene - James was no help, as he was too busy shooting loathing looks at the Councillor's back.
James was actually taking mental notes on everything about the Councillor. There was something strange in the way he was preparing the potion: he wasn't focusing on it at all, as his hands kept bumping into vials. James then realized that the Councillor had lied – he was concentrating more on Sirius and Marlene's conversation.
But why?
James interrupted Marlene right in the middle of her answer to a question. "Look, we didn't come all the way down here to this reeking and filthy room to listen to a bloody assistant talk about something she obviously doesn't know much about. Councillor Four, tell us about your methods yourself."
Without turning around, nor expressing any sign of annoyance, the Councillor began speaking. "Earlier this evening I tried to analyze one of the Mudblood's memories, but she appears to have created some sort of defence around it, as if it's something that she not only wants to forget, but doesn't want any other living soul to know either. It actually pains her whenever I try to delve into this particular memory. Strangely enough, this one appears to be about an old boyfriend of hers, a wizard named James Potter."
James had to force himself to breathe.
What is this Councillor playing at by saying my name? Is he telling the truth, that Lily's memory involves me? Or is he saying it to let me know that he knows that it's me, James Potter, under the cloak? But, let's say he's saying the truth, that her memory involves me, then why is she trying so hard not to remember?
The Councillor continued speaking. "I shall awaken her, but first, I want the three of you to leave the room momentarily."
"Wait there a minute, Councillor, you can't just exclude us–" began Sirius, but he was immediately interrupted.
"There is no intended exclusion. I simply don't permit anyone to be present when I awaken a patient, as it is in need of my full attention, which I can't dedicate to your questions. Use the time to observe the storage facilities, which should not be overlooked if you hope to make an intelligent investment."
James had half a mind to knock the Councillor out right then and take Lily, but he caught himself just in time. This would be the perfect opportunity for Marlene, Sirius, and he to coordinate their escape plan.
"Fine. We shall see these storage rooms. But you had better not be holding out on us, Councillor," said James, with a warning tone in his voice. He nodded at Sirius, who followed him as he exited the room.
Once Marlene, Sirius, and he were out of Lily's dungeon room, Marlene rushed them into a spare room straight across from them.
Sirius turned to James, and placed an arm on his shoulder concernedly. "Prongs?"
James shrugged him off, and his manner became brisk and businesslike. "Marlene, what's the fastest and easiest escape route?"
"There is no easy route. But we do have the advantage that most of the Death Eaters are out of Headquarters, and on a mission."
"I feel kind of sorry for the poor blokes who are the targets of that mission," said Sirius in a low voice.
"Let's concentrate on rescuing Lily for the time being," said James sharply. "Marlene? Do you know a way out we can all use?"
She nodded. "Yes, but it's rather complicated. First, walk to the end of this corridor, then take a right. Follow that and then..."
Lily yawned and stretched like a cat.
Much as she had hated having the sedative shoved down her throat, sleep had been exactly what she needed.
She yawned again and opened her eyes, blinking in the dim light.
I may even forget to be horrible to the Councillor.
She rolled over and saw him fiddling with some jars at her bedside table.
Nah.
"Ah, Councillor Four, it's you. I thought I caught a whiff of the foul odour that seems to linger around unsavoury characters such as yourself."
Instead of ignoring her, as he usually tried to do at first, he quickly rushed right up to her.
"Be quiet and listen–"
There was something in his manner that caught her attention immediately, but Lily didn't much care what it was. She rolled her eyes exaggeratedly, and looked at him. "What if I don't want to? What if I want to be the most annoying, aggravating person right now?"
"Consider that goal accomplished."
"Well, what if I wanted to be even more so?"
In a flash, he had reached out and gripped her face with one hand and pulled her to him until she was inches from his face. She stared up in to the dark holes that were his eyes, eyes so dark that didn't even reflect the torch lights.
"There are plans afoot that you know nothing about!"
Lily didn't miss a beat. "Then enlighten me."
With a loud hiss, he released her face, flinging her back against the bed. He turned his attention back to the bottles and vials on the bedside table. "There are two men here, two new members of the Brotherhood of Death Eaters. Investors, they call themselves, entrepreneurs."
"Investors to what?"
"My experiments on you."
Her eyes flashed livid colour. "Bastards, how dare they–"
"Only they aren't really investors," he snapped, "And they aren't interested in making you suffer."
Lily was supremely confused. "Then what do they want?"
"What do you think?" He placed a hand on the top of her head, and Lily suppressed the urge to fling it off. "They want to rescue you."
He drew his arm back, and stood up, and resumed his potion-making at the table.
A million thoughts were spinning inside Lily's head. "How do you know all this?" she blurted out.
A shrill tinkling of glass told Lily he had just broken something. Taking out a handkerchief, the Potions Master wrapped it around his wrist to stop the blood flowing from the fresh cut. That's what, the third time I've directly or indirectly made him bleed today? Lily smirked with satisfaction.
Turning back to her, he continued. "I recognized them immediately."
Dread began to spread inside of Lily. "And you're going to report them?"
"No. I'm letting you go with them."
"What?" she gasped, and then became suspicious. "Why?"
He laughed mirthlessly. "The truth is complicated, and I care not to explain it to you."
"Who is the rescuer you recognized?" she demanded, regaining her nerve.
His fingers tightened around the neck of a bottle, and then relaxed. "I might as well tell you now; it makes no difference. It's your old boyfriend. The one who took your virginity. James Potter."
Lily stared at him, her eyes wide.
"That's right. I figured out your dirty little secret. And yes, James Potter is here to rescue you."
I can't breathe.
The Councillor knows, dear Merlin, he knows!
"So. You and James Potter."
Lily cringed immediately and writhed on the bed slightly.
Noticing this, he snickered as he poured the contents of two or three small bottles into a large glass jar. He began revolving them around with a long spoon, then took a vial out from the folds of his robes. Taking out the stopper, he shook a few drops into the mixture.
"Is it really as painful for a woman on her first time as they make it out to be?" He glanced over at her as he said this.
Lily's face was almost beyond description. But even with everything, she looked dignified as she sat up as far as she could, and looked at the Councillor straight in the eye as she spoke. "Not as painful as it will be for you when I get my wand back. I swear to you, I'll shove it straight up your arse."
His hissed angrily, and raised a hand to strike her.
Lily turned her face so that her cheek would be fully exposed, presenting him a target.
Noticing this, the Councillor immediately lowered his hand from its threatening position. Instead, he reached out and grabbed her by the messy thick braid at the base of her neck. Pulling Lily to him, he brought her so close that she could feel the outline of his nose on her temple. "Listen and listen closely," he hissed into her ear, his breath hot on her skin. "I'm letting you live; I'm letting you go with them. But as for your old lover – as for James Potter..."
Chills went up and down Lily's spine as he spoke.
"Mark my words. He won't live past the third day of your freedom."
And with that, he flung her back on to the bed like a rag doll.
Lily screamed and tried to grab him, scratch him, bite him, punch him, anything, but he had moved away, and she was still chained and shackled.
She felt a sob catch in her throat.
"Oh, and Evans?"
She turned to him, her eyes flashing. "What?"
"I can't have you telling Potter what I just said. Will you drink this sedative like a good little witch?"
Her glare intensified as she watched him with extreme hate.
"Alas, I didn't think so."
Councillor Four swooped down on her.
There was nothing she could do to prevent it, although, for being chained and bound, she put up a decent fight.
The Potions Master finally grabbed her by the braid and pulled her head back. He forced the liquid into her mouth, and then clamped his hands over her face roughly, shaking her head to make her to swallow.
By the time Marlene was finished with the set of long and complicated instructions, many minutes had gone by.
"Why are you telling us all these details?" asked Sirius, his voice rising in alarm as a suspicion began to form in his mind. "You're coming with us – you can guide us?"
She drew in a deep breath. "I'm not going with you. I'm staying here to continue spying on the Death Eaters."
Her announcement drew a sharp breath from Sirius.
"But we'll already have rescued Lily-"
"Sirius, this is about more than just Lily now. There's something else I didn't tell you. I'm part of the Order now."
"The Order?" asked Sirius quizzically.
James clapped a hand to his forehead.
How the hell did I forget to tell Sirius about the Order? In two months, I couldn't find a minute to say something like, 'oh hey, Padfoot, mate, Dumbledore has formed a secret organization to fight the Dark wizards. It's called the Order of the Phoenix, and they don't want you in it because they think your younger brother is a Death Eater. Which, actually, he's about to be.'
"I'll explain it to you later," said James hurriedly, "we really need to get back, who knows what that arsewipe is doing to her now."
"No, we're not done with this," protested Sirius. "Marlene, there is no way we can leave you behind."
"You're going to have to, because I'm not going with you. Just remember to Stun me when you attack the Councillor, and I'll be fine – it'll be the perfect cover, as if you ambushed the both of us."
Sirius opened his mouth to continue arguing, but James cut him off. "Look, we've been gone far too long. Let's go back, Stun the Councillor, and get Lily out. Now."
They walked back into the dungeon room, Marlene leading them inside.
The Councillor turned to them as they entered. He was leaning over Lily, his hand on her wrist as he checked her pulse. "Regrettably, the Mudblood had to be sedated again; she was rather vicious when she woke up. I had to treat her accordingly."
"I'll treat you accordingly!" cried James, whipping out his wand and brandishing it threateningly at the Councillor. "Get your fucking hands off her!"
Sirius, who'd also pulled out his wand, aimed it at Marlene, to keep up appearances. "Both hands in sight, witch!"
Marlene hissed and yelled, "You fool! You'll pay for this treachery!"
The Councillor turned to James. "Potter, you really are a fool, you know that?"
James jabbed his wand forward slightly. "How do you know my name?" he demanded, holding his wand up.
"Does it matter? If you want the Evans Mudblood, then take her, take the wench!"
James turned to Sirius questioningly, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of movement. Cursing his foolishness, he raised his wand to Stun Councillor Four, but he was too quick. As if in slow motion, James saw the Councillor pulling something out of his robes. James didn't hesitate, and his Stunning spell hit the Councillor straight in the chest.
As the Councillor was fell to the floor, James felt a sharp, deep prick in his stomach. It wasn't till he was sure that the Councillor was out cold that James reach out to pull out the weapon that had pierced his abdomen.
"A dart?" Sirius rushed over to James and pulled it out of his hand.
It was indeed a dart, one with a long needle-like at the tip.
Sirius went pale. "Oh, shit."
Marlene rushed forward and pried it out of Sirius's hand. "Let me have a look at that." She turned it over a couple of times, and then held it up to a torch to see it in the light. Shaking her head, she reached for a cabinet and pulled out a small, empty vial. She placed the tip of the dart inside, and flicked the other end of it with her index finger. A couple of honey coloured drops dripped out of the dart and into the vial. Capping it, she placed the vial inside her pocket.
"How do you feel?" she said, looking right at James.
"I feel fine," catching a glance from Sirius, James added, "really."
She reached out to his robes. "Let me see."
He undid his robes down to his belly, and there it was. The entrance wound. All there was to see was a small stream of blood originating where the dart had pierced his skin.
Marlene nodded, and James fixed his robes again. "Well, I can't think of anything it might be. I'll run some tests on this, but other than that, there's not much I can do without knowing what it is. Knowing the Councillor, it won't be anything simple that a bezoar can handle." She turned to Sirius, her eyes worried. "So I don't know what may happen."
"I'm fine," insisted James, "and even if I'm not, we have to get her out."
The three of them turned to the unconscious figure lying on the bed.
"Okay, Stun me and get the hell out of here," ordered Marlene, walking back to where she had been when the Councillor was knocked out.
"Want to do the honours?" James asked Sirius.
Sirius pulled a face that couldn't be seen through his mask. "Not at all."
"Didn't think you would. Marlene, my apologies."
"Just get on with it!"
James looked at Sirius once more. Sirius was shaking his head, muttering slightly, his hands crossed across his chest disapprovingly. He took a deep breath and aimed his wand. "Stupefy!"
Sirius ran over to Marlene, and caught her as she fell, laying her softly on the floor.
"Want to get her a pillow and blanket too, Padfoot?" mocked James as he made his way over to Lily.
Sirius rolled his eyes, and followed his friend. "Trust me, it's hard to watch the way you handle Lily without gagging."
"Shut up." James's arms slid under Lily and picked her light form up. James scanned her face, and saw that she had the drawn face of someone who's lost weight. He swore under his breath. He turned to Sirius. "Padfoot? About the dart–"
"Yes, Prongs, I know. If anything happens, I'll get Lily out of here for you."
"Exactly. Don't waste time trying to save me."
"Wouldn't dream of it."
"Thanks," said James wryly, hoisting Lily into his arms.
Sirius opened the door for James, and they hurried down the corridor as quietly as possible, before following Marlene's set of instructions.
"Merlin, she's led us into a bloody maze," whispered Sirius as they arrived at a hall whose walls were lined with doors. "Which door did she say it was?"
"This one." Sirius followed James through, listening for any possible followers.
They continued on, taking turns carrying Lily. James had been initially reluctant to part with her at all, but after twenty solid minutes he was grateful to give Sirius a turn. Even though they had enchanted her to be weightless, it still cramped the arms.
"Okay, this is almost the last step," panted James, as he leaned against a wall for a brief rest. He had been carrying Lily for the past fifteen minutes. "This door should lead us to an underground tunnel that comes out at Knockturn Alley. There we can Apparate to Potter Manor, to Ar Nurtalë."
"Why not St. Mungo's? Have them have a look at her?"
"I don't want to expose her to danger, nor to other people, not just yet. I want to hear Dumbledore's advice first."
"All right, mate. Let's go." Sirius pushed open the door.
A dank reeking smell infiltrated their nostrils. "She called it a tunnel?" hissed James under his breath. "It's a bloody sewer!"
"C'mon!" Sirius whispered back, and he stepped forward. "Lumus!"
James also lit his wand.
Squeaks and little movements at the corner of the light told them there were most definitely rats around them. "Great, now I have to look at them," muttered James. "Padfoot? Want to turn into a dog and eat them all for the common good?"
"Prongs, dear friend, it'll be a desperate day indeed that I ever eat a rat."
They continued plodding their way on the walkway of the sewer, taking great caution not to go over the edge into the filthy waters.
"It almost seems too easy," whispered James peering at the shadows.
"Speak for yourself," muttered Sirius, who was now carrying Lily. He shifted her in his arms.
"We should have run into guards of some kind."
"We've got your girl, we're both alive, we're in one piece . . . well, three pieces because there's three of us, but you know what I mean. Count your blessings, stop complaining, and let's just concentrate on getting out of here."
A deep voice tiptoed out of the shadows in front of them.
"Nox!"
The lights on James and Sirius's wands went out. "Expelliarmus!"
The wands flew out of their hands before they could even react.
"So you thought you could escape unnoticed," the voice continued, "sorry to foil your plans!"
Suddenly, a torch up on the wall by James' head lit, and the torch behind and in front of it followed suit, until all the torches in the sewer were lit.
Only fifteen feet in front of James were five wizards. All of them were armed, their wands out menacingly.
"Shit," hissed Sirius under his breath. He slowly placed Lily on the ground, ignoring the glare he was sure James was giving him. He straightened up to his full height, and waited to see what James would do.
James took a step forward. All of the wizards raised their wands, ready to strike at him.
He raised his hands in full view. "Idiots, what the devil are you doing?" he yelled, his voice ringing of the walls with arrogance.
The wizards hesitated slightly.
James shook his head and chuckled softly. "Oh man, is the Dark Lord going to be pissed at you lot. This," he jerked his thumb at Lily, who was still on the floor, "is his sick niece, we're taking her to get a medicine. Give me back my bloody wand, and get the fuck out of my way, and I just may not tell him of this stupidity of yours."
The wizards began to look at one another in visible confusion. "We didn't know he had a niece," said one of them suspiciously.
"Shows how close to him you are," said James sneeringly. "Would you like me to tell him you stood in my way?" he pressed, crossing his hands across his chest in annoyance.
Oh Merlin please let this work!
One of the wizards moved forward and handed James back a wand. James, not missing a beat, and rolling his eyes, tossed it to Sirius. "That's his wand. Which of you arse-wipes has mine?"
Another wizard stepped forward, and handed James his wand.
"And what about mine?"
All of them whirled around to see where the last voice came from.
"Where's my wand?" said Lily, slowly and shakily attempting to get to her feet. Sirius immediately reached out an arm to steady her.
James had to kick himself to keep from running over to her and planting kisses all over her face.
Letting go of Sirius, she straightened up, brushed the hair out of her face, and looked positively regal as she surveyed the group of five wizards. "Which of you dullards took my wand?"
"There were only two lights on," began one of the wizards, "and there were only two wands –"
"No, there were not. As I'm not feeling well, I was being carried, and so I did not have my wand light on, but it was taken nonetheless." She tossed her head and squared her shoulders. "For the last time, before I report you to our Lord, my uncle, WHICH ONE OF YOU TOOK MY BLOODY WAND?"
James was genuinely beginning to get worried.
I see what she's trying to do, but will it work?
A wizard timidly took a step forward. "I'm really, really sorry, my lady, we must have lost your wand. Take mine in its stead." In his outstretched hand, he held his wand out for her.
"Blithering idiot, you lost my wand?" she cried, but accepted the wand from him. She held it up and pointing it the wizard. "Get out of my sight, the lot of you, before I turn you into banshees." She raised her head high, and nodded to James and Sirius. "Let's carry on then, shall we?"
She raised her left arm around Sirius's neck, and he picked her up once more. "I can't walk well yet," she whispered out of the corner of her mouth.
He nodded, and carried her as he walked alongside James.
The three of them walked, and walked past the five Death Eaters, who were shrinking up against the slimy walls to let them pass.
They continued walking until they had turned several corners and had put a great distance between themselves and the wizards.
As they walked, Lily held the wand in her left hand, twirling it every now and then, and barely taking her eyes off it. She was treating it as a precious jewel, and every once in a while, she performed little charms that helped them along their way - turning the rats into butterflies, for instance.
I can't believe it's been two months since I've held a wand!
They climbed out of the sewer into the very end of Knockturn Alley just as the first rays of light were flickering across the sky. Ignoring their unpleasant surroundings, they continued walking until they had reached Diagon Alley. Sirius only broke the silence to whisper in Lily's ear, "We're Apparating to the Potter Manor. Ar Nurtalë."
Lily closed her eyes right before she Apparated, and when she opened them again, she smiled faintly in satisfaction – she had by no means lost her magical power in the months that she had been unable to use it.
It wasn't until they were standing on the front doorstep of the Manor, shivering in the early morning breeze, waiting for someone to open the door, that James dared to speak. Sirius put her down at the doorstep. "Mind taking a turn, mate?"
James could hold it no longer. "Lily?" he said croakily, turning to really see her for the first time in five years.
Her green eyes, the eyes he had so longed to see, widened as she looked up at him. A smile slowly made its way across her face.
"Hi, James," she said quietly.
He found himself suddenly speechless, somehow shy around her.
He picked her up carefully, his hands tingling as they touched her body, and carried her inside.
:)