Author's Note: holy cow, I'm sorry this took so long! I've been crazy busy with college and finals and other stupid school related nonsense. This is a pretty short chapter in relation to my other ones, so sorry about that! But I figured a short chapter is better than no chapter... :)
Lily
What could have only been a few days began to drag like weeks. Time was now irrelevant and so was the value of Lily Evan's life. She wondered for a moment if James was still alive, but cringed at the thought.
Lily stared up at the ceiling, watching the light bulb swing peacefully in the air, never stopping, even without a wind to carry it. Back and forth the orb swung, her eyes following every beat. She wasn't sure how long she had watched it. It didn't matter really, did it? What else was there for her to do? She couldn't sit and listen to the screams anymore; she must occupy herself in other matters.
Such as watching this light. Back and forth. Back and forth.
Lily let out a deep breath as she turned on her side. The concrete was hard against her hip, but it was growing accustom. With her head propped onto her arm, she sighed.
Four scratches in the wall. Four meals she had eaten. Four days she had been in this cell.
Her eyes grew heavy. She got along with little sleep these days, as one could expect. No one had been to visit her, not yet. She expected Lucius, or Zale, maybe Gallot. None had come. They left her alone.
A pit formed in her stomach, knowing that James must be occupying their time. It was split with relief, knowing he must still be alive. She didn't have to image what they would do to him. She had seen it before, in her dreams.
She thought back to those days when her nightmares were the most of her concerns. James would lay by her side, expecting nothing in return, just holding her as she slept.
He was so kind. Much more of an honest, caring man than she had ever given him credit for at Hogwarts. But then again, at school he was irritably arrogant and cruel. She supposed that was all just a mask now.
Lily sat up slowly. She pulled her hair forward, trying to rid the knots from the ends. She could feel the dirt clogging her pores, and the blood against her forehead but she didn't wipe it away.
Lily knew James had it much worse. What they were doing to him… she couldn't possibly bear.
Her mind returned to the night they were taken. How out of hand things had got. She was out of her mind with grief; she had been for the past week. Lily huffed, still angry at herself for placing blame on James. They had such little time to be happy together.
But that night, when they chased into the fields… something was wrong. She knew it from the moment he grabbed her. James wouldn't ever hurt her like that. He had a short temper, but laying a hand on her wouldn't even occur to him. That was the kind of man he was. Lily knew that. She knew that with every ounce of her being.
When his anger dropped, when he fell to his knees, it confirmed everything. It was like he was seeing himself through a glass mirror, unable to stop if he tried. That wasn't him. That could never be him.
James
Lily ran only a few feet in front of him. He chased after her as the aggression built higher and higher inside his chest. It was an orb of heat, burning and throbbing after one thing. She had to be stopped.
Lily's hair whipped around, tangling in the high stocks of wheat. It pulled her back and she stopped for a brief moment, but it was long enough.
James grinned as his hand finally caught hold of the tips of Lily's hair, yanking her back.
She screamed, grasping at the fabric on James' shirt. He could feel her nails scratching through the cotton.
He laughed, swatting them away.
Lily reached for his hands, trying to pry him away, but James had a firm grip. He threw her to the ground, towering over her. She collapsed against the dirt and didn't have much time to move until James was on top of her.
He grinned, tilting his head as he swung his left leg around Lily's hip. James kept her restrained against the ground, she couldn't move if she tried.
His eyes were manic, his voice shaky, yet controlled. Lily watched in great horror as James' hands began to slip around her throat. His thumb stroked against the lining of her jaw.
He leaned down as his grip tightened. Lily began to squirm under him, but he didn't care. His lips lowered until they reached her ear. Her voice sobbed as she begged him to stop. James only squeezed harder, choking out her air.
"You had this coming… mudblood." James spat, his breath hot against her neck. He pulled his head back, staring down at Lily. Her eyes screamed as tears began to run down the sides. James laughed like he hadn't in years.
With his full strength, James pressed against Lily's throat. Her grip of his wrists began to loosen and her legs grew still. He watched as her eyes slowly glossed over and the light began to drain. Her arms slumped to the side with a heavy thump. Then she was gone.
James smiled.
He awoke in a panic. James sat up quickly, scratching at his hair relentlessly. His breathing was labored. Sweat dripped down his forehead, down his neck.
He shook his head back and forth. This couldn't be happening, not again. It was too often for it to coincidental at this point. Every night since he arrived in the cell he dreamt of Lily's murder, always at his hands.
James let out a long held breath, running both hands through his hair. Why was this happening? His eyes scanned the floors repeatedly, not knowing whether to remain still or bang his head against the wall.
He couldn't put it together but he knew it connected with the night he attacked Lily. He raised a hand to her, he shook her… he frightened her.
James couldn't understand why he had done that. He was angry, he was full of sorrow and remorse but never in a million years would he have laid a hand to her. He always believed he was a better man than that. He hoped he was a better man than most.
That night, Lily had stressed that it wasn't him. That whatever actions he had weren't to be held on James' account. That's how she knew the death eaters were there, in the fields. It made no sense.
But James was sure they had to be connected, the dreams and his behavior that night; both so out of character, both haunting him in the same way.
James rested his head against the wall, turning to face the door for a brief moment. He knew Lucius would return soon. He always came, every day, asking about that damn map.
It wasn't hard to figure out why he wanted it. It was a direct path to all of the muggleborns in the castle. They would all be slaughtered and the death eaters wouldn't even manage a sweat.
But it was Remus who held the map and Remus was rather clever. He could easily outwit Lucius, if not that than at least he could throw in a good witty comment about Malfoy's ridiculously long hair.
James smiled for a moment and he felt his lips crack. They bled and he tasted blood. He didn't care much, it wasn't the first time it had busted within the last few days. James raised a hand to his mouth, touching the broken lip. He pulled his finger back, staring at the blood atop his skin.
James' eyes fell into an emotionless state and he dropped his hand. He smeared the blood against the floor, as he stared endlessly at the wall across the room until his exhaustion took hold and he collapsed.
Lily
Her head perked up immediately as the bulky metal door creaked. The sound was deafening, high and strong in her ears. One by one she could hear the locks unlatch. There must have been over thirty separate locks before the final one rang.
Lily scrambled to her feet. Her heart began to race, her palms sweaty.
One mud covered boot stepped through the door, then another. It was Zale. The large, scruffy twenty something, walked slowly towards her, grinning. In his hands, he carried a long metal chain. The metal chinked together as his gravity shifted.
Lily's eyes were fixed. She stared at the chain. On the end was a pair of handcuffs that were rusted and covered in a sheet of blood. She closed her mind off to who could have possibly worn them before her.
Zale smiled. "Hands"
Lily just stared at him, almost unable to think. He was the first person she had seen in days. He certainly wasn't the friendly face she was after.
"Give me your hands, girl." Zale reached forward, snatching Lily's arm. Forcefully he wrapped the cuffs around her wrists. She could feel the dried blood against her skin. A few sheets peeled off and fell to the concrete like feathers.
Zale pulled on the chain, dragging Lily towards the center of the room. Her arms sprang her forward, nearly toppling her to the ground.
He pulled out his wand, aiming it at the opposite end of the chain. He whispered an incantation, and suddenly the rusted metal began to melt, forming to the cement floor. It hardened again and suddenly the room felt even smaller.
Zale lifted his head, grinning.
"What the hell was that for?" Lily spat, holding her hands close to her chest. The metal was already digging into her skin. "I haven't done anything!"
"The Dark Lord wishes to keep you safe and sound." Zale hissed. He turned his back and walked out the door, but he left it open. The door was still… open.
Lily began to walk towards it. She was nearly two feet from the opening when she felt the tug on her wrists. Only a few feet from the exit with a wide open door and she was still trapped.
But then she heard a voice, a familiar voice… small and timid. Lily gasped, bringing her hands to her mouth, shutting it in case she screamed. It was impossible. But that voice was not easily mistaken; she had heard it so many times before.
Lily stepped back as the boy climbed through the door frame, carrying her daily meal in his shaking hands. Now, it was certain.
It was strange, how undeniably clean he was, though his hair was out of sorts. He stared at the ground as he walked slowly towards the redhead, tripping over his own feet. Without a word he placed the meal on the floor in front of her. Lily stared, speechless.
It took some time for Lily to find her words. "Peter…?"
His eyes bolted up, terrified. "Y-yes, hello Lily."
She couldn't fathom it. Warm relief spread through her chest. A wide smile broke across Lily's lips as she darted forward, throwing her chained arms around his neck. Peter stumbled back, unsure of her embrace.
"Oh Peter, it's so good to see you!" Lily exclaimed. She removed her arms from Peter, and grabbed his hands in hers. "Now, quickly before they hear. It'll take some time to find James. The real problem will be breaking him out of whatever they got him stored in… it can't be good, probably much more secure than mine…"
Peter didn't say a word. He bit his bottom lip nervously and clasped his hands behind his back.
"Umm, Peter? We should really hurry this along." She gestured at her wrists, waiting for Peter's incantation. But he remained silent.
He shook his head, stepping back. "I'm sorry, Lily. Really I am." Peter began. "But you must understand… Lord Voldemort is… rather persuasive."
Suddenly, Lily felt her stomach drop. Her heart rate increased, and she couldn't feel the legs she stood upon. Her knees gave way. Peter jetted forward and grasped Lily around the waist, pulling her back to her feet.
She stared at him for a moment as he let go, making sure she would stand on her own. There had to be a mistake. This wasn't Peter Pettigrew. It couldn't be.
"Peter, please… see reason. James and I, and Sirius… we'll protect you. Whatever Voldemort has over you…" Lily could hardly find the courage to form words. She could feel her voice cracking.
"I wish things were different, Lily… really I do. But I had to tell them where you were, you see? They were going to kill me…" Peter said, reaching forward for some kind of comfort from Lily. She pulled back, the metal chains swinging against her legs.
"James trusted you... He trusted you with his life…with both our lives!" Her voice screeched and Peter's eyes bolted wide. Anger began to boil inside of Lily. She couldn't see straight, but she was able to make out Peter stumbling backwards in fear. "How could you betray him!? He was your friend!"
Peter folded his hands together, twiddling his thumbs. Beads of sweat raced down his forehead. "I-if Prongs was in my s-situation, h-he w-would have…"
"He would have rather died than do the same to you!" Lily spat. "You turned him over for slaughter!" Her breathing was labored and incredibly heavily. She paused, waiting for Peter to defend himself again, but he didn't.
He looked up at Lily, whose cheeks were flushed as red as her hair. He offered a soft smile and pulled together as much strength in his voice that he could manage. "I have to go now. I'll see you again, Lily."
She watched as Peter turned his back and made his way out the door, closing it behind and securing the locks. The second the last lock screamed out its final click, Lily dropped to her knees.
Her tears finally dried hours later.
James
Suddenly, James awoke in cold sweat. It happened again. Slowly, his breathing came back to a normal pace and his heart rate lowered. James pressed his face into his palms, shaking his head back and forth.
"Rough night?"
James' head perked up. Lucius Malfoy stood in the doorway, an agitated smile across his lips. James turned his back, remaining silent.
Lucius chuckled, closing the door behind him. "I suppose you're a bit distraught over these dreams you've been having…am I close?"
James kept his eyes glued to the floor, but his heart pounded in his chest.
"No that's fine. No need to speak. You can just listen." Lucius began to pace around the room, twirling his wand in his fingers. "I bet it's difficult; killing Lily Evans every night as you sleep. I'm sure that's hard to wake up to, isn't it?"
"Shut up." James spat, his voice almost too quiet to hear.
"You think about it a lot, don't you? You are capable of it, you know. That night, when we first captured you in the fields… you thought about it…"
"No!"
"…even for just a moment…"
"I wouldn't…"
"Maybe not on your own." Lucius admitted.
This caught James' attention. He stumbled quickly to his feet, watching as Lucius continued pacing around the room.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
"You really think you gained all that anger and power on your own?" Lucius laughed. "Please. We were watching you long before you spotted us."
Lucius turned to James, looking for a reaction where there was none. He kept a straight face though underneath he could feel his heart exploding. Lucius shrugged.
"You see, we were testing a theory. Our men have been working on… how should I put this? …an enchantment. As you chased Evans out of the cabin, I cast a considerably weak version of it onto you."
And then James' heart stopped. Lily was right, it wasn't entirely him. But somehow, the knowledge didn't make him feel any better.
"The enchantment is being tested further as we speak and it's growing more powerful with each passing minute." Lucius grinned, staring back at James. "Imagine what it will do once it is complete. In the first stages of testing it managed to turn you against the woman you loved for seven years. So… it wore off rather quickly, we're working on that. No, it will be much stronger than before. Next time, you won't just dream of killing, Potter."
James took a step forward, his stance weakening. "What are you talking about?" Of course, James knew exactly what Lucius meant… what they wanted him for, why the death eaters kidnapped James as well.
Lucius turned his back, beginning to walk towards the door. He paused at the frame, shaking his head, a victorious smile spreading across his thin lips. "We are going to turn you into our soldier, Potter. Say goodbye to your free will, you won't have it for much longer."
There it is, about 3,000 words which is like half of what I normally have. But I'm stuck in a block and I wanted to get something out for you guys.
thanks for reading and I hoped you enjoyed it. Please leave a review, it really helps motivate me!
xoxo
Kasey
