"So, are we ready to leave," Ron asked, his voice seeming a little too loud in the garden. Hermione nodded, unnatural, black hair flying across her face in the wind.

"I'm ready. Harry?" she asked, turning to him. He was already holding his invisibility cloak in one hand. Turning back to look at Shell Cottage, he sighed.

"Yeah. I'm ready." Then he turned away, and without looking back, he put the cloak over him, and then they were gone.

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"James-"

"Don't Remus," he yelled. "I am so-"

"No," Remus shouted, his resolve finally shattering. He was exhausted from the full moon, and while he knew he was being irrational with James, he couldn't help it.

"James, if you go out there, you will be captured or killed. The taboo is up – do you even know what that is?"

"Yes," James said stiffly. He dropped his gaze to his hands, which were fiddling in front of him. James seemed calmer and more likely to actually listen to a rational explanation.

"You need to stay here, James," Remus said. "Bill thinks he can remove the Mark." James looked up at Bill, who nodded in agreement.

"I should be able to. The structure of the spell isn't unique. V – You-Know-Who must have never expected anyone to try and remove it because it certainly isn't that difficult."

"Then do it," James growled, holding up his forearm. Bill looked unpleased with being ordered around, but he was also wise enough to realize that if he didn't, then James would leave. He pulled out his wand, ignoring how James flinched when he dragged it closer to him.

Remus noticed the flinch, and for a moment, he thought of putting a comforting hand on Remus' shoulder. A second later, it hit him how badly that would go over. James did not want Remus to comfort him.

Not now, anyway. In the forest, James had been much more open. However, he had also been at his weakest, considering how he had just woken up.

Bill began to wave his wand in a repetitive pattern over James' arm. Remus recognized the motion of a standard curse-breaking charm. Surely, what Voldemort had done had to be more complicated than that.

Then again, Bill had also said that Voldemort hadn't made it difficult to break. Remus couldn't see the reasoning behind doing that, but Remus couldn't see the reasoning behind killing millions of people, either.

James winced every once in a while, but other than that, he was still. After only a few minutes, Bill changed the wand pattern and began to mutter a spell.

Remus didn't recognize this spell, so he concluded that it was more complicated than the one before it. Bill, however, was moving with practiced ease. It was clear that he had done this spell before.

Another couple of minutes passed before Remus noticed that the Mark was fading slowly. Already, the phoenix wasn't a vibrant red. Also, the tears had stopped dripping from its eyes.

The snake, however, was still dark colored and seemed to not be fading. Bill had closed his eyes as his voice rose in volume. Apparently, the spell did require a little focus.

After a little more than a minute, Bill stopped and set down his wand. It had only been around ten minutes for the entire procedure.

He opened his eyes and looked at James' arm. The phoenix and the tears were gone, but the snake was as vivid as it ever was. Bill was visibly shocked.

"It should be gone," he said, puzzled. "The curse is – I got rid of it." James let out a bitter laugh.

"You were actually thinking that your little spell would work. Voldemort gave me this; if he didn't want it removed, then it never would be," James said. The look in his eyes was near delirious. Remus felt a little sick as he said those words. As much as he knew they weren't meant the same way, they reminded him unpleasantly of when Bellatrix Lestrange gloried in how her master was – in her eyes – unbeatable.

Remus shook his head to dispel the comparison – comparing James to her was both unfair and sickening.

"The spell did work – I'm sure of it," Bill said. "Here, take this." He pulled a wad out of his pocket. Remus recognized it almost immediately.

It was James' wand.

It was the wand that had caused so much mischief at school and had helped the Order.

It was the wand that was lying helpless on the floor next to his supposedly dead body in Godric's Hollow.

It was the wand that had been buried with him; the wand that, finally, got another chance to be wielded by the one who owned it.

"No-" James protested, but Bill took advantage in the fact that he was still holding James' arm.

As soon as the shaft touched his skin, James cringed back, waiting for the sharp, terrible pain to follow.

One minute passed.

Another minute.

James' face had shifted from fear to an undisguised shock. He closed his fingers around the wand resting in his hand and pulled the arm out of Bill's grasp.

"I – I can hold it," he whispered. He looked down at the snake. "You don't control me!" he snarled at it. Remus smiled at his old friend – ignoring the way he was talking to a snake on his arm.

It was great to see the wonder in James' eyes, and it had been worth it.

All that had happened while James was sitting there, having Bill look at his arm was worth the look of amazement that was now in his eyes.

Looking at James, Remus knew that they had won a battle today. James had improved again; yes, the change was small, but it still was a change. Every change was important if James wanted to heal.

Remus promised silently that he would never leave James as long as James tried to heal. He was trying; Remus could see that. James just needed help, and Remus would be the one to help him.

James had fallen silent, staring at his hand and wand. Finally, Bill prompted him.

"James," he said. "Try a spell – something simple." James nodded and help up his wand. Pointing it at a small trinket on a side table, he whispered,

"Wingardium Leviosa." The trinket – it was a small sea shell – floated an inch or two off of the table. James' face began to split in a huge smile – something that resembled what he looked like when he was younger.

Then the happiness shattered. James suddenly gasped and doubled over, holding his arm tightly. The shell fell back to the table with a harsh clang, putting a small crack in the glass.

"James," Remus cried. He grabbed his friend's shoulder, and at the touch, James straightened. He loosened his grip on his arm and held it out before him. The dark snake that had been still was now moving and writhing.

James' breaths were coming out in harsh gasps, and it was clear by the way that his muscles in his arm and hard were spasming that he was in a lot of pain. Remus watched as the snake twisted around. Like a terrible vivid picture, the snake opened its mouth – Merlin! It even had fangs – and a skull emerged. The snake twisted around until finally, the snake and the skull became the dark mark.

Underneath of it, stark black words formed.

NEVER FREE

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Hey everyone! Thanks to all my reviewers! Wow! That was more than I was expecting.

Sorry for this chapter being a bit shorter. I really wanted to use that cliffhanger.

So, tell me your thoughts. Please review! I really need a good way to transition into the Final Battle from here.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.