Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations all characters find themselves in. Thanks for reading and hope you enjoy this latest chapter.

In The Aftermath

The Death Eaters all made various sounds of disappointment and cursed as soon as they saw Jamie get on to his four feet without much difficulty inside of the magical serpent. Where they couldn't touch him. Turning their attention back to the white haired man walking towards them the three had to remind themselves that the man wasn't real, the dark intent in the man's amber eyes as fierce and deadly as Bellatrix's.

"It's Wren." Lily told the others with a grin. "Or it looks like him."

So this was Wren, Sirius thought as he looked over the taller, more muscled, older and definitely not girlie man. That Sirius felt a spurt of jealousy and intense dislike was as unexpected as the Wren guy's strange ability to avoid the blows the Death Eaters had delivered towards him.

And all six of them move in close to watch Wren face off against the Death Eaters.

The man who really wasn't there had a voice that was ice cold and venomous. "I don't know who you are or what's going on here, but my advice to you is to start running and keeping running. Because when I find you I'm going to crucify you to the ground and rip you open one vein at a time. You have my word on it. So start running."

And warning made the image of Wren started walking towards Hiss.

"He really meant that." Remus said slowly, shocked dumb as he watched the man leave the Death Eaters momentarily speechless. People probably didn't threaten them often. The role reversal had stunned them.

"And he's a teacher." James added.

Everyone wanted to hear what the image said to Jamie, so the group of observers hurried after the figure to watch him slip through Hiss like the serpent wasn't even there.

Jamie, back in human form but still a girl, looked up at Wren with stark adoration. "I so want to have your adopted babies right now."

Crouching down so that he was on eye level with Jamie Wren's voice was softer, but no less commanding and in charge. "You will stay inside of Hiss until help arrives. You will not mouth off, make faces, or antagonize whoever's hurt you in any way. You will keep your smart mouth shut or I will turn you over my knee and tan your ass raw." The man who was but wasn't Wren reached out and placed a finger over Jamie's opening mouth. "And no, it could not be fun, James. I would make sure it wasn't the least bit fun for you." Removing his finger Wren swiped a hand over Jamie's hair, his hand going slightly through the red strands. "And you better not be dead, James, or so help me I will go up to heaven and drag you back down to earth and then kick your ass for causing me a moment's upset."

"Damn but you're so hot when you're yelling at me."

"Behave."

And with that the image faded and a white rock dropped into Jamie's open hand.

"I always wondered what this did." Sticking the rock Wren had given him a couple years ago back into his pouch Jamie pointed his wand at it, commanding his First Aid kit to come out. When a large, briefcase sized case came out it landed on the ground with a thud, opening to reveal various compartments full of the standards and extras he'd never had to use but kept on hand anyway.

Schooling his features and ignoring the pains that were making themselves known now that he wasn't distracted by his former man's outrageous sex appeal, Jamie shuffled over to kneel beside the woman clutching her daughter to her. "Hi, you can call me James. Obviously that's my last name, I don't go by my first because my evil mother, who claims to love me, stuck me with a first name no girl should ever have forced upon her. Where are you hurt beside your leg, it's broken, isn't it? Your little girl is okay?"

The woman shuddered, obviously doing her best to keep it together. "Leg's the worst. The rest is minor. She's okay now…now that that…that woman isn't hurting her." She finished, looking out towards the house where the Death Eaters had gone to retrieve the Death Eater she'd incapacitated earlier.

"Okay then." Retrieving a vial from the kit Jamie popped the cork and then leaned in to place it against the woman's lips. "This will numb your body. You'll feel weird, but at least you won't be hurting…physically." Jamie said softly, knowing there was nothing he could do for the woman emotionally. She was in shock, blocking everything out so that she could remain functioning for her daughter's sake. It was only a matter of time until she broke, so all he could do was keep her as calm and focused on him and her daughter as he could. "I'm going to look at your leg now. See how bad it is. I'm sorry that it will hurt." There was no point in pretending otherwise. Carefully slicing open the bottom of the pants Jamie then reached down to tear the pants up to her knee, separating the material with a wince. "It's a bad break. Multiples."

"I made it worse…running on it."

Jamie nodded. "That would do it. And I speak from experience. Hence my Gran purchases me the mother of all First Aid kits. My perchance for self injury also caused me to learn how to repair broken bones, which I will now demonstrate."

)

The memory ended then as Aurors had arrived on the scene while Jamie was healing the woman's broken leg and the Death Eaters were apparating out of the back of the house after sending the Dark Mark into the sky. There was no point in showing that so the six left the control of the Pensieve, standing around it while they all absorbed what they'd just witnessed. They were all sick to their stomachs, though the older men hid it well having seen such things before and even worse. Much worse. But the same could not be said for the usually loud and rambunctious teenagers. Now they were dead quiet and pale, without any signs of their usual animation.

"You're going after them? Bella and Rodolphus?" Sirius asked the Auror, already expecting the answer to be no.

"We'd have to find them first. And we just have your redhead's word as to who they are. And she's not talking much at the moment, took that other guy's words to heart apparently. Arrgon couldn't positively id any of them." Moody gave the teens a look that said he thought they were as naive as hell if they thought his job was that easy. "Most of your dangerous relations don't show up on the radar of anyone they aren't in the process of torturing or killing now, Black."

James glared at the man as he put a hand on Sirius's shoulder, Remus moving to do the same on the other side. Lily stayed glued against James's side, also giving the Auror a dark look for his phrasing.

"So my redhead is still at St. Mungos?" Dumbledore asked, turning attention over to him and Jamie.

Moody gave the headmaster a dark look of his own. "Aye. And she'll be given her opportunity to slip out from under our guard. It's been arranged. Shacklebolt and I will take the heat. She said to tell you she'll be holding up in London until Sunday night."

Not surprised Dumbledore nodded his head. "I thought as much. Good. Thank you, Alistar."

"So I can't go to St. Mungos to take care of Ja-our friend?" Lily asked, just catching herself as she remembered that they were keeping Jamie's identity a secret even from Moody. Though apparently Jamie was actually short for James, something she would have found interesting and weird under different circumstances. "We won't know where our redhead is this weekend."

Moody chuckled, the sound rough and darkly amused. "According to her she's going to Purgatory tonight. I doubt you wanna go there, Missy."

Lily's brows furrowed as she processed that, trying to understand why Jamie would say he would be going to the existence between Heaven and Hell. It made no sense. Jamie wasn't going to die after all. Was he in so much pain, physically and mentally, that he thought his weekend was going to be like living in Purgatory? But that didn't sound like Jamie, and something was teasing the back of her mind, something that had to do with another possible meaning for the name Purgatory. Darn, it was really going to bug her until she remembered what that other possibility was.

"Now that you four have seen what happened to Jamie and her current physical condition it's time for you to head out. I have some things to discuss that are not for your ears, and you must respect that." Dumbledore added, knowing they wouldn't appreciate being treated like children.

But for once they didn't argue with him. They'd all learned more than enough for the day. They said their quiet good byes and left without protest.

)

It was four in the afternoon when Lily realized what her memory had been slyly taunting her with since Moody had said that Jamie was planning to go to Purgatory that night. Of course the place she was thinking of might not be where he was going, but in her gut the Gryffindor felt a growing certainty that she did know where Purgatory was and that she did want to go there. Jamie had no business going there in his current condition and he needed someone to take care of him, Lily thought darkly, already planning to lecture the man something serious. And Jamie would be a him by now, probably. So she would just have to fetch him from Purgatory and take him home with her to her mum's, Lily decided as she changed direction since she'd have to sign herself out of school before she could leave.

Mentally making a list of all the things she had to do before she left Hogwarts Lily felt better than she had all day.

She was going to find Jamie, she was sure of it.

After arranging for her departure home Lily told a couple of her friends to tell James and the boys where she was going, knowing that they'd insist on coming with her if she told them herself. Jamie would not want to see Sirius while he was down and out and her boyfriend and Jamie didn't always get along. Jamie had been hurt and needed to be in a peaceful environment.

Which was just one of the many reasons he had no business going to Purgatory, she silently fumed.

Purgatory, or at least the Purgatory she thought Jamie had meant, was a London club. A Muggle club that was said to cater to outsiders and misfits who weren't comfortable in the more mainstream clubs and bars London had to offer. She'd also heard that it was considered a hangout for men who preferred other men. It was the only club she knew of with that reputation.

Ironically she'd heard about it from Petunia, who had planned to go with some friends to protest the club's existence and call for it to be shut down. Then her little sister had realized that she'd have to actually stand outside the club and had backed out right quick.

Typical Tuney.

)

Once she arrived in London Lily went home and hung out there for a little while since it only made sense that Jamie would wait until the club was hopping before he'd show up. And she wasn't stupid, it wouldn't be smart for her to go to the club and wait for him to arrive. That section of the city wasn't exactly friendly, and she had no doubt she'd stick out there like a sore thumb. And she definitely couldn't go there with her mother, and she didn't have any male friends or acquaintances she couldn't be sure wouldn't rat her out to Tuney or her mother. Because if her mother found out she'd be grounded until…well her mother really couldn't ground her anymore, but there would be serious repercussions.

So at ten that night, which seemed like a reasonable time to her, Lily apparated herself to a street near her destination and then carefully consulted her map as to where to go. Luckily the club had originally been a well known pub before the area had fallen on hard times, otherwise she'd have had no idea where to go. Keeping her eyes open and her hand on the wand she had in her coat pocket Lily made her way past the shady looking buildings and people to the club.

It wasn't that busy outside yet, and Lily wasn't quite sure what to make of the fact that she wasn't even carded, which peeved her off a little since she'd worked hard to make hers club acceptable. The way the bouncer leered at her gave her the creeps though, so that she was more than eager to get her butt inside and away from him.

Walking through Lily noted that black walls had been put up on either side to form a short, narrow passage to the lone door in front of her.

Lily had to take several deep, steadying breaths before she reached out and opened the door, the music and sounds of people sending her stumbling backwards. But gritting her teeth the redhead straightened her shoulders and walked into the crowded main room.

Loud music assaulted her ears so that Lily wished she could cover them, the redhead making her way through the people already there in fits and starts, her innocent eyes going huge as she took in the attire and behavior of the club's clientele. To her left were two men making out, one of them with his hands down the back of the other man's trousers, and to her right was a girl whose skirt was so short Lily couldn't see how the girl could sit without the material ending up around her waist. And in front of her people were dancing together in a way she'd never seen people dance together before.

She felt like she'd walked into a Roman orgie.

Cheeks stained with color Lily flinched when she felt someone grab her arm, turning to see a greasy looking man a few years older than her staring back at her with dark intent in his eyes. "Let me go." She ordered, glaring at him.

The man's response was to try and yank her closer, Lily digging in her heels as she threatened to slap the man silly if he didn't let her go.

"The lady said to let go."

At the sound of the big, booming voice Lily and her unknown attacker turned their heads and then craned them back since the speaker was a huge man that looked like he could take down the Incredible Hulk if he had a mind to. Lily had never seen anyone that big except for Hagrid.

The man who'd grabbed Lily's arm immediately melted back into the crowd, leaving Lily alone to stare up at the man with a mixture of awe and fear.

"What you doing here, little bit?" The man asked as he raised a dark brow, the multicolored lights above shining off his bald head and bare, hugely muscled arms.

Lily stared for several heartbeats more and then raced to answer in a voice that jittered with nerves. "I'm…I'm just here…looking for someone. I won't stay long, I just have to find him. Thank you for helping me, Mister." She added, belatedly remembering her manners.

"The name's Biggs, cause I am. Don't know no Mister." Was the man's amused response. "Now who you looking for, little bit? Can't have you running around in here, you wouldn't get out in one bloody piece. This ain't no place for someone like you."

"I'm looking for my brother." Lily told him, figuring that with their shared hair color she and Jamie could be mistaken for siblings. "He's maybe here and he should be in the hospital and I've come to get him."

A speculative look came into the man's eyes, and he reached out with a hand the size of a turkey platter to finger Lily's hair. "Early twenties, good looking bloke, serious snake tattoo? Got hair like yours?"

Lily beamed at the older man. "That could be Jamie."

Biggs studied her a moment longer and then nodded his head. "I'll take ya to the bar, that's where I seen the guy. Wouldn't have noticed him, but Adonis was after him and not havin much luck."

"Who's Adonis?" Lily asked as she allowed the man to tuck her arm into his, escorting her through the crowd. He was very big, but he had kind eyes, Lily decided. And he had made that creep leave her alone, and he was helping her find Jamie.

"Bartender here. Don't matter what equipment you got, Adonis goes both ways. Course Adonis ain't his real name, they just call him that cause he's such a good looking bastard. He's not the kind of bloke people turn down, which is why your brother caught my attention. He was interested, but he wasn't letting Adonis talk him into going upstairs with him neither."

Lily's brows furrowed as she looked up, noticing that there were multiple doors lining one side of the building. "What's upstairs?"

"Rooms for people to get naked in."

Mouth opening and closing several times Lily's cheeks went as red as her hair as she sputtered out a declaration that of course her brother wasn't going to go upstairs with some guy he'd just met. He wasn't promiscuous.

Obviously amused by her reaction Biggs grinned down at her. "A lot of people aren't till Adonis turns on the charm. But he was resisting when I was over there."

"And he better have kept on resisting or I'm going to be the one tanning his rear end." Was her muttered opinion.