A/N: If you haven't checked out 'Mischief' yet and you like this story… you should. (:
P.S., DON'T HATE ME FOR THE GAY JOKE, OKAY? IT HAD TO HAPPEN. And it's not that bad. :P
50 galleons says you can't guess what book I refer to throughout this whole chapter. ;) (WITHOUT looking it up.)
SORRY IT'S BEEN SO LONG! This originally was two separate chapters but I figured since I kept you waiting for so long, I'd just pull it into one. (: Enjoy thissss';
"Why would he tell us to come here?" Peter squeaked.
They'd gotten an owl from Dumbledore telling them to come to The Leaky Cauldron immediately. They quietness of the usually chatty pub/inn made Lily uneasy.
"He wouldn't," Sirius said pulling his wand out as they entered the back hallway. Room 307; that's where they were told to go.
"Then, why are we here?" Peter squeaked again.
"We can't bloody let it pass, can we Petey?" James said, though he kept his grip on Lily's elbow tight and his eyes alert.
He knew she could take care of herself, but he couldn't stop himself from being protective.
"Ouch, that was my foot, you prick." James said hitting Sirius.
"Really?" Sirius retorted, "I thought it was your face-"
"-you're pushing it-"
"-you're-"
"Oi!" Remus yelled, "Stop crying over spilt butter beer and focus!"
Sirius snorted loudly and pointed his wand at the lamp on the wall, "Lumos maxima."
The room lit up and instantly six wands were on them. James pulled Lily behind him and she leaned sideways around him.
"Sneak attack, very brave." Sirius muttered.
"Wands down," Someone behind a wretched looking skeletal mask said. He took a few steps forward as to separate himself from the others. His hands were behind his back, he seemed calm.
Sirius moved his wand to the figure but he got hit with a curse that made him fall on his back and thrash about. Lily screamed and dropped down to her knees beside him. She tried to support his head but he wouldn't stay still.
The head Death Eater tensed visually to Lily, but no one else seemed to notice. Then he yelled, "wands down—all of you!"
James lowered his wand, as did the others. "What do you want?" He asked the figure.
"To…talk…of course."
"I'm not very comfortable talking to a mask-"
"And we're not saying anything until you remove this curse from Sirius!" Lily added.
The Ring Leader snapped and the Death Eater waved his wand, Sirius instantly relaxed. Though he was sweating and his nose was bleeding. He opened his eyes slowly.
It was silent for a moment, Lily couldn't quite tell but she was almost certain the head Death Eater was watching Sirius.
"The mask," James said through his teeth.
The Death Eater just touched his face and it turned to smoke, revealing Regulus Black. Lily gasped and James raised his wand again, "you!"
Lily stood up, helping Sirius to his feet. He leaned on her for support. Regulus didn't look any of them in the eyes, almost as if he didn't want to say what he was being forced it.
"The Dark Lord is recruiting you. He thinks your power is eminent and you will do great things under him."
James snorted, "You hear that Padfoot? The Dark Lord thinks we'll do great things under him."
Sirius, who was still leaning on Lily, blood flowing freely from his nose. "Bloody queer." He shook his head, "What has the world come to, Prongsie? First Grind-the-wall, now Moldy. Mm, they just want-"
"Enough!" a Death Eater said loudly. He stepped forward, touching his mask, and revealing Lucius Malfoy.
"I don't think it is enough, actually, I just can't seem to get sick of it." James said, "How about you, Moony? Wormtail?"
Though Peter retreated, Remus raised an eyebrow, not taking his eyes off Lucius. "Yea, Tastes so sweet, Prongs."
"You know, I think I might just have another slic-"
"Your smart mouth," Lucius said taking a step forward, "Is going to get you killed."
James' face grew dark, he spoke slow and low, "You hair wants cutting."
Lucius snarled and fired a shot, James dodged it. Lily gasped and fired a hex that hit Lucius square in between the legs.
He keeled over, turning green. Remus laughed loudly. A jet of green light flew right by Lily's head, missing by centimeters. Three wands (James, Sirius, and Remus) all fired at the guy who shot it with so much force he was blasted through the wall.
Several curses blew around them, one hit James on the hand, another made a gash on Lily's cheek, and another hit Sirius on the forehead.
Lily grabbed onto James, put Sirius' steadily weakening hand on her shoulder, and grabbed Remus who already had hold of Peter. She turned on the spot, being sucked into darkness as the whole place came down.
The crashed in a pile on the carpet in their flat. James was the first to jump up. He gently, but quickly, helped Lily up. He examined the gash on her cheek, his eyes full of torment.
"Are you okay? Does it hurt?"
Lily smiled, "James, I'm fine." She took his hand and cradled it. It was oddly distorted looking.
"I think your thumb and middle finger and dislocated. Go wash it off so I can reset it."
He cringed but did as he was told. Sirius groaned loudly, sitting up, "What the hell happened to me out there? I've never fought so horrible in my life."
"It was the cerebrale se tordre," Lily said, kneeling down and pushing him back to lying down.
"The what?" All of them asked in unison.
Lily laughed, "The curse he shot at you. It's called the cerebrale se tordre. It's supposed to weaken your opponent by causing them to writh. Basically like a seizure. You bang your head on the floor so hard it causes one of three things:"
"Self-stupefy, knocked-out, or death?" Sirius asked casually.
Lily nodded, "Any way it goes, you're confunding yourself, giving yourself a concussion. I recognized the word from something Severus used to play with." She rolled her eyes, "That's why I held your head."
"Thanks, Flower," he said curtly, "Good lookin' out, Mrs. Prongs."
Lily smiled, "How are you feeling?"
"Can I explain it in depth?"
Lily laughed, knowing he just wanted to hear her laugh.
'Lily laughed loudly as James and Sirius waltz around their living room, singing some old Scottish folk song about finally finding a lost love after 'many trouble years a-searching.'
They dropped down on either side of her; "You have the best laugh, you know?" Sirius said, "Oi, Prongs, Mrs. Prongs has the best laugh, you know?"
James grinned, grabbing Lily's chin and making her look at him, "No Paddy; You've got it wrong; She's just plain the best thing there ever was."
Lily grinned and he kissing her before releasing her chin.
"But yes, Padfoot," he said business-like, "I do know she has the best laugh. In fact, I thrive off of said laugh. You should do the same, we could use more Lily laughter around here."
"It makes everything better, I bet." Sirius noted, he put his hand on James shoulder as if consoling him, "Your tooth fell out? I can fix it; Make Lily laugh!"
They stood and James, in turn, put his hand on Sirius' other shoulder, "You got hexed for hitting on James Potter's wife?" He said to Sirius, "I can fix it, make Lily laugh!"
"Your flowers' are dying?" Sirius asked, his mouth open in shock, "Sure sucks for you."
Then he and James said together, "Make Lily laugh!"'
"I'd love to hear it," Lily smiled down at him.
"Well my nose feels like someone shoved broken glass up it. This," He gestured to the gash on his forehead, "feels like I got slashed by a raving hippogriff. My stomach feels like I just had one of James' gruesome ten hour Quidditch practices-"
"-they were never ten hours!" James yelled from in the kitchen.
Lily laughed as Sirius ignored him, continuing, He lifted up his shirt to reveal a quite large bruise that went over his ribs and down his side. It was steadily turning purple. Lily assumed he had some cracked ribs as well, "This here feels like a giant treaded on it."
Lily laughed and put her hand on his shoulder. She stood up and walked into the kitchen, James and Remus were arguing over how to suture James' hand. Remus grabbed it and James yelped, falling to his knees in pain.
"I've got it," Lily said taking James' hand gently into hers.
"Here," she said, handing Remus the blue bottle off the shelf. "Go put this on Sirius' injuries, and then yours if you have any. Peter as well."
Remus nodded, "Dittany." Lily nodded smiling.
"Okay," She said to James, "This is going to hurt."
"Couldn't be worse than what Remus-" he yelled out in pain as Lily reset the bones in his hand. She wrapped up his hand carefully and looked up at him, "There." It had only taken two minutes in whole.
He breathed and kissed her forehead, "Thank you, now let me-"
"Wait," Lily said, she grabbed the bandage off the counter and walking into the living room, Sirius was all cleaned up except for the bruises on his ribs.
Lily wrapped the bandage around him carefully. Once she was done she fell back onto the couch, exhausted.
James sat beside her, the bottle of Dittany in his hand. He pulled the stopper out and touched it to her cheek. Lily felt her skin tighten there and laugh quietly. She'd forgotten all about her wounds in taking care of everyone else.
James touched a wet rag to her face, wiping off the dried blood. Lily smiled at him. She breathed normally for the first time since the entered the Leaky Cauldron.
"Hey beautiful," James said quietly as Lily crawled into bed with him.
"Hi," She smiled, "How's your hand?" She asked, examining it.
James grinned, "So healer training's going well then?"
Lily rolled her eyes but smiled.
"How's Padfoot?" James asked, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear.
"He's still in pain, but better." Lily moved closer to him.
"I was so scared, James." She whispered, "I thought we were going to die back there."
"You shouldn't be scared of dying," he whispered back.
"I'm not scared of dying…I'm scared of losing one of you."
He hugged her close, his chin on top of her head. He whispered to her, "I saw Sirius fall and it scared me, but I knew he'd make it…but when I saw that killing curse almost hit you, I lost it."
He shook his head, "I don't know what I'd do if I lost you."
Lily closed her eyes and kissed him. He kissed her back and it was passionate and sweet. The warmth of his hands finding bare skin underneath her shirt made her wrap her arms around his back and pull him as closer as she could get. Not once breaking their locked lips.
Lily screamed as an invisible rope tied around her and yanked her backwards onto an empty shop. She'd been walking down a lonely London street when it happened. She always took this street home after healer training. Normally she apparated but for reasons, not otherwise specified, she couldn't.
She thrashed about and yanked but the invisible ropes only pulled tighter, now turning into cold metal chains. She felt herself losing breathe, almost certain she was going to die now. She thought of James, Remus, Sirius, Petunia, her parents, Peter, Lacey, she even thought of Severus and Jonathon. Everyone she'd ever loved flew through her mind like pictures from a story book-
"Oi! Get those off her!" said a familiar male voice.
"She's turning purple,- oh Merlin, she's bleeding," said a slightly less recognizable female voice.
There was a noise that sounded like a slap and the female said, "Remove them, Lucius, now."
Suddenly she could breathe. Her arms fell limp, legs relaxed, and she laid there. Unmoving, she could feel blood coming from her neck and matting into her hair.
"Is she dead?" the female asked quietly.
"No- no, she can't be." Said the familiar male.
"Sure I can," Lily said opening her eyes and sitting up. She tried her hardest to mask the pain. Her every bone ached and creaked with every move she made. She knew she couldn't fight them, couldn't even try too. But she still found herself taunting anyway;
"What do you want?" She asked coldly, looking up into the pale faces of Severus Snape and Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy.
"You," Lucius grinned.
Lily gagged and Severus rolled his eyes, "The Dark Lord wishes to recruit you. He thinks-"
"-I'll do great things underneath him. I know, I know. And the answer…is still no."
Lily blinked as Snape stood there his hands behind his back, his face blank. "You look so professional, Sev."
She tilted her head as he cringed at the long lost nickname. "Lily-"
"The answer's no." she laid back, putting her hands behind her head, "So, you going to kill me or not?"
Lucius raised his wand, "No!" Severus stopped him, "You will not harm her anymore."
Lucius scowled, but lowered his wand.
"I'm not joining," Lily said, "So isn't your only choice to kill me?"
No one said anything, so Lily stood.
"If you're not going to kill me," she said, feeling the burn as she took a step backwards, "I think I'll be going."
Lily turned and walked to the door, her muscles crying out as she did so, but she refused to let it show.
"You're not going anywhe-" was the last thing she heard before everything went black.
James. She thought of James. James and only James. She could've sworn she heard him calling her name. At first it seemed like he was yelling it, from a long distance away. But then it got softer, quiet. And then suddenly it sounded like he was whispering in her ear. Softly, desperately.
He pleaded with her and she wanted so badly to reach out and touch him. But she couldn't find him, couldn't escape the darkness. Couldn't breathe without getting cold air on the back of her throat. She wanted to sit up, to move around, but she felt chained down.
To what, she wasn't sure. But whatever it was, was itchy and cold, but warm at the same time. She pictured James in her mind and willed herself to find him. Pleaded with her own eyes to open. Her legs to move. Her fingers to twitch, something, anything to let him know she was there, and she was okay.
The blackness whirled and swirled, as if she were falling down a hole. Lily watched as it mixed with white until suddenly everything was white. It burned her eyes. She blinked trying to get them not to burn. They watered so bad if you saw her she looked like she was crying.
Finally her eyes focused on the light above her head. The whiteness had been the fluorescents of St. Mungo's hospital. Lily wiggled a little, finally able to move, but scared for the pain that never came. She let out a quiet breathe. Thank Merlin for magical remedies.
Someone was holding onto her hand tightly, their palms warm. Lily looked down to see James in the chair beside her bed. He hand her hand in both of his, her palm to his lips. His eyes were closed, his glasses pushed up into his hair. He looked pale, tired.
Lily smiled at the sight of him. She looked around the room and saw that he was the only one here. So she reached over and put his glasses on his face the right way. His eyes popped open and he squeezed her hand, "Lily," he whispered sounding relieved.
She smiled, "Hi you," her voice croaked and cracked and she laughed wondering how long she'd been asleep.
He leaned up and kissed her softly before sitting on the very edge of his chair. He still held onto her hand but she laced her fingers through his.
"I love you," he said, his eyes hungrily boring into hers. As if he couldn't get enough of the color.
"I love you," she nodded quietly.
She reached over and ran her hand through his hair. Then she moved over on her bed and pat the empty space for him to lay with her. He moved next to her, pulling his arms around her.
She leaned her forehead against his, staring into his beautiful hazel eyes.
"I was so scared, Lily." He whispered. It was barely loud enough for her to hear. She knew it was hard for him to confess this. He always had to feel like the strong one. He found it weak to admit to your fears. But who better to confine them in than his beloved?
She put her free hand on his cheek, keeping silent.
"I thought I'd really lost you this time," she whispered desperately. "They called me Wednesday night and said someone had brought you here, said they would've give their name or show their face, but they said to call James Potter. Apparently they told them if you died so would they."
Lily closed her eyes, "It was Severus."
James tightened his grip on her slightly, "Can you…tell me what happened?"
Lily cleared her throat, something she hadn't done in quite some time, "Do you really want to know?"
James nodded slowly and Lily exhaled, keeping her eyes closed, "I was walking home from training. Normally, you know I apparate, but I apparated to training that morning and it made me nearly faint with nausea, so I just decided to walk. I doing just that when I got pulled into an empty shop." She shook her head, "It was Snape, Narcissa, and Lucius Malfoy."
Lily could feel James' balled fists behind her back. "James," she said quietly, putting her hands on his chest, "Please."
He relaxed slightly and sighed, "I guess I should thank the bloody git, shouldn't I?"
Lily shrugged, "I wouldn't have needed saving if he hadn't tried to recruit me again."
James smiled and ran his index finger down the length of her cheek.
"Promise me something." Lily said quietly.
"Anything," James said, just as quiet.
"Don't ever give up."
James narrowed his eyes at her, "I never do, but…what's this about?"
Lily closed her eyes again, as if ashamed, "I was ready to give up…I just let it happen. I walked, I didn't run."
James ran his fingers through his hair, soothing her, "I love you, Lily, you were so brave. Don't think you were. It was an unfair fight. It was three against one because they all knew you could take them."
Lily smiled a little, "But then I heard your voice. – I heard you calling me, screaming my name, pleading with me…you sounded so far off but I willed myself to find you. Find you and make it stop."
James kissed her, "It was when I first got you. I started freaking out…Sirius had to hold me down to stop be from attacking some poor kid that just happened to be wearing a black hood."
Lily laughed quietly, "I love you."
"And I love you," he kissed her forehead then.
There was a soft knock on the door before it creaked open. Lily looked up to see her parents walking in the room, "Oh, Lily, thank god!" They ran over and hugged her tightly, a very pregnant Petunia Dursley close behind them.
James slid off the bed, back into his chair, but held tight to her hand. And then everyone piled into the room. Sirius, Remus, Peter, Albus, Lacey, Mary, even Vernon Dursley was trailing behind, looking very out of place.
"Lily, we were all so worried!" Mary cried.
"Yea, we thought you were a goner," Remus said.
"How the hell would we survive without her?" Sirius asked Peter, his eyes wide. Which made Lily laugh. She'd never felt so much love in her entire life, she was almost bubbling over.
It was late when a nurse finally came in and told everyone visiting hours were over.
"We'll be back here first thing in the morning, okay? I promise." Her mother was saying. Lily smiled and kissed her hand, "I love you, mummy."
She smile and stroked her daughters head before leaving with her husband. Petunia hugged Lily, "Feel better, flower."
Lily smiled, "Are you going to have that baby anytime soon?"
Petunia laughed, "Yes. Very soon."
Lily grinned and waved as they left. She then turned to her Marauder's. "I'm not leaving," James said matter-of-factly.
Lily laughed, "Oh, I'm not letting you leave."
She hugged Sirius, Remus, and Peter and told them she'd seem them soon before James kissed her on the cheek and told her he'd be right back. She walked back to her room, a smile on her face.
The nurse who normally trained her, called Penny, was waiting for her in her room. She smiled at her, "How are you feeling?"
Lily thought about it for a moment, "Okay, actually."
She nodded, "That's really good."
"Hey, I have a question," Lily said, sitting down on her hospital bed, "Why…was I in so much pain from the ropes? Where they cursed or something?"
The nurse smiled sweetly, "No, you had some aches and pains because they tried to squeeze the life out of a girl who is-"