For Love
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.
A/N: I'm writing this while listening to the movie Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief in the background. Haha just a bit of side information. Anyway, this was faster than the last update! *claps excitedly* Oh, and by the way, I'll be replying to reviews from previous chapters by PM now.
And 141 REVIEWS? Thank you so much, I love you all!
SuperiorMe: I think that this chapter has some that in store. ;)
Chica: Of course I'll answer you! I answer every review I get. :D Yes, that's true, and also Lily, but you see, she's unconscious. ;) Haha but it'll work out.
Guest: Was this fast enough? :D
Shaaz: I know, I took way too long. :/ Thanks!
P.S. On a random note, I love the way Kevin McKidd says "Zeus" and then Sean Bean replies "Poseidon". I just love their tones. I'm weird, I know. Anyway, on with the story…
x.o.x.o.x.
Alice is beside Lily and Hilary in a flash, her wand out and casting spells so that they are in a bubble, blocking the Muggles out so that they can't see or hear or sense a thing. Her wand traces patterns in the air over Lily's body as the rest of the travelers stay silent except for the occasional sob or whimper from one of the young women.
Lily lies motionlessly on the hard tile floor of the airport, eyelids shut over the amazing emerald eyes. Her face is pale and she lies in a puddle of scarlet liquid; her blood.
Inside the bubble, the magical beings stay absolutely silent except for Alice running her wand over Lily's body and murmuring incantations, and Hestia joining her, the two Healers holding a quiet conversation.
Finally, after what seems like an eternity of heavy silence, Alice and Hestia rise, grim looks on their faces, to look at the rest of the travelers.
"What? What's going on?" demands Remus, sharper than usual.
Alice looks surprised, but she holds up a hand. "Don't, Remus. Being sharp won't help things." She tosses a worried glance at her husband. "Did any of you hear what curse the Death Eater sent at Lily?" Her voice cracks slightly on the name of her injured best friend.
Everyone shakes their head sadly except James. He had been eerily silent, not even responding to his friends' nudges and jabs. Closing his eyes, he forces himself to relive those last few awful moments. He remembers it clearly and announces hoarsely yet gravely, "Severus Snape" – Hilary hisses at the name – "cursed Lily with Sectumsempra."
As the others gasp and busy themselves talking to each other, Alice and Hestia exchange worried glances, communicating with their eyes.
"I know for a fact that that spell isn't listed in approved use from the Ministry of Magic. How does Snape know the curse?" Hestia asks impatiently.
"He invented it," Sirius says softly. "In our school days."
"Lily was cursed with it once before. Remember? That first day of seventh year, on the Hogwarts Express?" Remus reminds them.
James blanches. Seventh year is a touchy subject for him.
"What happened?" Crystal demands.
"I don't think this is the time to relive that bad memory, Crystal. We have an injured friend on our hands, and we're in a foreign country," snaps Hilary testily.
Crystal glances at her. "What has gotten into you?"
Hilary stands, her face streaked with tears and her Muggle traveling clothes slightly stained with Lily's blood. James moves forward to place a comforting arm around her shoulders, but she glares and shrugs it off.
"My sister is currently unconscious from blood loss in the middle of a strange airport in a foreign country, in which we have no idea as to where any Wizarding hospitals are located," she snaps coldly.
"Be quiet! Lily is injured! And you two are arguing now?" Alice exclaims incredulously. "I'm sure I can find a proper Wizarding hospital someplace. So please, be quiet so I can concentrate!"
"And I think it would be good to relive that memory. Just so we can see the similarities and differences of the times she was cursed," Cassie suggests quietly. She had been silent up to this point.
"I think she's right," Remus agrees.
Flashback
Suddenly the compartment door flies open and reveals the Ravenclaw girl seventh year prefect. "Death Eaters!"
Lily stands quickly, so quickly that her chair falls behind her.
"Quick! They're surrounding the train!" the prefect cries, looking very distressed.
Lily pulls out her wand. "Get all the prefects, but try not to tell any of the Slytherins of this. Tell all the seventh years from other houses.Quickly!"
Remus and Hilary run from the compartment while James draws his wand as well, sending a Patronus into the air. The brilliant stag canters off toward Hogwarts, as quickly as James could muster. Lily had turned from him, waving her wand in complex patterns and muttering foreign words under her breath. Wisps of vapor blow out from her wand, growing into firm shields after floating through the window. Without another word, she runs out and starts performing security charms in every compartment. Suddenly, she is blocked by a trio of Death Eaters masked.
"Well, well, well. What do we have here? A little redheadedMudblood," sneers a female voice.
Lily stiffens at the voice. "Bellatrix," she says curtly, making no move to hex or cure or jinx.
Bellatrix Black Lestrange, however, jabs her wand in Lily's face, not quite making contact. "Howdareyou utter my name with your unworthy Mudblood lips?" she snarls.
"Did Voldemort send you here?" Lily continues, unfazed.
"Don't youdarespeak the Dark Lord's name, filthy Mudblood. Go back where you came from," a silky smooth, malicious voice says from under another mask.
Lily laughs derisively. "What, the Heads' compartment? And itishis name, is it not? Why should I not speak it?"
"Because your lips are unworthy of speaking it," snaps Bellatrix, firing a hex.
"Protego!" screams Lily, blocking the hex and sending another back.
"No you don't," Bellatrix sneers, blocking it and advancing, while firing the Cruciatus curse at Lily.
Lily silently blocks this one, sending it flying back toward the black-haired woman.
"Sectumsempra!" Lucius cries, sending it in a straight line toward Lily.
End Flashback
As the ones who hadn't been there cover their mouths in horror, Sirius asks Alice desperately, "Don't you remember how Madam Pomfrey cured her?"
"No. As far as I remember, Lily just woke up of her own accord," Alice responds, deep in thought.
"Maybe that's our best bet, then. Just bring her to a hospital and wait it out?" Hilary inquires, her eyes still bright.
Alice chews her bottom lip thoughtfully. "Maybe. But another bet is that we could just Apparate to the villa she booked us and wait it out there. Ocean air is good."
"I wonder how Cordelia will react. After all, isn't Lily supposed to be battling a case for her?" Crystal looks worried.
"Is that what you're worried about?" Hestia cries. She gestures behind her. "Lily!"
"I was merely making an observation," Crystal replies, hurt.
"Hest," Alice says, "what do you think?"
Hestia pauses, glancing away from Crystal. "I think the villa would be better. If she isn't awake in a week, we should transfer her to the hospital."
Alice nods in approval. "Good plan." She appraises her trainee for a moment. "When we return, and after all the wedding craziness, I might talk to the manager about promoting you."
Hestia beams proudly.
Alice nods at her. "I think that it will be safe to Apparate from here, despite the plane tickets that have been paid for. Safety first. Can you two" – she points at Sirius and James – "carry her and use Side-Along?"
The two Marauders nod adamantly.
"The rest of you- be careful. Don't get Splinched. Any questions?"
"No, ma'am," teases Frank.
Alice glares at him. "Shut it, Mr. Longbottom."
"Okay, Mrs. Longbottom," Frank replies cheekily.
Alice rolls her eyes with a fond smile. "On the count of three, you all go. I'll stay behind to vanish this bubble and find a secluded spot to Apparate."
Frank looks at her worriedly, all traces of playful gone. "Alice, is that safe? We just endured a Death Eater attack, after all."
"I can take care of myself, Frank," Alice replies.
"I know that, Alice, it's just… safety in numbers and all that," Frank says.
Alice sighs. "Frank, don't be difficult. Just go with them. I won't wander far from this spot before Disapparating."
"Mate, Alice will be fine. She's trained as an Auror and could have become one if she didn't pursue Healing, remember?" Remus tries to assure Frank.
Frank still looks worried, but relents. "Oh, all right. And about the Auror thing… don't you ever consider becoming one."
Alice looks at him defiantly. "And pray tell, why ever not?"
"Okay, okay! Can we please get back on track? On the count of three!" Hestia interrupts.
The two glance away from each other.
"One," Alice says. "Two," she warns. "THREE!"
With simultaneous cracks, a moment later, her friends are gone and she is alone. Casting a look around at the goings-on of the airport beyond her safety bubble, she decides to make the bubble disappear. Once it's gone, she dashes to a nearby restroom, darts inside, checks the stalls for feet, and selects a stall. Only one other person is in, and Alice focuses her entire mind on Disapparting silently.
Closing her eyes and envisioning the pictures and location of the villa, Alice Disapparates with the softest crack she had ever mustered.
x.o.x.o.x.
"Oh, dear Merlin, what happened?" cries Alice the moment she materializes, seeing the group hunched over a body whose head was not framed in the halo of deep red hair of Lily. She runs over, fearing the worst.
"Splinched," Sirius says shortly, pointing.
Alice glances down and gasps. James Potter lay there silently, his eyes scrunched in pain and trying not to scream in agony.
His left forearm is missing.
x.o.x.o.x.
A/N: So. James and Lily are injured. Interesting… leave me some love!