James eyes were watering fiercely by the time they had reached Hogsmeade. In their hurry to get into the air, they had only grabbed the most necessary items during their departure. Therefore, he was neither wearing his Quidditch gloves nor his protective goggles. While his regular glasses offered some protection against the billowing wind, it was still uncomfortable to fly at high speed. Furthermore, his cloak was not thick enough to protect him against the cold when flying at such a high altitude. He was itching to put a warming charm on himself, but he did not dare risk taking out his wand while flying. The risk of losing it was just too high. Sirius, who had been flying ahead of him for the whole flight, suddenly stopped in mid-air. A worse flyer than James might have crashed into him, but James brought his own broom to a neat stop beside his best mate.

'Looks rather normal to me,' said Sirius, gesturing down at the village. 'Looks like Rosier was lying after all.'

James scanned the village with his eyes. From so far up, it seemed tiny, a few houses scattered around the foothills. He could see people moving on the streets, but was too far up to recognized any details. He had to agree with Sirius. Everything looked calm and peaceful. He could not see any spells flying around, nor any fires nor the dread Dark Mark. Apparently Rosier had fooled them.

'That little git,' said James, feeling very foolish. 'I should have known better than to believe him. I wonder why he tricked us.'

'He probably just wanted to see whether we would blab to the teachers,' said Sirius. 'Should I call Wormtail on the mirror? Maybe he has not said anything to a teacher yet.'

'Doubtful,' said James. 'I saw him following Flitwick out of the great hall when we left with our brooms. He probably has already told him.'

'Shame,' said Sirius. 'It galls me that a slimy snake like Rosier tricked us like that. We should pay him back, Prongs.'

'Yeah, maybe we should. It has been ages since we pranked anyone and Rosier certainly would deserve it. Just remember: I must not be connected to any mischief. I am head-boy now.'

'Yeah, yeah, I know,' said Sirius dismissively. 'What would Evans think after all? Her reputation would be ruined if people knew she was lusting after a trouble maker.'

'She doesn't lust after me for Merlin's sake,' said James.

'Whatever you say, Prongs,' said Sirius dismissively. 'Hey, let's get down there. We wanted to head to Hogsmeade anyway and now is as good a time as ever to buy that chocolate Moony wanted. That way, our trip here wasn't wasted.'

James had no desire at all to go shopping at the moment. He was still way too much on edge to do something as mundane as shopping for sweets. Before he could tell Sirius off for even suggesting that idea, a loud bang echoed through the village.

'What on earth was that?' asked Sirius.

'Looks like Rosier was not lying after all,' said James. 'Look down there!'

He pointed down into the village where a group of people clad all in black had just appeared. They were coming down from the moments, firing spells at whoever the encountered out on the street. Fortunately, James had yet to spot the dreaded green light of the killing curse in the mass of flying spells.

'Bloody hell, that's them,' said Sirius. 'Blimey, there are around ten of them that is more than I suspected.'

'We have to do something,' said James. 'They don't know we are here, which gives us an advantage.'

'Yes, but we cannot defeat them on our own,' said Sirius. 'Swooping down there and attempting to save the day would be suicide. We need to be smart about this. As long as neither the teachers nor the aurors are here, we have to stay out of sight!'

'It feels weird that you are telling me to be careful,' said James.

'I may be reckless, but I am not suicidal,' said Sirius. 'Come on, James, let's touch down at the Shack. We can come up behind them and maybe score some lucky hits. We have to get out of the air. We will never be able to hit them while flying and if we just sit still in the air to aim, we will be easy targets.'

'Right,' said James. 'Let's do it. I doubt that we will come up with a better plan if we sit around here for much longer.'

As they started their descent, a green skull suddenly appeared in the sky. James felt a wave of dread at the accursed symbol. Had the Death Eaters found their first victim and had decided to celebrate their victory by painting their logo into the sky? Or were they just taunting the aurors? He cursed under his breath. What had he ever done to deserve getting sucked into this conflict? All he wanted was to finish school and play Quidditch professionally. Maybe he would finally charm Lily along the way. Was that too much to ask?

The two of them hit the ground behind the Shrieking Shack. Nobody had noticed there descent, but James supposed that most inhabitants of the village were rather preoccupied at the moment. They got off their brooms and slowly edged their way around the Shack to get a look at the village. It was not a pretty sight. The Death Eaters seemed to have been busy during their descent: The village was in chaos. James could see smoke and the reddish glow of flames as well as all kind of spells zooming through the air. Screams, bangs and curses created a cacophony which got his blood running.

'Bloody buggering hell,' said Sirius. 'They really don't fuck around, do they? What do we do now?'

'We stick to the plan,' said James. 'We try to stay out of sight and see if we can get in some lucky shots. But we must not rush into the fight! The Death Eaters are fearfully strong duellers and they don't grant any mercy. Only attack if you must or if you are sure that you can win with a single good spell!'

'Alright,' said Sirius, uncharacteristically sombre. 'In all this chaos the Disillusionment Charm should be enough to keep us out of sight. Let's see if we can find the girls.'

They crept along the country lane, sticking to the cover of the spare houses left and right. The sounds of battle were getting louder and lounder. James thought he had heard the characteristic popping sound of apparation in the meantime, but he wasn't sure. Were the aurors coming? It was about time, really. The Death Eaters were not going to stick around for long if they encountered firm opposition. They seemed to be here just to spread fear, not to win any battles. They caught their first glimpse of the Death Eaters, when they had reached the village proper. The Death Eaters were huddled together in a tight group, firing spells left and right as they marched to the very centre of the village. James saw several students and villagers running away from the attackers. Only a few were brave enough to fight back. A body lay on the street just in front of Sirius and him. For a moment both of them stopped in their tracks and stared at it. The body belonged to a man and lay face down on the hard cobbles of the village main street. He was far too old to be a student, as his black hair was speckled with numerous grey strands. He was rather short and thin and clad in an expensive looking robe. A wand was lying on the street next to his right hand. No one else was in sight.

'Bloody hell,' whispered Sirius. 'Do you think he is dead?'

'Either that or stunned,' said James. 'But I doubt they would have left his wand next to him if they had only stunned him.'

'I am going to take a look,' said Sirius determinedly. 'If we turn him around, we will see if he is alive or dead. There is no blood, so if he is dead he was killed by the killing curse.'

'Sirius, no,' said James. He had a bad feeling about getting any closer to the body. 'Don't touch him!'

'If he is still alive, we have to help him,' Sirius pointed out and James found it hard to come up with a counterargument. Sirius was right in this regard. If that man only was stunned, they had to revive him. He may even be of help in the fight.

'Alright, but be careful,' said James. 'I am going to keep an eye out for any bad surprises.'

Sirius just nodded and made his way over to the body. James let his eyes roam far and wide over their surroundings, but Sirius's movements caught his attention again and again. His best friend prodded the man with his wand once. Nothing happened. Sirius grabbed the man by the shoulder and slowly turned him around, with his wand pointed at him just to be safe. James could not see how the man looked from his distance, but he could tell by the slump of Sirius's shoulders that he was gone. Shaking his head, Sirius grabbed the wand of the fallen man and stood up. He walked back over to James.

'Dead,' he said as he had reached James again. 'Killing Curse, no doubt about it.'

'How do you know?' asked James. Sirius had far more knowledge about the Dark Arts than he had.

'You can tell from the face,' said Sirius. 'He looks like he was spooked to death. No signs of injury. Trademark of the Avada Kedavra.'

'Fuck,' said James quietly. 'I had hoped that they would not kill on sight.'

'They are a bunch of vicious bastards,' said Sirius darkly. 'Probably having a grand old time. Come on, let's get moving.'

'Alright, but we stay out of sight and out of trouble as much as possible,' said James. 'We are already outmatched if they don't fling unforgivables around.'

Sirius just nodded and then started moving again. They crept along the main street, always staying close to the surrounding houses. They sounds of duelling grew louder and louder as they neared the core of the village. They paused as soon as they had reached the central square of the village, were the Three Broomsticks and Honeydukes were located. Taking cover behind a water barrel, they took at the look at the chaos on the square. The aurors had arrived at last. James could see about ten of them duelling with the Death Eaters who were no longer moving in a big clump, but had split up to be able to take cover. There were no students on the street, but James could see some young faces huddled behind the windows of Honeydukes. He suspected that The Three Broomsticks was packed with people as well. Hopefully, the Death Eaters had not already entered it. It only had one entrance after all. The students would be trapped if the Death Eaters choose to attack the pub. Nevertheless, the presence of the aurors was lifting his spirits. They outnumbered the Death Eaters by now and it would only be a matter of time until the dark wizards would be captured. The Death Eaters seemed to have realized that there situation was rather bleak, as they were fighting the auros with tooth and nail. Killing curses flashed around the street and James saw one of the aurors collapse. He could hear Sirius curse beside him.

'There is no one way we are going to be of help there,' he said. 'We ought to stay and let the auror's sort it out.'

Before James could say something, one of the Death Eaters raised his voice.

'Aurors, if you don't retreat, I am going to destroy the Three Broomsticks,' he shouted in a rather raspy voice. 'There are a lot of students in there. Would be a shame if something happened to them.'

'We don't negotiate with the likes of you,' shouted a grizzled auror with an electric blue eye, who James recognized immediately. It was hard to forget the sight of Mad-Eye Moody.

'You are outnumbered,' continued Moody. 'More aurors are bound to arrive any minute. You will surrender now or get killed! We have already erected anti-appartion wards. You are not going to get away!'

'If you believe that we are even going to consider that then you have not been paying attention,' cried a female Death Eater.

She underlined here fighting spirit by firing another Killing Curse which fortunately missed. The fighting resumed in earnest. James remained rooted the spot behind the water barrel. He nervously fingered his wand why trying to decide on a course of action. On the one hand, he wanted to help, but on the other hand he knew that he was not trained for that kind of fighting. Besides, the auror did not seem to need any help at all. If Moody had said the truth than reinforcements would arrive soon anyway. James wondered how these would get to the village if apparition truly was blocked. Maybe they would appear outside of the village and take a short hike. Anyway, the Death Eaters would never be able to win this fight if they got outnumbered any further. The aurors were closing in and James could see the Death Eaters becoming more and more defensive with every moment.

'The Death Eaters are going to lose,' whispered Sirius. 'The aurors are doing well, Prongs, much better than I had thought. See, they managed to stun one of them.'

James looked to where Sirius was pointing and saw a Death Eaters crumpled to the ground. Another Death Eaters was trying to get closer to the fallen body, probably to wake him up again, but the volleys of spells shot by the aurors forced him to remain put. Suddenly the fallen Death Eater's body was yanked over the ground and towards the aurors. One of the aurors, a savage looking bloke around fifty, had obviously summoned it.

'Last chance, chaps,' bellowed Moody. 'You are done and you know it. Come quietly now and maybe you will avoid getting kissed.'

'Fuck you,' snarled the Death Eater who had spoken before. 'I am going to show you what we can do.'

He turned around and pointed his wand at the Three Broomsticks. James did not catch the incantation he used, but the effect was clear enough. The moment the spell hit the pub, all hell broke loose. There was a deafening bang and suddenly the air was filled with dust and flying stones. James barely managed to duck as half a brick flew past him with surprising speed. It would have hit him straight in the face. James did not want to think about what that would have meant for him. He peeked out from behind the barrel again, try to see what was really going on. It was very hard to anything clearly through all this commotion. The Death Eaters seemed to be on the run. James could hear Moody shouting at the other aurors.

'Follow them,' he roared. 'They must not escape! Baker, Robbins you two are going to try stabilize the pub and get the inhabitants out. Merlin's beard this is a bloody nightmare!'

James looked at the Three Broomsticks and his heart sank. The Death Eater's spell had blasted straight through the building. Without its support, a part of the roof had collapsed, trapping whoever was still inside in the building. The whole structure was swaying dangerously.

'We have to help!' he said to Sirius. 'If the building collapses completely, everybody in there is going to get crushed. We have to dash over there and see what we can do.'

'That is a bloody idiotic plan, Prongs,' said Sirius, but he had a grin on his face. 'But I agree that we have to do something! Let's do it.'

'I just hope that they are still alive in there,' said James and he darted out of his hiding space and into the chaos. Sirius followed on his heels.

They rushed along the battlefield, keeping their heads low and trying to stay out of the way of the aurors. It was easier said than done. James nearly collided with a female auror and had to do a quick roll to the side to avoid the impact. Fortunately, she was too preoccupied to notice him. James knew that his luck was not going to last. The Disillusionment Charm was much easier to pierce if the person using it was moving and aurors were trained in spotting hiding trespassers. He had managed about three quarters of the distance, when someone grabbed him at the neck and held him firmly in place. James whirled around, trying to cast a spell at his attacker, but aborted his plan when he realized who had grabbed him. Mad-Eye Moody was glowering at him with his normal eye, while the electric blue one was rolling around quickly, probably still looking for the Death Eaters.

'What do you think you are doing, boy?' asked Moody. 'There is a bloody battle going on here! How dare you get in the way?'

'I am only trying to help,' protested James. 'There are students in the Three Broomsticks. We have to clear the rubble and see if we can get them out.'

'You are not qualified for this kind of work and we still have to catch these Death Eaters,' said Moody. 'You will get out of the way and stay on the side-lines. Leave this to the professionals. And that goes for your friend too.'

Moody made a quick movement with his wand and suddenly Sirius was hurled through the air and crashed to the ground at the auror's feet.

'Who are you two?' asked Moody. 'Are there any other would-be heroes around here?'

James was confused for a moment. Moody should have recognized him by now. After all, he looked very much like his father who Moody knew very well. Also, they had briefly met a few years ago and Moody did not strike him as the type to ever forget a face. Then, James remember that he was still under the disillusionment charm. Moody probably could only see the outlines of his face.

'I am James Potter and this is Sirius Black,' said James, seeing no reason to lie. Moody would sniff out any false identity anyway. 'We are only trying to help.'

'Potter, ey?' said Moody, taking another look at James. This time, he used both of his eyes on him. 'Yes, I see it now. Well, seems like your old men has rubbed off on you: You seem to like danger as well. But you seem well-prepared with the Disillusionment Charms on you.'

'We had a hunch that there was going to be trouble,' said Sirius. 'But we don't have time for this! There are people caught under the rubble! We have to try to get them out.'

'Very well, then,' said Moody. 'I don't have time to babysit you. I have told you to stay away, but if you insist then I see no reason to hinder you. I am going to follow those Death Eaters, you two are going with Baker. He is going to tell you what to do. He is experienced in this kind of things.'

He pointed out Baker to James and Sirius. Baker was a tall, reedy man around thirty, with longish blonde hair and a boyish face. He was already heading towards the destroyed pub with his wand at the ready.

'But first, we will have to take these charms off you,' said Moody. 'Otherwise you are going to just cause confusion. Come on now, charms off.'

James lifted the Disillusionment Charm and saw Sirius do the same.

'Good,' growled Moody. 'Now off with you. I am going to have to follow these ruddy Death Eaters and I am behind already. My bloody leg is not going to be much help, I am afraid.'

He lumbered off after the Death Eaters and the rest of the auror team. Despite his words, James was surprised at the speed of Moody's slightly lop-sided walk.

'He is crazy, isn't he?' said Sirius, shaking his head and looking after the old auror. 'Completely crazy.'

'Maybe,' said James. 'But he is one of the good guys. Come on, let's see if we can help.'

He walked over to where Baker was standing with another auror who James suspected was Robbins. Robbins was in his fifties and completely bald with a gaunt face and a sourly expression. Both of them had their wands out and were casting spells at the building. When Sirius and James arrived at the building, Robbins was the one who turned around and spotted them.

'Get lost,' he growled at them. 'This is no place for children. We have stabilized the pub, but it could still collapse.'

'We are here to help,' said James. 'Moody said we should talk to Baker about that.'

'Did he now?' said Baker, looking amused. 'Looks like Alastor was not in the mood to argue with you. I think it is commendable that you want to help, but I see little opportunity for some school boys to help. Robbins, I am going to charm the window over there, so that people can get out. Can you take care of the one on the other side of the collapse? We are going to take care of the middle once people are out.'

Robbins grunted and stomped off. James took a more detailed look at the pub and found that Baker was right. The Death Eater's spell hat hit the building on top of the entrance which was located in the middle of the pub. The resulting collapse had severely damaged that part of the building, but the outer areas were in much better condition. So, anyone located there had a good chance of surviving the attack unscathed. James did not want to think about what had happened to the unlucky fews who had been close to the entrance when the Death Eater attacked. Could you survive having a roof fall on your head? He was not sure. A quick shield charm or a levitation charm would certainly help, but one needed to react very quickly for this to work. He supposed it all depended on where any debris hit you. He briefly pictured what a thick log or a brick could do to an unprotected head, before pushing the though far away. He felt rather queasy for a moment before focussing back on the present. He need to be sharp if he was going to be any help at all.

By now, Baker had reached the window, which surprisingly was still intact. James could see about a dozen people through the window, who all seemed rather shocked. James could not blame them. They probably did not know that the Death Eaters had fled already. Baker waved his wand and muttered some incantation under his breath. The window as well as the bricks under it vanished, forming a rather low door. Baker waved his wand again and carefully widened and heightened the door until it was possible for two people to pass through it at the same time.

'You there,' he said to Sirius. 'Go and see if Robbins needs any assistance. If he doesn't, come back here and help get these people back to the castle. If they are only slightly injured, your matron is going to take care of them. If they are seriously injured, they will have to wait here until we can arranged a transport to St. Mungos. Did you get that?'

'Yes,' said Sirius and James was surprised to hear him add a 'sir' after a moment of consideration. He was not used to Sirius being respectful to anyone, but apparently aurors were on of the few people his best mate did not like to annoy on principle. He scurried off immediately and Baker turned to James.

'You are going to come with me,' said Baker. 'We are going to take a look inside. You are only going to do what I tell you to do, alright?'

'Alright,' said James meekly. His heart was pounding hard in his chest. Normally, he would have taken offense at being bossed around like this, but today he did not mind at all. The circumstances were way too serious to consider one's feelings.

'Good,' said Baker. He stuck his head through the opening and addressed the people inside, who were eyeing James and him warily.

'Everything is alright,' he told them. 'The Death Eaters are gone. We are going to take care of you now. Do you know if anyone is trapped under the rubble?'

For a while nobody spoke, then a young girl piped in.

'We are not sure,' she said. 'There were a bunch of people who were standing close to the entrance when the spell hit the building. We are not sure what happened to them.'

At these words, James heart sank. Had Marlene and Lily been in the pub? He had no idea about their plans for today. If anything had happened to them...no, he must not think like that!

'Alright,' said Baker looking rather grim, but still determined. 'We are coming in and taking a look. As soon as we are in, I want you to get out of here. And please do it in slowly and orderly! There is no reason to rush! Take your time and take care of each other. We don't need any more injuries.'

James saw several people nod in response. He was not sure if it was a good idea to leave the people to themselves, but he did not really care about them too much at the moment. His thoughts were at the rubble in the middle of the house. God, this was driving him crazy! Marlene and Lily could be anywhere! Maybe they had already been on their way back to the castle as the Death Eaters attacked. Or they were someplace else in the village. He needed to know that they were safe! But first he had to help here as much as could.

Baker entered the pub and James followed him. The occupants let them pass and started to shuffle out of the pub. Within a minute Baker and James were facing the rubble. It was a mess of bricks and logs which filled the entrance area of the pub completely. Thick dust was still hanging in the air, making it hard to see anything properly. James sneezed violently. How were they going to find anyone in that mess?

'Now what?' he asked Baker. The auror made a gesture for him to be quiet. For a moment James was confused, but then he heard it. There was a low whimpering coming from the rubble in front of them.

'There is someone under there!' said James. 'We have to do something!'

'Yes, quite right,' said Baker, looking thoughtful. 'I think the best course of action is to transfigure the rubble. Levitating it out is too difficult and we lack the space.'

'Yes! That's what we are going to do,' said James and before Baker could stop him, he had raised his wand and cast a quick transfiguration spell. The first few meters of rubble glowed for a moment and suddenly were replaced by a cloud of feathers which drifted to the ground harmlessly. James crowed in triumph, but his joy was short-lived. More debris fell down from the roof, nearly hitting him in the head. Baker raised his own wand and cast a charm as well. A plane of steel appear of them and fitted itself neatly into the space left by the pile of rubble. More loose bricks fell down, but they were caught harmlessly by the thick steel. James gave sigh of relief.

'What did I tell you when we got in here?' asked Baker.

'To only do as I am told,' said James quietly.

'Precisely,' said Baker, giving him a dark look. 'Now, let's take a look at whoever was trapped under here. Let's hope you did not transfigure him as well.'

The cloud of feathers was so thick it was hard to see anything. Only when Baker used a vanishing charm on them, could they see who had been trapped under the debris. James heart missed a beat when he recognized the shiny red hair of the girl, lying face down on the floor, her right leg bent at an impossible angle.

'Lily!' he cried, rushing to her side. 'Are you alright?'

Baker was at her side in an instant, looking very serious. He twirled his wand in a complicated pattern while muttering under his breath. In the meantime, Lily raised her head slowly.

'What?' she asked, sound very weak. 'What happened? Everything aches.'

'Broken leg, some bruised rips and a concussion,' muttered Baker. 'Nothing too serious. Good. Potter, I am going to cast a few healing charms on her, but I can't do much about that concussion. Can you get her up to the castle? Your matron should take a look at her.'

'Yeah, sure,' said James quickly. He had the distinct impression that Baker wanted to get rid of him after his blunder with the transfiguration. However, he did not mind. He wanted to make Lily was okay. Baker would do fine on his own.

Baker raised his wand and cast healing charms in rapid succession on Lily. Her leg mended with an audible snap which made James wince and Lily screw up her face in pain. When Baker was done, she still looked a little dazed but better than before.

'Are you alright, Miss?' asked Baker, gently raising Lily's face with his hand, so he could look at her eyes properly. 'You've had an accident, can you remember?'

'Yeah,' said Lily weakly. 'I… I think I am alright. My head hurts and I am… confused.'

'You have a concussion,' said Baker. 'You will be alright. James is going to get you to the hospital wing. Can you walk? I have healed your leg.'

'I can try,' said Lily and shakily got to her feet. James was ready to catch her should she fall, but she managed fine on her own.

'Wonderful,' said Baker. 'Before you go: Can you remember whether anybody else was buried under the rubble with you?'

'I don't think so,' said Lily screwing up her face in concentration. 'I had been about to leave when all the trouble started, because I wanted to meet up with Marlene in the Honeydukes. Then the Death Eaters came and I remained inside, ready to curse them if they came through the door. But they never did come, did they?'

'No, they didn't,' said James, relieved that Marlene had not been in the pub. 'I am going to take you to the hospital wing, come on.'

'James?' asked Lily, who looked at him as though she had only noticed him just yet. 'What are you doing here?'

'Taking care of you,' said James quietly, as he led her out of the pub. Baker was too busy with removing the rest of the rubble to see them off.

'Oh,' said Lily. 'I think I like that.'

'That's good to know,' said James and despite all the horror of today, he could feel a smile taking over his face.