"You would think we'd get bored of Hogsmeade at this point," Peter said as they walked down the path leading out of Hogwarts' grounds. It was a calm and bright autumn day.

"We are, but there's nothing else to do," James said, swinging his arms.

"We have done everything, haven't we?" Lily asked. "After seven years at this place it feels like we know everything and have done everything. What's left?"

"I'm sure Hogwarts still has more to reveal. Even Dumbledore doesn't know everything about this place," Remus said. Sirius had his arm over his shoulders and Remus had his fingers intertwined with the hand that hung there. Lily smiled at that. She was glad they got to be a real couple now.

Apparently Mrs. Potter found out that Sirius had been sneaking into Remus' room every night once they all went to bed. She was angry at first, but Sirius reminded her that at least he couldn't get anyone pregnant. Lily couldn't argue with that logic. Mrs. Potter couldn't either, though she still didn't condone it.

They came up on the Three Broomsticks and stepped inside, the smell of food and Butterbeer filling their nostrils. They grabbed a booth in the corner and settled in. Lily didn't sit down though.

"James and I have to do patrols and keep an eye on things. I'll take the first 'shift'," she used air quotations around shift, "and make sure no one is doing anything weird."

Marlene frowned. "Well, be careful, alright?"

Lily laughed. "I'll be back in five minutes, tops." She waved and turned to head out the door. James watched her go, smiling. He saw her through the window next to them and watched her start walking towards the border of Hogsmeade.

He heard a piercing scream, and suddenly they were all thrown from their seats. James landed with a thud on the had just exploded, engulfing the Three Broomsticks in flames. The entrance was on fire and people were screaming. He stood up immediately and looked around for his friends.

He helped Peter up and grabbed Marlene's hand. "Go!" he shouted. Peter ran, but Marlene still held onto him. "Marlene, go!" She looked torn, but turned and ran.

"Sirius!" James yelled. He and Remus were crumpled on the floor coughing. The smoke was spreading. James ran over and helped them up. "Are you alright?" They nodded. James looked back and saw the flames spreading. "Run, go! Go get help!" They nodded and climbed through the broken window next to the booth where they had just sat. The entrance was engulfed in flames and people were panicking.

"OVER HERE!" James bellowed, coughing from the smoke. "GET ON THE GROUND AND CRAWL OVER HERE!" Several students obeyed and made their way towards him. He helped the remaining six climb through the window and out to safety. "Run! Get back to the castle!" He shouted after them.

He turned back to help more, but the smoke was so thick he couldn't see anyone. "IS ANYONE THERE?" He yelled. The smoke made his eyes burn. Tears were streaming down his face and he was coughing violently. He didn't see anyone. He started to move towards the smoke, but was thrown back by another explosion. The fire must have hit the alcohol.

He had to get out. This place was going to come down, and soon. He struggled to crawl towards the window. He grabbed the sill and pulled himself up, the broken glass along the rim piercing his palms. He rolled out into the road, choking. He sucked in the fresh air and looked around.

People were running and panicking. He finally saw what had caused it.

There was the Dark Mark floating above them, menacingly glaring down on the town. James' stomach dropped.

He saw Alice fighting a tall man clad in a Death Eater mask and he ran to help her, his lungs on fire.

"STUPEFY!" he shouted. The Death Eater flew back and hit a tree.

"Thanks, James!" Alice shouted over her shoulder as she ran towards the unconscious man. She put him in a full body binding spell so he couldn't move even if he did wake up.

James nodded and turned back around. He ran through the town, helping people stand up, ordering them to get back to the castle. He saw Marlene using her wand to spray water over Zonko's, which was also on fire. He was about to stop to help her, but he saw Hannah being levitated in the air. Her face was frozen in a look of terror and her limbs jutted out at weird angles.

He barreled towards the Death Eater causing it and tackled her to the ground. Hannah fell from the sky and James had just enough time to whip around and yell, "ARRESTO MOMENTUM!". Her lifeless body slowed and dropped to ground, unscathed.

The Death Eater he had tackled was struggling against him. James pressed his knee into her chest and aimed a stunning spell at her head. The Death Eater immediately went unconscious, her eyes rolling back in her head and her body slumping to the ground.

James stood back up and looked around. Everything was on fire. People were screaming. It was complete and utter chaos.

He took off after another Death Eater.

Lily closed the door to the Three Broomsticks behind her and started towards the border of Hogsmeade. She took a deep breath of the crisp fall air and shoved her hands in her pockets. She lightly slid her hand around her wand, just in case.

These days, you never know.

She heard someone call her name and she turned around, looking back. Alice was jogging up to her smiling. "Hey!" She waved.

Then she heard a scream.

She whipped around and saw a small girl being thrown across the road. Coming down that road were twelve people, all dressed in black with hats that tapered into a sharp point and silver masks hiding their identities.

Lily whipped out her wand. One Death Eater, a woman, cackled and ran forward. She jerked her wand and the Three Broomsticks exploded. Lily's heart stopped. James was in there. She made to go help, but the fire's heat pushed her back. She couldn't see. She turned back around and saw the woman who caused it. She aimed a stunning spell at her, but the witch easily deflected.

Lily pushed forward, throwing every nonverbal spell she could think of at the woman, who kept cackling and dancing back. She was a psychopath.

She slashed her wand and hit the witch with Petrificus Totalus. The woman froze. Her knees locked and she fell back, hitting the ground with a dull thud. Ropes burst from Lily's wand and wrapped themselves around her, binding her limbs tightly to her torso.

Lily turned back around, but at that point the Three Broomsticks was engulfed in flames. She prayed to God, or Merlin, or whoever that James and the rest made it out safe.

She turned back and saw the Death Eaters moving into the town. Many had split off and were sending cursed fire at any building along their path, but some had stayed in a tight triangular formation and were marching down the street. Lily thought that was odd.

She ran forth though and sent a Disarming charm at the one on the flank. It didn't meet its mark and easily bounced off without the man lifting a finger. They had a shield around them. Lily cursed and ran towards Scrivenshaft's. The shopkeeper was standing in the road, supporting himself on one leg.

"Are you okay?" She yelled over the commotion. The man nodded weakly, but looked desperately at his shop, which was now falling apart in a fiery heap.

Lily tried putting out the fire, but Aguamenti wasn't working. She realized it was cursed fire; nothing she could do would stop it.

"Was anybody in there?" She asked.

"I don't, I don't think so-" The man's eyes widened. "Yes! There was someone near the front. I don't know if he got out!"

Lily didn't think. She just did. She blasted the door open and was met with a wall of smoke. She looked around wildly She saw a kid, much younger than her curled up in the corner, coughing. She waved frantically and yelled for him to come to her. Her voice was lost in the raging crackle of the flames, but he understood. He tried to crawl towards her, but a beam fell in front of him.

He fell back and cried out in pain. Sparks had jumped up and struck him in the face. Lily panicked.

She jumped over the beam, her ankle being licked by the flames, searing her skin. She cried out in pain as she landed next to the boy.

"Come on!" She yelled. He grabbed her tightly and she stood up. "Cover your eyes!" She ordered. The child did as he was told and covered his face with the hand that wasn't gripping her around the waist. She blasted the glass of the window out, creating a path for them. The smoke flew out in front of them, being sucked into the air outside.

She crouched down and he climbed onto her back. She pulled on every ounce of strength she had, her back twisting into a tight knot as she stood on the shelf and climbed out of the window, the child still clinging to her neck and shirt.

They landed out on the ground, hard. But they were safe. She coughed and choked, her leg spasming. "Go, get out. Run as fast as you can back to the castle!" The boy, still coughing, ran away from her.

She hoisted herself onto all fours, choking. She dry heaved, her abdomen clenching and her whole body convulsing as she tried to expel the smoke from her lungs. She was thrown back against the wall, her back slamming into it with a force that knocked the wind out of her. She crumpled on the ground, unable to move.

"Well, if it isn't little Mudblood Evans." She couldn't see the source of the voice, but she knew it was Goyle. A Slytherin who had graduated before her.

He kicked her in her side and pain exploded from the spot, her eyes watering. He kneeled next to her. "Now what am I going to do with you?" He drawled. He slapped her across the face, a white hot sting erupting from the contact.

Lily stared him down, hate filling up every fiber of her being. She stared into his eyes and mustered everything she had. She swung her arm up and made contact with his throat. He fell back, choking. Purebloods never expect Muggle ways of fighting, she thought, amused at Goyle's stupidity. She stood up and grabbed her wand, which had fallen when she was hit. She hit him with a Stunning spell, then a full-body bind, making sure he couldn't move.

For good measure she kicked him as well.

She looked around. She could barely see anything. The smoke was spreading everywhere, giving the town a black and grey haze. She heard a another scream and she ran towards its source. There was a third year Hufflepuff pinned under a beam that had fallen from the outside of Zonko's. She levitated the beam off and pulled him away. The beam fell back behind them, splintering when it came down.

She held on tight to the Hufflepuff. He had a nasty gash on his head and he was losing consciousness. "No, come on, stay awake. You're okay. You have to stay awake." He his rolled back and forth, and Lily tried, with difficulty to move him forward.

Hagrid came bounding forward and Lily cried in relief. He lifted the boy up with ease. "Are ya alright, Lily?"

She nodded. "I'm fine. I'm going back to look for others. Take him to the hospital wing." Hagrid nodded and bounded towards the castle. She whipped around, looking back at the damage behind her.

She ran towards the Three Broomsticks. "AGUAMENTI!" she shouted. Water rushed from her wand, dousing the flames. She did it again, calming some of the fire raging before her. This must have just been regular flames, not Fiendfyre. She heard coughing and panicked. Someone was under the rubble.

"HOLD ON, I'M COMING!" She levitated the broken wood and glass out of the way and crawled beneath the beams that had fallen. She didn't dare move those, in case they were holding what was left of the building up. "ARE YOU THERE?" she heard a faint groan and headed towards it. She cast a Bubble Charm around her mouth so she wouldn't breathe in too much smoke.

She crawled forward on all fours, entering the pub through the side closest to the bathrooms. Glass and rubble pierced Lily's hands and knees, drawing blood, but she pushed forward. She found the source of the cries. Lily reached out and grabbed her hand, pulling the girl towards her with all of her might. "I've got you, it's okay. Hold on to me." The girl nodded faintly, holding onto to Lily.

Lily held the girl against her stomach and tried to scoot back. She started moving forward, impeded by the young girl's weight and the splintered beams on top of them. She lunged forward, then stopped and caught her breath. She lunged again, covering small amounts of ground at a time. The debris under them tore at the back of her legs as she tried to slide out with the girl still holding on to her neck.

Eventually she surfaced, and she dragged the girl into the fresh air. "Are you alright?" The girl nodded, but her eyes were drooping and she was coughing violently. Lily cast another bubble charm on her too, giving her a reprieve from the smoke filled air.

McGonagall came rushing up. "Miss Evans!"

"Professor! She's inhaled too much smoke, she has to get to the hospital wing," Lily said, attempting to lift the girl and failing. She kneeled, half cradling the girl. McGonagall levitated her, and the Muggle Studies professor came running towards them.

"Get her to the castle, and if you see anyone along the way, send them down here!" McGonagall ordered. She nodded and levitated the girl beside her as she ran back towards the castle. McGonagall turned to Lily. "Are you alright?"

Lily nodded. "I'm trying to find more." McGonagall nodded back and sprinted off. Lily turned back towards the road and saw part of the owlery collapse. She rushed forward.

"IS ANYONE THERE?" She screamed. She delicately levitated the rubble away, hoping not to disturb it too much. It seemed as though everyone had it made it out.

James was tearing through the debris of Honeydukes. The candies and chocolates had been blasted off of the shelves, wrappers and ribbon strewn about. He could stand, but was hunched over, and he had to duck to climb through the broken beams and columns.

Every few seconds something would give and he would have to vanish it quickly before it hit anything.

"ANYONE IN HERE?" He shouted. He heard several faint cries and he moved towards the noises. "KEEP SHOUTING SO I CAN FIND YOU!"

He found two students huddled together under two shelves that had fallen together to form a tent shape. He reached out his hand and one grabbed it. He pulled them out and helped them towards the open window. He threw himself over them as a display collapsed. It struck him in the back and a burst of pain shot through up his spine.

"Are you okay?" One of the kids asked. He sucked in air and struggled to speak.

"Yes, go, just go!" They didn't need to be told twice. They climbed out of the window and James turned back around, still hunched over and grabbing his back.

He pulled out several more kids, most with their bones broken. They were lucky it wasn't something more. He lifted them all with difficulty as they ranged from third years to fully grown sixth years. He slung them over his shoulders or helped them stand up and trek through the rubble, dodging falling objects.

He had shuttled out eight kids. He wasn't sure what to do with them, so he laid them in the lane behind him, hoping that someone would see them and come help. He stood at the window and looked back. "IF YOU'RE STILL IN HERE, YELL FOR ME! I'M COMING!" He bellowed.

More voices called out to him. His strength faltered for a moment and he put his hands on his knees, his breath ragged. He couldn't do this. He wasn't strong enough.

He heard another cry of pain and he looked back up. It didn't matter if he was strong enough. He had to keep moving pushed his way through more debris and saw a small hand poking out from underneath a shelf. He squatted down, lifting the shelf up on his shoulders with all of his might. "Go! Go! Go!" The kid crawled out and ran, just as James lost his grip on the shelf and it came crashing down again. He knelt, his hands on his knees, panting heavily. He heard more shouting.

"WHERE ARE YOU?" He yelled. Another voice came from the corner. He crawled under one of the beams that had fallen against the counter and threw some planks out of the way. He saw Charles pinned under a crate. His leg was sticking out at a weird angle. "Charlie! I got you Charlie." Charles nodded, his face twisted with pain.

James reached him and pushed the crate off, breathing heavily. Charles was laying on the ground, unable to move. James knelt down, picked him up, and pulled him onto his back. Charles cried out in pain. "I'm sorry!" He yelled. Charles tried to say it was fine, but then gasped and bit his lip so hard it drew blood.

More beams had fallen and James couldn't stand upright anymore. He crawled with Charles on his back, his legs dragging awkwardly behind them. They reached a point about eight feet from the window where it opened up and he could stand.

James adjusted himself so that Charles was slung over his shoulders, his head against James' right bicep, his legs dangling from James' left shoulder. He got into a squat and pushed himself upward, groaning the entire time. He reached a standing position, hunched under Charles' weight. "I got you, mate. It's gonna be okay." Charles let out a strangled noise and James trudged forward.

He took his steps painstakingly slow, staggering under the weight. His lungs were burning and sweat was dripping into his eyes. His knees felt like they may give out any second. He stood, centimeters from the window. He slowly lifted one leg and found his footing on the window, and swung his other leg up to meet his first.

He was a meter above the ground. He tried to step down slowly, but his leg gave out and he fell to his knees, his own weight and Charles' slamming his kneecaps into the hard dirt. He yelled in agony, shockwaves of pain pulsing throughout his body, blinding him. He let Charles slide down his back onto the ground next to him. He had lost consciousness.

James tried to stand, but his legs gave out. He fell to his knees again, his lungs and muscles burning. His back spasmed and he fell onto all fours. He stayed like that, breathing through the pain. He eventually sat back on his heels and looked around. He didn't know if there was anyone else in Honeydukes, or if he should try to start taking all of these people up to the castle.

The Death Eaters were gone, as far as James could tell. He thought about how he could get everyone back to the castle. He couldn't carry them up one by one, but he might be able to levitate them.

He stood up and attempted to levitate one of the kids. She screamed out in pain as her leg dropped below her body in the free air. James panicked and gently laid her back down. "I'm sorry!" He looked around again. "I don't know what to do!" He shouted, to no one in particular.

He looked back at the castle and saw Hagrid bounding towards him, a makeshift wagon in tow.

"JAMES!" He bellowed. "Help me put the kids in the wagon. I'm gonna take everyone up to the castle. Pomfrey's got everything set up in the entrance hall."

James nodded and started levitating the kids into the wagon, being careful not to bump them on the sides. They all cried with pain and screamed when he moved them. He tried to do it as fast as possible. Once they were all in, Hagrid started running back to the castle with the wagon trailing behind him.

James turned back around and looked around. He panicked.

Where is Lily?

He started running through Hogsmeade, helping anyone he saw, but he was screaming for Lily. "LILY! LILY, WHERE ARE YOU?" He didn't see her or hear her anywhere. The only consolation he had was that she had already gone out of the Three Broomsticks when it exploded. But then she was out in the open when the Death Eaters attacked, he realized.

His stomach turned and he was sweating, his voice hoarse from the smoke and the yelling.

He stopped. Maybe she had gotten out and was up at the castle. He was at the edge of the town already. He turned back. Everything had calmed down. There was still smoke lazily floating through the air, but there was no one fighting, and it seemed as everyone had either made it back to the castle or was sitting in the street.

He looked around, trying to find her fiery red hair anywhere. He didn't see anything, which only made his heart beat faster. Where was she? He went to every shop, ruined or not, and said, "Homenum Revelio" The spell didn't reveal anyone in the first three.

In the fourth, the owlery, he found a Slytherin, knocked unconscious, but otherwise unscathed. He shook his shoulder. "Come on, wake up." Nothing happened. James pointed his wand at his chest and whispered, "Rennervate."

The Slytherin gasped loudly and clutched at James' robes. He panted heavily, then looked around wildly. "What happened?"

James shushed him and helped him stand up. "You're okay. Death Eaters attacked, but you're okay." The Slytherin nodded, still panting. "Can you make it to the castle by yourself?" James asked.

"Yeah, I, I think so." He let go of James and hobbled out of the post office and started back towards the castle. James watched him for a minute, making sure that he was okay, then went back to trying to find Lily.

He did the spell on the rest of the shops in Hogsmeade, but didn't find anyone else. He was alone.

Lily was struggling to carry someone she recognized as a third year Slytherin up towards the castle, her legs threatening to give out any second. Though the child was petite, Lily was not accustomed to carrying eighty or ninety pounds in her arms as she staggered the kilometers back to the castle.

"LILY!" Lily turned around with difficulty and saw Hagrid running towards her, pulling a wagon full of children behind her. "GET IN!" She nodded and hoisted the child onto the wagon. It was then that she noticed the blood.

A gash was slashed across the boy's stomach, and blood was pouring out in dark red bursts. She ripped off her cloak. "HURRY!" Hagrid yelled back at her. She jumped in the back and pressed the cloth into his stomach trying with all of her might to stop the bleeding.

She pulled out her wand, her hands slick with his blood. She tried casting every healing spell she knew, but nothing worked. The gash remained open, spilling blood onto her knees and hands. She pressed her cloak back onto it and prayed that he would make it back to castle.

The wagon jostled back and forth and Lily realized how much pain she was in. Every muscle in her body screamed, and her lungs couldn't take in a full breath. Her throat burned and she could barely speak. She looked over and saw another student clutching their leg. Their shin bone was peeking out, and Lily's heart stopped.

Keeping one hand firmly pressed into the Slytherin's stomach, she used her wand to cut a piece of fabric from the bottom of her cloak and threw it at the boy. "Tie this around your knee as tight as you can!"

He nodded, tears streaming down his face. She looked around again, seeing if anyone else had anything as serious. Everyone seemed to be relatively okay considering the situation they were in, but there were definitely broken bones and bruises on everyone. She heard shouting and looked up. They had arrived at the castle. Madam Pomfrey was shouting, directing people and trying to triage people as they came in.

"MADAM POMFREY!" Lily screamed. She looked up and ran towards her, seeing Lily covered in blood.

Hagrid was lifting the kids who were more stable out of the wagon, giving Madam Pomfrey a clear path. She hopped into the wagon and kneeled next to them.

She pulled Essence of Dittany out of her pocket and started dumping it on the gash through the Slytherin's stomach. Lily sat back, her arms and torso covered in blood. The wound started to close and it stopped bleeding.

"Madam Pomfrey, I tried. I tried to stop the bleeding but it wouldn't close. It kept opening again. I didn't know what to do, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," She started crying. No tears were coming forth though, just ragged sobs that made her stomach clench and her shoulders give.

"This couldn't be stopped by spell alone. This is Dark Magic." She looked up at Lily. "You did what you could. You saved his life."

Lily tried breathing deeply, calming her erratic breath, then looked at the kid with the bone sticking out of his leg. She reached over and tied the cloth tighter, to which he screamed. "I know, I'm sorry, I'm sorry"

"Miss Evans, can you get him off of the wagon? I'll deal with that." She gestured at the bone. Lily moved back over to the first boy.

He looked up at her, his face deathly pale. "Thank you," he croaked. She nodded, then helped him slide off of the wagon. She slid under his arm and helped him hobble into the castle entrance hall, supporting more of his weight than she thought she would have been able to. They stumbled over the threshold and McGonagall came over, hunching over and sliding herself under the boy's other side. They helped him over to one of the cots they had set up and laid him down gently.

He looked up at them bleakley and mouthed "Thank you," before losing consciousness.

Lily turned back to McGonagall. "Are we sure we got everyone out of Hogsmeade?"

McGonagall nodded, "We can't be sure, but it seems everyone is back. I've sent everyone up to their dorms. You should go too."

Lily shook her head. "I'm not going back. I'm staying here until we know everyone is okay."

"Very well." McGonagall handed her some rags. "You can start cleaning people up."

Lily nodded and went into the Great Hall where the rest had been placed. There were a dozen students slumped against the wall, their gashes healed and their bones repaired. She limped over to them, kneeling down next to Hufflepuff prefect.

She whispered "Aguamenti" and pointed her wand into the rag. It became wet, and she started wiping the dried blood off of his face. There was some crusted into his hair, so she wet it and tried to wipe the dried blood out. He was crying. She finished wiping away the blood. "It's okay. You're safe now. We're all okay." He nodded and she moved onto the next person. As she came to kneel in front of the next injured person, she had to stop to cough. The coughs shook her whole body, and she couldn't catch her breath. She clutched her spasming abdomen with her arm and held her other hand to cover her mouth. She pulled her hand away from face and saw fresh, dark red blood had coated her fingers. She was coughing up blood.

That can't be good, she thought. She shook her head and wiped the blood on her torn trousers, moving on.

She helped people get cleaned up until everything had calmed down. She stood up and looked at McGonagall. "What do we do now?"

"We make sure everyone returns to their dorms safely, and then the Heads of Houses will all make sure everyone got out." McGonagall said. Her, Professor Slughorn, Professor Sprout, and Professor Sinistra all started herding their students towards their dorms.

Lily helped McGonagall at first, but the professor turned to her. "Lily, go back to the tower. I'll deal with this. Everyone is okay now."

Lily faltered, but then she started sprinting towards Gryffindor tower. She didn't care if her legs felt like they might give out. She didn't care if her lungs felt like they might burst.

She only cared about one thing.

She didn't know where James was. He was in the Three Broomsticks when it exploded. The only consolation she had was that she didn't find him in the rubble when she was searching. She burst into the common room. All of the Gryffindors were sitting around looking grim. Most of them jumped when she came in. She locked eyes with James.

"Lily."

"James."

James crossed the common room in two bounds. He went to wrap his arms around her, but she threw her hands around his neck and kissed him deeply.

He was petrified. She pulled away, but then he pulled her back in. Their lips pressed against each other, and Lily could feel his heart beating. He felt her small, warm hands behind his smell of her perfume mixed with the smell of smoke and blood filled his nostrils. He didn't care. They only thing he could feel was her lips. They forgot the world around them. Their only focus was each other.

He pulled away, breathless. "I was so scared-"

"I didn't know where you were-"

"I thought I lost you-"

"I love you," Lily whispered through tears.

James pressed his forehead into hers. "I love you so much." They looked into each other's eyes, holding each other.

"Yeah, and we're okay too, Lily," Marlene said sarcastically.

Lily was pulled from James gaze. She stepped out his arms and looked at everyone sitting in the common room. "I'm sorry."

Sirius laughed. "It's about time."

Lily looked down sheepishly. "Are you all alright?"

"Apparently better than you, Lils," Mary said, indicating the blood drenching her shirt.

James noticed it for the first time and looked at her, stricken. "What happened?"

She shook her head. "This isn't my blood. I was pulling people out of the rubble and I had to stop someone's bleeding."

"What about your hands?" James asked, grabbing her hand and turning it so her bloody palm was facing upwards.

"I cut them on glass when I was pulling people out from the Three Broomsticks, they're fine. People had it a lot worse than me," she said, attempting to brush him off. The gashes on her hands and the scrapes on the back of her legs said otherwise, but she would deal with that later.

James was about to say something, but was interrupted by McGonagall entering the room. A hush fell over the room as everyone quieted and turned to face her.

"Is everyone alright?" McGonagall asked. Everyone more or less nodded. "Does anyone know if we're missing anyone?"

Everyone shook their head. McGonagall sighed. "I'm glad you all are okay." She hesitated, trying to gather her words. "I don't know what to tell you, except that from now on we have to be on our guard." All of the Gryffindors looked down, grimly nodding. "I have to go tend to the other students. Go to your dorms, get some sleep."

With that she turned on her heel and left. Everyone dissipated except for the seventh year Gryffindors. Lily hugged Marlene, Mary, and Alice. "Are you all okay?"

They all nodded. Lily looked at their faces, which were streaked with tears, grime, and blood.

"Do you think everyone made it out okay?" Alice asked, looking worried.

"I checked Hogsmeade after everything calmed down. No one was left in the village," James said. Lily turned back and hugged him, and he wrapped his arms around her tightly. He kissed the top of her head and she exhaled slowly.

She stepped back, looking around. "Wait," she turned around, "where's Peter?"

James looked around, then at Sirius, who shrugged. "When was the last time you saw him?" He asked.

Remus shook his head. "In the Three Broomsticks. We all made it out, then when I turned around he was gone."

"He probably ran, like the coward he is," Sirius scoffed.

"Don't call him a coward, Sirius. We need to find him," Lily said, looking back at Marlene. Marlene nodded back at her, and Lily made to exit the portrait hole in pursuit of him.

James stopped her. "Wait here, I think I can figure out where he is." He turned to head up the staircase, but didn't need to, as Peter climbed through the portrait hole at that moment.

Sirius laughed. "There you are! We were just wondering where you went."

Peter narrowed his eyes back at him. "It took you this entire time to start wondering about where I was?" His tone was biting.

James patted him on the shoulder. "Come on Wormy, there was a lot of commotion, we all just got back."

"But you all found each other. You all made sure you all were fine. But nobody gave a shit where I was," Peter retorted.

Sirius stood up and stepped towards him, towering several inches above him. "We wouldn't have had to wonder where you went if you weren't such a bloody coward. Where did you even go?"

Peter recoiled, but answered. "I ran! I thought you all were going to run too! Why would we stay there?"

Sirius looked furious. "To make sure no one died, Wormtail! To make sure that everyone was okay!"

"I couldn't have done anything!" He protested.

"Lily was crawling through rubble and treating wounds. James was lifting people out of the wreckage with his bare hands. Remus and I were chasing down the Death Eaters. Marlene and Alice were putting out the fires. Mary was carrying people up to the castle. What the fuck do you mean you couldn't have done anything?" Sirius shouted at him, fury blazing in his dark eyes.

Lily stepped up between them. "Come on guys, it's over now. We're all okay it's-"

Sirius pushed her arm away. "No, I want to know why you're in Gryffindor if you can't even be brave enough to make sure your friends are okay."

"You didn't make sure I was-"

He was cut off by Sirius laughing. "We were a little busy actually being fucking useful. Not running away."

"You can't talk to me like that!" Peter yelled back.

"I can't? What are you going to do?" Sirius said, smirking.

Peter looked up at him, but then recoiled again. James pulled Sirius back. "Come on. This isn't worth it. We're glad you're okay, Wormtail."

"Are you?" He asked, glaring at Sirius.

Sirius made to make a comment, but James cut him off. "Yes. Now let's all get cleaned up and get some sleep, okay?"

Sirius nodded and headed upstairs. Remus followed him, but Peter sat down on the couch. He was the only one that wasn't run ragged. Lily looked at everyone before they parted. They all had blood crusted on them, bruises and scrapes across their arms and legs, soot and dirt smeared across their faces. James looked at Lily, who shrugged and shook her head sadly.

She hugged Marlene, Alice, and Mary one more time. "I'm so glad you're all okay. I love you guys."

"I love you too," they all said in unison. They pulled away, all of them with tears in their eyes. Lily nodded at them, then James took her hand and they exited the portrait hole, headed for their dorm.

They reached their common room, and Lily stepped in, then turned back around to James. He was about to say something, but she cut him off by grabbing his face in her hands and kissing him. He wrapped his arms around her waist, and she tangled her hand in his hair. She stood up on her tiptoes.

She pulled away and whispered, "I love you, I'm sorry it me so long to-"

James shook his head. "It doesn't matter now. I love you. We're safe, we're together." He buried his face in her hair. "I'm so glad you're okay. I thought-"

Lily shook her head. "It's okay. Nothing happened. We're okay." James nodded and kissed her forehead, then kissed her again.

He didn't care that she was covered in blood. She was all he could think about. Her touch, her lips filled his entire existence. Nothing else was real to him except for her.

Lily leaned into him, feeling his strong arms around her. She felt safe and calm for the first time in a long time. She kissed him, feeling his soft lips pressing against hers.

He laughed and the movement made Lily's lip tingle. She pulled back, smiling. "What?"

He shook his head. "It's nothing, it's just," He ran a hand through his hair. "It took seven years and an attack on Hogsmeade for us to get together."

"Well you know what they say."

"What do they say?"

She pulled him back in and whispered against his mouth. "It takes an army."


A/N: Can you say FINALLY? It has been a slow burn, but I'm glad you guys stuck around until now! And we're not even halfway done! See you soon!