Chapter 2. Lily Potter.
Lily had never been beyond the edge of the Forbidden Forest before. However, she was certain that James and Malfoy who were accompanying her today, felt at home in it. This gave her a little confidence that everything would end well; that they wouldn't be late; that they would not have to…
Lily shivered when they reached the spot from whence Amanda Dursley must have departed to a meeting with "Uncle Harry". Indeed, an almost invisible trail wound from the northern edge into the black, leafless depth of the forest, sometimes almost disappearing in the undergrowth.
"Potter, you will walk between us," Malfoy commanded, looking at Lily and taking out his wand. James had already lit up his wand to illuminate their path amidst the gloom of the autumn forest, dusky even on a sunny day.
The girl did not object. She lit up her wand as well, and the three of them – James at the head and Scorpius bringing up the rear – quickly headed down the path, trying to be quiet.
As they walked, Lily was desperately trying to calculate how much time had passed since Amanda entered the forest. The Gryffindor hoped that the First Year would have walked slowly, haltingly, wary of every little noise. Besides, Amanda's strides would have been so much shorter, tiny as she was even compared to Lily, let alone to James and Malfoy.
"At any suspicious noise or movement, stand with your back against a tree right away," the Slytherin whispered behind her, lightly touching her shoulder.
She was ready to tell him off, but checked herself in time – let him say and do anything, as long as there is no more pain. Someone else's pain. Her pain. Amanda was so small, so defenseless! How could they not have realized that the girl could be in danger as well?! How could they have only thought of themselves and not warned her?!
Lily sighed nervously and immediately sensed Malfoy coming closer. She did not look around – she was carefully staring down at her feet, afraid of looking up. What if she saw eyes gleaming yellow – or red! – from behind a tree? Her father had told her that there were centaurs living in the forest and that they typically did not harm humans. Who knew, however, what mood these creature were in today? Plus, there were things to fear here aside from centaurs.
Lily Potter was scared, but she had no intention of admitting it. Because her fear for Amanda was even stronger than her fear of this misty darkness, hiding the terrible magical creatures that they were warned about every year at the Welcoming Feast.
"Potter, don't forget to breath," again she heard a quiet voice in her ear. Damn, why wouldn't he leave her alone? Was he trying to distract her from the thoughts about the horrors of the Forbidden Forest? Well, he wasn't successful.
And then they heard a scream – muted, but still audible in the frosty silence. Lily started and lurched, but Malfoy grabbed her shoulder and held her back. Ahead of them, James switched to a run, pointing his wand forward. The girl hurried after him, feeling the Slytherin right on her heels.
In less than a minute, they followed the path to a tiny clearing. It was lit by a torch stuck into the ground.
Amanda Dursley lay in the middle of the clearing, her arms helplessly akimbo, and over her, leaning forward almost lovingly – but still only leaning – was Harry Potter. A man who had assumed her father's appearance – Lily instantly realized that this was not her father – covered Amanda's mouth with his hand.
James immediately waved his wand and Stunned the man, who fell backward and remained motionless. Lily dashed toward Amanda to make sure – immediately, without any delay – that the girl was all right, unharmed.
At the last moment, Lily detected a quick movement and managed to evade an animal as it tried to intercept her. She shrieked, lost her balance, and fell.
"Dammit, Potter!" Malfoy bellowed, coming up next to her, grabbing her hand and jerking her upright. Lily saw James standing next to Amanda, his wand toward another werewolf who emerged from the forest.
Everything happened almost momentarily; yet, for Lily, it lasted for hours. Two terrifying beasts with bared teeth were approaching them on either side. Malfoy pushed Lily against the tree and shielded her behind his broad back, holding out his wand. James did the same: he quickly pulled Amanda to her feet – the Hufflepuff had apparently come to – and stood between her and the werewolf.
"Don't move, Potter," Scorpius warned her when Lily wanted to break free and help. She froze, watching the Seventh Years throw spell after spell at their adversaries. Stunners did not make werewolves drop to the ground. The spells merely made them stagger back.
"Potter, what did Faust tell us about these creatures?" Malfoy called out to his friend in a deliberately cheery voice, momentarily stopping the flow of red jets flying at the werewolves.
"I told you before, Malfoy, that you should have listened in class instead of playing with fake wands!" James accepted the challenge, jumping back and pushing Amanda aside when one werewolf dodged a spell and lurched forward with a deep growl. "Damn! His eyes! Try the Conjunctivitus Curse!"
Scorpius wand issued a jet of white light a moment after James did. It took the Slytherin three attempts to hit the werewolf, who howled and staggered back, squeezing his yellow eyes shut and shaking his head. The second beast was also writhing in pain.
"Ropes!" shouted Scorpius, and the animals' paws were simultaneously bound by thick plaits. The werewolves crashed to the ground, writhing and howling in pain. James and Malfoy slowly approached their victims, wands at the ready.
Lily gasped, and rushed toward Amanda who had collapsed on the ground.
"LILI!" Scorpius screamed dismally.
She whirled around – the Stunned man had transformed and was jumping toward her. For just a few moments she was paralyzed with surprise and terror, unable even to raise her wand. She could almost feel the jaws closing on her neck, but it never came.
An instant before the beast attacked his motionless prey, between the girl and the werewolf stood Scorpius Malfoy, wand in hand.
"Stupefy!" he yelled, apparently not having time enough to concentrate on a non-verbal spell. The jet of light hit the beast squarely on the chest as it was completing his deadly leap inches away from the youth. The werewolf began falling sideways, his paws tearing at the air.
James' curse followed up on Malfoy's and the animal was subdued, bound like his companions. His body hit the ground with a thud.
"Dammit, Potter!" Scorpius swung toward Lily and broke off, looking at her whitened face and her eyes, widened in shock. He looked around at James, but the chap first occupied himself binding all three bodies into a single bundle, and then turned to the Hufflepuff who, from the looks of her, was having a quiet fit of hysterics. "Potter, look at me."
She did as he said. She began to shake violently, but was making heroic attempts to get a hold of herself. It seemed to her as if she would never be able to think coherently again. And never would be able to fall asleep for fear of seeing a werewolf jumping at her every time she closed her eyes.
"Calm down, Lily, everything is alright now," Malfoy spoke quietly and soothingly. Was it truly him speaking this way? Was it his face, still bearing traces of excitement from the battle, yet full of concern for her, that she was seeing so close to her own?
Lily sighed deeply and closed her eyes, trying to get her shaking under control. Then she opened them and immediately saw a dark stain on the Slytherin's robes; a wet stain and a tear; torn fabric and the edge of his shirt soaked in blood.
"Malfoy, you have been hurt!" she reached out and grabbed his elbow.
"Nonsense," Scorpius attempted to draw back, but her caring hand wouldn't let him. "It's just a scratch."
"A scratch?" she parted his robe, barely touching, and looked closer at the red line on white skin. "Not a bite?"
"No," the youth shook his head, not looking her in the face. "A scratch. It's nothing."
And then, finally, the professors appeared at the scene of the action. First, Hagrid, a crossbow in his enormous hands, fell out of – or broke through – the undergrowth. Then pale McGonagall came running with her wand out. She stopped dead in her tracks, silently taking in the bound werewolves, who had by now quieted down, tired of struggling against the magic ropes. Faust and Longbottom almost crashed into motionless McGonagall. Finally, Flitwick came mincing along, quite out of breath after his little cross-country race. Apparently, the news of an ambush in the Forbidden Forest reached them in the Great Hall.
"Lily, James! Are you all right?" Hagrid asked, his deep voice full of concern, looking at the students.
"Yes, all is well," Lily let go of Malfoy's hand and… slumped to the groung as her legs gave way under her. "Only Malfoy is hurt…"
"Mr. Malfoy, get over here," Faust ordered, staring at Scorpius who was looking displeased about something. "Quickly!"
James led Amanda to the professors, and Neville immediately knelt before her, soothing her with quite words. McGonagall finally tore her eyes away from the werewolves. She looked so stern that Lily swallowed nervously.
"I can't imagine you being so stupid as to have gone into the Forbidden Forest, knowing that you were putting yourself in harm's way!" the headmistress bellowed.
"But, Professor, Amanda…"
"Not a word, Ms. Potter!" McGonagall pursed her lips and approached the bound captives. "I was sure that after what happened in Hogsmead and, especially, what happened with your parents, you would have realize how serious the situation was!"
Lily looked sideways at her brother who looked completely nonplussed, and then at Malfoy – Faust was passing his wand over the wound, apparently, to stop the bleeding. James came over to his sister and helped her to her feet.
"Professor Longbottom," McGonagall finally shifted her attention. "Please go to the gate and get the Aurors who are on guard there. They will pick up these… Hagrid, see Ms. Potter, Ms. Dursley, and Mr. Potter to my study."
"I will go with them," Scorpius insisted, stepping back from Faust and standing next to his friends.
"The hospital wing, Mr. Malfoy!" the Headmistress did not budge. "And I shall inform your parents."
"I am sure they will be delighted by my heroics," Scorpius whispered so that only Lily and James would hear him. "Potter, I hope that you won't leave me out in the street."
"And we need to let Harry Potter know as well," McGonagall added, raising her wand. A Patronus rushed off into the darkness; Lily could not make out the shape of the Hogwarts Headmistress' protector.
"Hagrid, please," McGonagall repeated urgently, walking over to the bound werewolves. The gamekeeper nodded and motioned with his huge hand for the young people to follow him.
All the way to the Headmistress' study Hagrid berated the children of his beloved Harry for carelessness, disregard for their own safety, and for causing new worry to their already beleaguered father.
The students bore it in silence, knowing that Hagrid was saying it out of his sincere love for Potters. Even Malfoy was silent, nursing his hand.
The Slytherin stubbornly continued on with his friends instead of turning toward Madam Pomfrey's domain, but Hagrid did not say anything.