Chapter 37- The Train Disaster (Part One)
Everything happened quickly, too quickly for James' liking. The lights started flickering violently and screams filled the trains, panicked and scared. Nothing like this had ever happened, so why was it happening now? Was the question on some people's minds while others were, "Why the hell have we stopped? And what the hell is happening?"
All the people in the compartment looked at each other, Sirius successfully grabbing Rosie within seconds and pulling him to her as dust settled over the whole compartment and everyone's face's were lost in the thick, black fog.
The fog made James cough violently, his eyes squinting through his glasses as he tried to figure out what was happening and where the smoke had came from.
Shouts came from the hall and dark shapes and figures stood out among the smoke as green light added some illumination to the darkness.
Sirius, Remus and James all looked at one another. Lily seemed to be looking around her, frowning as she mumbled things to herself that went unnoticed among all the chaos.
"We need to get out there and see what's happening.' Rosie said, back to her normal confident and commanding self.
All three boys and Lily looked at the girl, eyebrows furrowed as they tried to make the same connection she'd seemingly made. When no one seemed to be following her, she sighed, ran a hand through her messy hair and said softly, but clearly.
"Death Eaters. There are Death Eaters on the train."
The words took a while to sink in where everyone coughed continuously and tried to get the fog to clear.
Then, as they sunk in, James pulled Sirius off to the side and gave him a long, hard look.
"Mate, get her to safety. Take the brooms. Make sure Lily comes with you."
Rosie, who seemingly had better hearing then a bat, came up to them, practically bristling like a pissed off animal.
"Leave? Did you just tell him to get us to leave, James Potter!? How could you?" More screams made her head shoot up, recognition lighting her eyes, as the scream sent pain-stabbing right into James' heart.
Alison.
"The first years!"
Those three words came out and then she was gone in a second, disappearing into the unknown fog with nothing but her wand to protect her.
"Fuck." Sirius spat as he grabbed his own wand and took off after the girl, leaving James alone with Lily and Remus.
"We have to go get her and help the other students." Lily said finally. Her voice clearly said that she was Head girl and she needed to protect the other students. And that made James' stomach lurch.
She could get hurt, or worse.
Rosie was already out there with his best mate and he had absolutely no idea what to do to get her back to safety without harming Lily.
Not to mention the scars on her arm acting like a magnet to Death Eaters. Lily could hide, if worst came to worst, but Rosie couldn't.
A plan formulated in his mind, a plan that he knew would make him seem like a horrific twat to Lily but he didn't care. He had to at least protect one of the things that meant so much to him while he rounded up the others.
The only thing keeping him sane that moment was the thought that Rosie would be near Alison and would never ever let anything happen to the kind-hearted girl.
So, swallowing hard, James finally said. "Fine. Okay. We'll go. Just…Lily, grab my cloak, would you?"
A sigh escaped the beautiful girl's lips, clearly thinking that they didn't need the cloak with all the fog, but she did it.
As soon as her back was turned, James yanked Remus from the compartment and slammed the doors closed, muttering a spell as Lily ran up to them and tried yanking them open.
"JAMES POTTER! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!? LET. ME. OUT!" She screamed, banging on the glass as he placed a hand over hers, glass and the dark fog covering them.
"Just…stay here, Lily. Please."
Remus shared a look with James, took his wand out and ran down one side of the hall, as screams grew louder all around them.
The lights increased and the fog grew denser, but James kept his eyes locked onto Lily's.
Or he tried.
They were ripped away as coldness filled the whole hall and a dark figure loomed from the fog.
A figure that sent chills through the Qudditch captain's body.
Lord Voldemort.
"James Potter." He sneered, lips bared back to show two lines of teeth. "Sad to see you haven't yet joined the pathways of your parents."
Lily kept banging on the compartment door, her shouts getting louder, but they were only a nagging sensation in the back of his mind.
Right now it was focused on one thing.
One thing that had caused the death of two of the people he cared about most in the entire world.
His mouth opened and closed, all the words running around his brain, yet nothing came out and that caused the dark man to laugh.
"Cat got your tongue? You have a choice before I kill you."
Voldemort came closer and no one seemed to be noticing the way the read headed girl had fallen silent inside the compartment or how a thoughtful expression coloured her face as she pointed her wand at the door, muttering something over and over.
"Join me and you will live."
James opened his mouth to say something but the words were yanked away as the compartment door was blasted open and Lily Evans stepped out in a flurry of dust and black smog.
"He'll never join you." She said, her wand still raised and pointed directly at the man, her eyes never leaving his as she moved to stand beside James.
"Wont he? I know that one of my Death Eaters have already dealt with your sister and now has the other red head." Voldemort sneered, amusement evident in his voice as he saw the expression on James' face change to one filled with absolute pain.
Alison and Rosie.
No.
If Voldemort thought that hurting his loved ones would get him to join the Death Eaters, get him to turn his back on everything he ever believed in, he was dead wrong.
The fact that he'd done that just made James want to fight harder. Fight so that they could be avenged.
"I'll never join you." James spat, his voice loud, clear and strong as images filled his mind's eyes. Images that weren't his.
Alison, screaming and writhing around on the floor as someone cackled, shouting "CRUCIO!" Over and over.
Then Alison disappeared and was replaced by Rosie, someone holding her down as words were carved onto her other arm. Every movement of the knife caused her screams to get louder, more pained and panicked.
Her eyes looked haunted.
"Wont you? If you join me, the girl's will live. And we'll even let you keep the mudblood pet." He gestured over to Lily, who looked ready to kill.
James looked him hard in the eye, his mind whirling as he tried to make his decision and when he did, a little part of him died.
"I won't join you. Ever."
A death eater ran up, looking extremely panicked.
"My lord, we must leave! Dumbledore's coming."
Anger vibrated off Lord Voldemort like a magnetic field, looking from Lily to James and then back to his servant.
Finally, he growled and looked at them, spitting to them before he left the train.
"Next time, Potter, you and the mudblood won't be so lucky."
When they blinked, he was gone, the fog disappearing with it to leave behind nothing more then the choices and decisions made during the fight.