And thank you for all of the reviews, and to all of you who have added this to their favorites!

So just realized that I mixed up Lily and James' birthday's in the engagement chapter. Oooops sorry guys.

So it is suppost to be James is in January and Lily is in March, not that it makes a big difference but

just so you know.

And sorry bout this one...but to follow cannon...and prophesy...something had to happen

I do not own Harry Potter.

Chapter 36

Strike One

The second half of seventh year had flown by. Between the guys and Alice going to the Auror office every other weekend to take compentency tests and finish their files, and Lily being accepted as a medical student with St. Mungo's they had been very busy. They were also all still studying for their NEWTS like crazy, seeing as even though they had all been preaccepted they still had to recieve the proper ammount of NEWTS for their desired field.

Add to that Lily planning a wedding and she was nearly caught off guard when she realized it was already the second week in May. Vinniah was helping her in Hogsmede today, they were picking out the bridesmaid dresses and Lily was being fitted for her gown.

She was sad that Alice couldn't be with her, and that Rileigh was busy with Remus, something to do with preparing for something the order needed him to do once the graduated. But she was having fun with Vin. They had gotten so close since she decided she loved Sirius too much to walk away. After all who could walk away from a guy who was just trying to be a hero...I mean who does that.

Both girls were happily walking down the street, knowing that they had about an hour before they had to meet the guys at the Three Broomsticks when they heard a bang behind them they didn't even have time to turn before they felt their bodies stiffen and they could not move. Lily felt her eyes bulge in her head as she saw a black cloaked figure kneel down in front of her face.

It stroked her cheek and ran its fingers through her hair.

"Well...You are a pretty little mudblood aren't you." a man's voice said from behind a mask.

He turned then to Vinniah

"And I hear you are very nearly a pureblood. Well don't worry, we wouldn't want to mess up your nearly stellar bloodlines. You are only a little bit tainted after all. And as for you little mudblood, you needn't worry too much. We need you for bait and for bargaining." he finished, before flicking his wand and levetating them to the edge of the forest.

oOoOoOoOo

James and Sirius were frozen once they fully apparated into the village. Fank and Alice were standing slightly behind them, surveying the damage. The entire place was wrecked and bodies lay strewn about. There were dark marks floating above several buildings and an eirie mist that seemed to seep into your very being hung like thick smoke through the streets.

Lily and Vinniah were suppost to be here. They were here alone, what if they hadn't got out. It was then that a chilling voice emminated through the quiet.

"Calling all little purebloods, all little purebloods, come to us, come to the forest and reep your reward for joining us, or come to the forest and greive for what your disloyalty will cost you. Come the forest little pure bloods, come to us."

The four friends looked at each other in terror. They were the only people left standing, they were some of the only true purebloods left.

"Guys, we can't go." Frank said as he took Alice's hand.

"It is suicide, we need to get back to the ministry. Now." he said backing up down the alleyway.

It was a second later that he felt himself back into someone.

"Oi!" he shouted as he turned with his wand raised.

It didn't take him long to lower it, Molly and Arthur Weasley stood before them, They had graduated when this group was quite a bit younger, but they had been friendly while they knew them at school. Molly was sobbing hysterically and Arthur was practically holding her back.

"Art, what are you doing here." James asked the flamed headed man.

"We were here with the two eldest sons we have. We wanted to show them the town for the first time." he said sadly.

James couldn't help looking around on the ground for two small bodies.

"They took them, they took my babies, we have to get them please." she screamed hysterically.

James wasn't sure what to do, head to safety or help the distrought parents. It was then that a scream pierced his very soul. He knew that scream anywhere, that was Lily, that was Lily in pain, that was Lily scared, that was his Lily. He took no moment in deciding what to do.

"James!"

"Prongs!"

He heard from behind him as he bolted towards the forest that he knew held his life. He knew someone was running beside him and glanced to see Arthur running stride for stride, he heard the others behind him.

It didn't take them long to come upon the clearing that held each of their universe.

James first saw the two small boys, laying silent and deadly still at the feet of the hooded people, he felt as Molly used his back to hold herself on her feet. He then saw Vinniah, being held at wand point, she seemed frozen in face, though her eyes displayed the fear she was feeling.

He chanced a glance at Sirius who was standing to his right his face was white as he looked at the love of his life. He saw the masked group shift as someone seemed to move to the front. He drug with him a limp figure. This made his heart stop completely in his chest.

The man forced Lily to her knees and held her by her hair, making her back arch in a ver unatural way. With his other hand he waved his wand and Lily seemed to wake up. James was looking directly into her terrified eyes. He watched helplessly as her tears fell to the ground in front of her.

"Potter, Black, Longbottom, Prewitt, and Weasley. Now Now Now, we know where you say you stand, we know you are a bunch of blood traitors, but we are giving you an ultimatum. You will come to us, you will be one of us, you will serve him." The man holding Lily said in a creepily silky voice.

"We will never serve you." Frank said clearly, he seemed to be the only one of them who could speak. At the sight of her best friend Alice had dropped to her knees and Molly had finally given up the battle and was also on her knees looking at her sons and begging for their safety.

"You seem to be the only one sure of that Longbottom. What do you think Weasley, are your son's worth a bunch of muggles?" he goaded kicking the smallest of the two boys in the back of the head, making the side of his face smash into the mud. Molly screamed and Arthur turned to hold her in her place.

"We are here to bargain with you, to get you to understand that we want to work with you, so to show you how genuine we are being...hmmmmm...Tell you what Red." he said angling Lily's tear streaked face back so he could look into it.

"How bout we let your fiance decide who we release. How bout it Potter. We will let two of them go, but only two. At no cost. Now if you agree to serve us now, we will give them all to you. All of them, but until we have your word, you can have two of them. Go ahead decide."

James glanced at Sirius giving him an apologetic, but knowing look. Sirius looked back stone faced and nodded.

"Lily I am so sorry." he choked before adressing the man.

"Release the babies." James said desperately.

"Well come get them." the leader said pointing his wand at the boys and watching them wake up.

James stepped forward cautiously never taking his eyes from the man who held Lily. He knelt first to the bigger of the two boys and helped him stand. He pointed him to his father,

"Run to daddy." he said shoving the little one a bit, he sighed in relief as he watched Arthur pick up the boy.

To reach the smaller of the kids he was not even a foot from Lily. When he dropped to his knees to pick the three or four year old up he was eye level with her. SHe was crying so hard she could barely breathe. He picked the young boy up and the barely older than a baby laid his little head on his shoulder and gripped his shirt in fear.

"Lily, I am so sorry, I am so sorry." he said, feeling his own tears fall down his cheeks.

"Vin, really I am."

"Get up and take him, I didn't say you could have a conversation..now get." the black hooded man said angrily.

James stood and began to back away, he was completely aware of the tears sliding down the back of his neck from the little boy, and the tears he could taste on his lips from his own eyes. He didn't release the little one until he had reached the line of his friends again and he felt Molly clawing at his arms.

"Oh Merlin, Charlie baby, Charlie are you ok, Oh Charlie, mummy is so sorry." she cried into the longinsh red hair of the little boy. James turned back to the imposing line of death eaters before them.

"We will not join you, and those two would rather die than see us do it." Sirius said in a strong voice.

"Are you sure about that Mr. Black? Well yes I am sure they would rather die than what we will do to them."

James watched in horror as Vinniah was released from her spell and Lily was thrown to the ground. He felt his blood leave his face as he heard several of the opposing line yell out 'crucio'

He felt two hands holding him in place as he tried to run to Lily, who was screaming in agony, he saw her suck her stomach in to try to get enough breath to let out the scream, he watched in terror as the blood vessels in her eyes broke from the intensity of her scream. He heard another deeper scream of denial from beside him and felt rather than saw Sirius fall to his knees gripping the side of his robes for support. There was so much noise in the clearing it took a moment for any of them to realise that the girls had gone silent. It was actually their limp bodies that they noticed first.

James quit fighting the person holding him back and he could hear Sirius sobbing from the ground beside him.

"So, have you changed your minds?" the man jeered pulling Vinniah to her feet by her arm.

She glared at her captor, James could see the tears in her eyes but the hatred in them was even plainer to see. He looked down to where Lily lay motionless, until a second death eater pulled her to her feet as well, he pulled her close to him. And ran his hand down her cheek, to her neck, down her arm to her waist.

James saw red as the man then ran his hand over her stomach and let it creep up her side.

"Oh how much fun you would be pretty little mudblood." he said in a disgusting voice.

"Let her Go! Lily! Lily! I swear if you don't let her go." James growled, he had never felt anger like this.

James ground his teeth together as he started to shake uncontrollably, he felt a second pair of hands grip him from the other side and then his sight was blocked by Sirius standing up directly in front of him.

"let them go. You think this will make us join you? It won't. Let them go." he said, his voice was much calmer that James felt her had a right to be.

"We will give you time to think about your options, but we advise you, think well, and make a smart decision. We will be back, and next time we won't be as understanding." the man said, he made a quick motion and both girls were dropped to the ground as all the death eaters disapparated.

James didn't wait for the hands holding him to release, he jerked forward nearly knocking Sirius over as he bolted towards Lily who was shaking on the ground. Sirius reached Vinniah at nearly the same moment.

Scooping Lily into his lap he cradled her against him, where she sobbed hysterically, he tried to hold her tight, he tried to keep her from shaking, but seeing as he was shaking himself that was hard to do. He looked over at Sirius who was standing with Vinniah in his arms.

"James, get her up we have to get to the castle. Now." he said, being the voice of reason.

He pulled Lilly farther into his arms and lifted her like a child, she was clinging to his neck, still gasping for breath inbetween sobs. He turned to see Molly and Arthur, each holding a child in their arms, Frank was supporting a lot of Alice's weight, she was also crying hysterically, scared for her best friend. James nodded once and followed Sirius at a run up the road to the castle.