Monday came and brought a day full of classes that distracted Lily from her conflicting emotions. The normalcy of her daily routine soothed her heated feelings and allowed her to come upon a plausible solution.
All she had to do was simply pretend she felt nothing more than friendship for James. She would bury her traitorous feelings deep within herself and move on.
At lunch she smiled at James and sat down across the table from him. Acting as if the weekend had never happened, she immediately launched into a discussion of what the next Order lesson would bring.
After recovering from his initial surprise at Lily's cheerfulness, James replied smoothly.
"Well, it's Monday, so I suppose it's going to be endurance and strength training." He shoveled a large forkful of potatoes into his mouth as if preparing for the grueling workout they would face.
Lily groaned. "Do you really think that all this physical training will help? It seems like it's wearing my body more than it's strengthening it."
"Of course," James insisted adamantly. "What good is an Auror if he or she can't last the entire battle? If they can't pursue the enemy no matter how far he runs?"
"I know, you're right of course. It's just too bad that I've never been the athletic type or maybe I'd embrace the workouts." Lily blew on a spoonful of pumpkin soup in an effort to cool it.
"Want to run with me tonight?"
Lily swallowed a mouthful of steaming soup too quickly and scorched the roof of her mouth. After gulping down a drink of cold milk she looked up at James.
"Okay," she finally answered. His face lit up in a smile and she suppressed her panic. She could handle it. She had spent the past two months working closely with James; she could spend a night running laps around the castle with him.
And so it went, a life of daily routine that Lily welcomed gratefully. Days passed, and each day she presented the façade of being a simple friend and partner. If James still wondered about her strange behavior Valentine's weekend, he said nothing. When small flashes of aching longing pierced through Lily's being, she willed them away.
Then came the day that Bernard Wythe announced that the Order of the Phoenix training sessions would be ending.
"Your formal lessons will end, though we expect you to always be working to better yourself as members of the fight against Dark Magic." His voice rang out as he paced in front of the elite group of students. They sat together in an unused classroom, which had become the base of their defensive lessons.
"To assess the extent of your knowledge and skill we will be putting you through a final exam, of a sort. You will be put into a simulated battle and will be graded on your performance. The feedback you receive will be for your benefit only; we hope you will use it as a guide to improve your abilities. Are there any questions?"
The group remained silent.
"The examination will include two segments: solo fighting and partnered combat. Your partners have been selected for you. Your exam times are posted on the door; as you leave, please take note. With that, you are dismissed."
Lily found herself partnered with James, as usual. They were scheduled to go February twenty-third, one of the last time slots.
"Do you want to put in some extra practice before then?" James inquired.
"How would we find the time? We have so much going on, plus you have Quidditch practice to worry about."
"You forget we don't have this class anymore," James reminded her. "I can manage it if you can."
"I guess it wouldn't hurt to practice," Lily agreed. "I know they said this is only for ourselves, but I wouldn't be surprised if their motive is more than that."
"What do you mean?" James asked as they made their way back to their quarters.
"Wythe is an Auror, is he not? If I'm right, he'll be reporting back to the head of his department on each of us and our potential."
"Of course! You're brilliant, Lily."
Lily smirked. "Of course," she echoed. She nudged him with her hip, and he nudged back, sending her much smaller body crashing into the wall. Frowning playfully at him, she dusted herself off and walked a dignified distance from him down the darkened corridor. She thought enviously of all the students sleeping peacefully in their dorms, but knew that the opportunity they were being given was invaluable. If she was right, success on the examination could lead to quick acceptance into Auror training come graduation.
He scurried quickly back to his dorm, trembling at the task which he was assigned. Upon his lord's orders he had done all that he could to be accepted into the Order of the Phoenix. Throwing his miniscule pride to the floor, he had groveled at McGonagall's feet until he was allowed into the special class. Now it was all paying off, yet he was more afraid than ever.
His watery blue eyes blinked rapidly, imitating the trembling of his fleshy body. Would he be able to follow through? He must…his lord did not take no for an answer.
Upon hearing that Lily and James intended to practice for the exam, and why, the other seventh year Gryffindors decided to join them. They practiced advanced shielding charms, jinxes, hexes, and other various defensive spells.
After Sirius Reducto'd his way through a long string of chairs, shelves, and desks, Lily sensed that his angry energy after Marlene's death was being appropriately channeled. She grinned at him from across the spider-webbed classroom they were using and he smiled viciously back. His deep blue eyes radiated a rare intensity that suggested he had finally found his true calling.
Lily and James were assigned to fight Wythe himself in their exam. After each successfully fought their own way through the individual portions of the test, they rested briefly to prepare to face Wythe.
They stood in a large stone chamber lined with shelves, statues, and other free standing objects. The center of the room was mostly clear to allow movement. When it was time to begin the test, the three met in the center of the room for last minute instructions.
"Your task is to pick a place where you wish to begin the fight. When I say 'begin' we will begin our mock combat. You are not allowed to use the Unforgivables; anything else is warranted. Are you ready?"
Lily gulped, her nerves jangling. The individual exam had included Dark creatures, entrapments, and dangerous Dark obstacles, but only a brief combat. This would be much longer, more difficult, and more dangerous. There was a good chance that it would end with Lily, James, or both lying stunned or worse on the floor.
"You'll do fine, Lily. Remember Hogsmeade? This will be easier," James assured her. Yet she could see that his right hand was white at the knuckles as he clutched his wand.
While Wythe turned around, they quickly chose their positions; Lily behind a tall shelf of books that would allow her to observe Wythe through the gaps between shelves, James behind a tall, thick statue that blocked him from Wythe's sight.
Wythe cried, "Begin!" and Lily him turn around, scanning the room for the hidden pair. Quickly he began destroying the objects in front of him to guarantee he was not immediately close to his "enemies".
James caught Lily's eye and mouthed, "Wait." She nodded, going through their strategy carefully. James would attack first, and then while Wythe responded to James' attack, Lily would attack again. Hopefully James would be able to hold Wythe off, and Lily could finish him.
"Impedimenta!" James yelled, jumping from his pillar. Wythe easily shielded himself from the stunning spell and lifted his wand. He cast a silent spell that James also shielded. Lily remained behind her shelf, waiting for Wythe to become preoccupied enough for her to move.
James continued to assault Wythe with curses and jinxes that the Auror easily deflected. Lily shifted uneasily, unsure if their plan was going to work. It was possible that Wythe would be able to hold James off until his own attacks were successful.
Then Wythe performed a silent spell that had James hurtling across the room. Lily watched in horror as James hit a stone wall and slid limply to the floor. Spurred into action, she dove around the shelf and began throwing the most powerful hexes she knew at Wythe. As he shielded himself from them, they bounced back towards Lily and she had to execute intricate footwork to avoid getting hit with her own spells. The flashes of brightly colored light lit up the gloomy room like carnival lights.
Thinking quickly, Lily aimed a destroying spell at a heavy chandelier hanging over Wythe's head. The brass chandelier fell quickly and hit the unsuspecting Auror on the head. He stumbled and collapsed to the floor.
Thinking the fight was over, as Wythe was effectively disabled, Lily rushed to take care of James. He was still lying motionless on the floor, propped at an unnatural angle against the wall.
"Ennervate," Lily commanded. James' brown eyes opened slowly, blinking dimly at Lily. He lifted a quivering arm to rub his head, wincing as he hit a large lump that was forming.
"That hurt," he whispered. Lily performed a quick assessment of his body, finding no broken bones but many bruises and abrasions. She quickly healed the wounds to the best of her ability.
"Better?" she asked. James winced again.
"I don't know. I feel kind of funny inside." Before he could elaborate Lily was hit with a terrible pain. "Crucio!" Wythe had recovered from his fall, and had begun the combat again.
The intensity of the pain was astounding. It felt as if she were burning up, being torn from limb to limb. Her skull wanted to split in agony. She sunk to her knees, and then sagged against the cold, marble floor as the pain took control of her body.
Then, just as suddenly it was over. Through the clinging wisps of sanity Lily comprehended that James had forced Wythe to end the curse to protect himself against James' attack.
Something was seriously wrong, Lily realized grimly. The Unforgivable Curses had been strictly forbidden, yet Wythe was using them easily. Whatever was occurring, it was no longer a test; it was real.
She stood up and joined James against Wythe. The tall, muscular man's face was screwed up in a look of hatred and determination.
They dodged curses, took shelter behind half shattered objects, and fought back and forth across the large room.
A sharp slicing hex hit Lily in the stomach and she could feel blood soaking through her robes. She ignored it and sent a leg-locking curse back. Wythe deflected it and prepared another string of curses.
"Avad-"
"Petrificus Totalus!" Lily screamed, putting more intensity into the curse than she had ever known possible. The spell hit its mark and Wythe fell to the floor in a stiff, frozen position.
Lily quickly bound him with magical rope and stunned him for extra caution. Then she and James fled the room.
Outside stood Dumbledore and a few other high ranking members of the Order. When they saw the dirty, ragged pair tumble through the doors they turned in astonishment.
"What happened?" An elderly man with a head of curly gray hair demanded.
"Wythe tried to kill us!" James exclaimed. The adults looked unconvinced, but James pressed on.
"He performed the Cruciatus Curse on Lily and tried to kill me with the Killing Curse."
The elderly man rushed into the room that Lily and James had just vacated and the other adults excepting Dumbledore followed.
"Are you sure of this?" Dumbledore asked gravely. "If what you say is true, something terrible has happened."
Lily and James nodded solemnly. Lily put a hand to her midsection, which by now was drenched with her blood. She lifted her bloodied hand for Dumbledore to see.
"I'm bleeding," she whispered, dumbfounded. Dumbledore showed little emotion, yet his blue eyes hardened.
"To the Hospital Wing, Miss Evans. We will continue our discussion there. James?"
James, leaning heavily against the corridor's wall, grimaced. "I think he got me too," he admitted. Dumbledore conjured two floating stretchers, which he forced the pair, despite their protests that they could walk, to lie on.
When they were safely tucked into bed and were being examined by the frantic Madam Pomfrey, Dumbledore began to question them.
"Is this really the time, Headmaster?" the nurse demanded.
"It is a problem of timely manner, my dear Pomfrey. I'm afraid I must do this now." The nurse sniffed indignantly but continued to examine Lily's bleeding torso.
They slowly related their tale to Dumbledore, Lily's account belabored by Pomfrey's painful ministrations, and James' by the curse still twisting his insides.
After Dumbledore had thoroughly digested the story, he sat stroking his long white beard for a time. Then he sighed heavily, the released air ruffling his long mustache.
"Well," he began as he stood up from the chair he had been sitting on, "it is time for you to heal. I will let you rest."
By now, Lily was swathed in yards of white gauze in attempt to stop the heavy bleeding that persisted despite Pomfrey's efforts. James, having been diagnosed with a powerful dose of curses, was given pain-relieving potions and had been told he'd heal with rest.
As Dumbledore reached the door, he turned around once more.
"I must tell you, Miss Evans, that only a very powerful spell could have broken through Wythe's shield at that moment, an uncommonly powerful spell, indeed. Not many can stop the Killing Curse. I am very proud of you, very proud of both of you. You have done well. Good night."
Alone, the two fell into contemplative silence. James turned on his side to look at Lily, who was immobilized by her bandaged stomach.
Her pale skin was deathly white, due to the loss of blood he supposed. Her vivid red hair was draped across the stark white pillows. Her eyes were muddled with confusion and pain.
"What do you suppose happened, Lily?" he asked quietly.
"I don't know. Why us? Why anyone? How could it happen? Why would an Auror want us dead?"
"Do you think he was working for Voldemort?" James puzzled. Before Lily could answer, Pomfrey bustled back in.
"No such chatter!" she commanded. "Here – dreamless sleep potions for both of you. Drink up, now!"
They reluctantly drank the bitter potions and as prescribed, fell into heavy, undisturbed sleep.
Hey everyone! I know it's been another long wait. I'm sorry, really I am. Please just bear with me, and let me know you're still out there by dropping me a review. Thank you! As always, Rochelle