A/N: Please accept my apologies. Things happened for both my beta and I, but now we're back on track. Please neglect your studies and life to read and I hope you enjoy =)


Targeted


"Ugh… Malfoy," Sirius sneered as James idly drank his glass of mead and Peter sniggered uncontrollably. "Don't know you know that bats went out of style as familiars ages ago? Honestly, I thought you were on the up and up for trends… being in the higher 'social circles' of society and all," he finished, shaking his head at the dour figure standing next to Malfoy.

Malfoy's lips curled into a moderately amused smile as his grey eyes flickered to his companion. "Black, I'm more than aware of what is considered a socially acceptable familiar. I, on the other hand, was under the impression you were more intelligent than you're acting. Why still associating with … traitors," Malfoy said, gesturing vaguely towards James, "and rabble?"

"Rabble?" laughed James. "He's associating with rabble? What do you call your companion then? Scum?"

"Outcast?" Peter supplied.

"Greasy wank?" said Sirius.

"Most wanks are greasy," said James wisely. "That's nothing new… we'll call him a slimy, cowardly, bastard."

"It's comforting to know no matter how much time passes, some things never change," Snape drawled, his eyes glaring at James with intense hatred, "As always, your wit and creativity leave little room left over for intelligence or subtlety, Potter."

"Thanks, Snivellus," James replied with a grin. "Some things never do change, which is comforting. I'm sure that as the years pass, I'll age gracefully but you… you… will never be anything more than a grotty, oily, cowardly little minger who these gits keep around just for amusement."

"Describing your chubby mate, Potter?" asked Malfoy, glancing at Peter with a smirk.

"Even if he was describing Pete, at least he'd actually be our mate," Sirius replied. "Not just some tag-along who thinks he's part of the game."

"What game, exactly, are you referring to Black?" asked Malfoy.

Sirius turned around, grinning as James tipped his chair back on two legs. Peter sat quiet and slightly insulted next to him, waiting for Sirius' next comment. "No game in particular. Where're you boys headed to tonight?" asked Sirius.

Malfoy shrugged. "Visiting friends and relatives," he mused. "You only have these two for friends, and no relatives anymore… so what are you planning for this evening, Black?"

"Enjoying the freedom having no relatives provides," Sirius sighed, clasping his hands behind his head.

"Potter…you have relatives," Malfoy said lightly. "Including your little wife at home… don't you? I'm surprised you are willing to leave her unprotected. It's very dangerous for mudbloods to be alone these days, don't you think?"

"Lily can handle herself," James replied a little forcefully, crossing his arms over his chest as he stared back at Malfoy. "For someone 'cultured,' aren't you above using such filthy language?"

"Aren't you worried about your hygiene and health after sleeping alongside that filthy creature all night long?"

"Speaking of filth," James countered, leaning forward on his chair and ignoring Sirius' cautioning glare, "we saw your wife at a Quidditch Match with you a few months back. I can't imagine banging her with that expression on her face… or is that now her permanent expression because she's stuck with you and your tiny manhood for the rest of her life?"

"Had it not been for that counterstrike at the train station, your mudblood pet would have known the size of Snape's manhood along with - still got that temper on you, Potter?" Malfoy sneered, stepping back as James jumped up from the table and fought against Sirius' restraining arms. "It's rather unbecoming."

"Isn't it against your creed to think about mating with muggle-borns?" Sirius asked, motioning for Peter to restrain James' arms as he pushed him back.

"Who said anything about mating?" Snape replied, quirking his eyebrow as he glared into James' enraged eyes. "There are other acts one can engage in besides mating."

"You-"

"James," Sirius cautioned, pushing his friend back in his seat as Malfoy laughed quietly and Snape's dour mouth curved into a small smirk. The door to the pub opened and a younger man with blondish hair walked in, glancing over at Malfoy and Snape who nodded.

"Ah Yaxley, you've just missed a very… polite and engaging conversation," Malfoy drawled, picking up his snake-head adorned cane and pulling his cloak around his shoulders. "I'd introduce you all, but we really must be going," he explained in an off-hand voice. "Black, Potter… whoever your chubby friend is, have a good evening of drunkenness. Give your mudblood Snape's regards, Potter…"

Sirius put his hand against James' chest, restraining him and scowling over his shoulder at Malfoy and Snape's retreating figures. His eyes looked back to James, a frown on his face. "You overreact… just like they expect you to," Sirius muttered.

"Fuck you," James growled, throwing Sirius' restraining hand off of him. "Were you at least able to put the fucking tracking charm on them?"

Sirius nodded, pulling out his wand and holding it in his hand. James and Peter watched as it turned on its own accord, pointing first towards the door, and then out the window as it followed Malfoy and Snape down the street.

"What happens if they Apparate?" asked Peter nervously.

"It'll start tracking them again once they reach their destination," Sirius explained. "Which is why we should head over to the Lestrange's and wait."

"You think that's where they're going?"

Sirius nodded, still watching James, who was fuming with his arms crossed over his chest. "That's where Moody said they meet most of the time. The other scouts have caught them there, so that's where we're supposed to sit and watch for more of them," he explained to Peter before turning back to James. "You're never going to get a rise out them… so stop trying."

"I wasn't trying-"

"Yes, you were. You were hoping they'd pick a fight," Sirius countered.

"As if you weren't hoping that as well," James growled, the corner of his mouth lifting as Sirius grinned wickedly.

"This is true, a fight would be interesting… break up the monotony of scouting a bit… but I rather like Moody trusting us for this type of work, that and I don't want to make him angry… I have a feeling we'd be back to running laps and training again if we did," he explained, smirking as James laughed.

Peter stood, twitching nervously as James also got to his feet. "Ah… well, let's head over there then. Maybe if we see them loitering about we can at least bury them in a snow bank for a few minutes," James suggested, watching Sirius nod interestedly.

The snow was thick in Camberly, and James instantly regretted not wearing boots as they Apparated into a large pile of it. "Dammit," he swore quietly, pulling out his wand and clearing a path for him to stand.

Sirius was sniggering as he cast a transparent shield charm that blocked them from view of anyone passing on the street. "You need to get yourself a pair of these," he said to James, tapping his foot and gesturing towards his black dragon hide boots. "Keep everything out these do."

"I bet ol' Pauly Bulstrode would have loved to have a pair of those that time we tricked him into walking through Hagrid's freshly fertilized pumpkin patch," said Peter quietly as he dusted snow off his trainers.

James and Sirius both chuckled. "That was a good day, I forgot about that," Sirius mused. "I'm sure Snivellus would have loved some too since they can't be jinxed."

"Would have saved him from all those times he hit our trip jinx and fell down the stairs," Peter laughed.

"I'm surprised all those tumbles didn't knock some sense into him," James muttered, brushing snow off his trainers before sitting down on the ground near Peter. "'Course, all that grease in his hair probably shielded him from the really hard knocks."

"And his nostrils probably allowed him to float gracefully down the stairs at times," Sirius said, mimicking someone falling with their nose extended out as a parachute.

James and Peter laughed as they reminisced about their school pranks and other escapades, watching lazily for Malfoy, Snape, and the third companion they had met at the pub. Time passed slowly, the light of the full moon shining above them led to talk about Remus and what he may be up to tonight, and then reminisce again about the times they played on the Hogwart's grounds.

"I think Lils is more irritated with me than she'll admit," James said reluctantly after a short period of silence.

"About us goofing off at Hogwarts?" asked Peter.

"No," James scoffed in reply, giving Peter a curious look. "About the fact that I'm jumping on board with all these missions and leaving her behind all the time."

"Does she want you to stay home? I mean, she knew going in that you're not the type of bloke that just sits around," Sirius commented.

"No, she wants to come too."

"And this is a problem because…"

"Because they'll kill her," James said to Sirius. "If she's captured or anything like that-"

"What makes you think they won't kill you?" asked Sirius.

James paused, his mouth open as he searched for a reply. "They won't kill him because he's pureblood… right?" Peter supplied, biting his lip and looking from James to Sirius.

Sirius scoffed. "Prongs, aside from the fact that the Death Eaters are starting to not care who they murder anymore, you attacked Voldemort. You specifically went after him when-"

"I didn't attack him," James argued. "I was trying-"

"You saw Lily close to the stage, saw my cousin talking at her, and then you went mental and ran forward and tried to stun him, and when that was blocked you tried to blast apart that stage he was on and-"

"It's not like you wouldn't have done the same thing!" James snapped.

"I'm not denying that," Sirius replied calmly. "I'm only saying you might as well let her come with you – us. Stop trying to prevent her from being summoned on missions. She's useful and talented, and you can't always keep her safe. I know you're looking at me like they'll kill her if they capture her, but they'll kill you just the same because Voldemort's got it in for you now. You pissed him right off, and he's going to want revenge," he explained.

James fell quiet and Peter looked frightened; Sirius simply sighed and turned back to watching the street, his wand twirling idly between his fingers.

"Since when did you become the voice of reason?" asked James sarcastically. "Better yet, how do you know all this? Who've you been talking to?"

"I've been talking to Moody, and to Gideon," Sirius explained. "Because they told me to watch out for you… they told me someone they've been tailing was talking about how you're moving up Voldemort's list of people to rid of before his takeover."

"What? Why?" asked James.

Sirius turned around to explain, but was cut off when a loud crack echoed through the silence around them. He and James froze, Peter let out a terrified squeak, and then the shield Sirius had put up shattered around them and four figures raced forward, wands drawn as various hexes lifted the darkness of night.

James watched his stunning spell fly at random into the group of figures as he jumped forward and pushed Sirius out of the way of a jet of yellow light. He pulled Sirius to his feet, watching as Sirius repeated the motion with Peter and the three of them scattered into the darkness. James tripped over the fallen body of one of the Death Eaters, scrabbling behind a nearby tree to dodge the numerous curses and jinxes that were being fired at random.

Hoping to distract the Death Eaters and enable his friends to hide themselves better, James flicked his wand at the yellow light of the street lamp; the glass shattered and the artificial light dimmed, though the light of the moon bathed the area with an eerie white glow, not offering either the Death Eaters or James' party much chance to hide.

James heard the crunch of snow under heavy footsteps and held still, trying to slow his breathing and watching Sirius and Peter duck lower behind a small shed of one of the muggle houses. "Come on out, Potter," said the sing-song drawl of Lucius Malfoy. "You asked us what game we were up to earlier… don't want to play now?"

A bright flash suddenly lit up the darkness, bathing James', Sirius' and Peter's locations in white light. Instantly their wands were at the defensive, casting shield charms and counter curses, but the cloaked figures of the Death Eaters converged around them. Two men began firing spells at James while the third went after Sirius and Peter. The separate duels went on for a few minutes until James was finally able to gain the upper hand by tripping one of his opponents. The man tumbled to the ground and the second opponent paused for a moment to help him up, which gave James the opportunity to stun him. He raised his wand and stepped forward, but was then distracted by an ear-splitting cry of pain.

The Death Eater James had stunned when the fight first broke out was back in action. He had ran over to where Peter and Sirius were and was watching as Sirius writhed on the ground under the other Death Eater's wand. Peter was nowhere to be seen, and Sirius was screaming and James was torn between continuing his fight or assisting his friend. He chose the latter and ran toward where Sirius was being tortured, firing a spell that was blocked by the unoccupied Death Eater. James attempted another hex, but the Death Eater's wand sliced the air and sent a streak of light hurtling towards James. He yelped and fell backwards into the snow, dizzy and disoriented as though he'd run head first into a brick wall.

"The Dark Lord is right, Potter," Malfoy's voice sneered as he approached James from behind. "You are meddlesome, and irritating… and terribly predictable."

From the ground James raised his wand, attempting to protect himself as his thoughts raced from Lily to his parents to his friends and then back to the present… he expected pain, he expected a green flash of light to hit him in the chest and steal his life… but instead there was an earsplitting BANG and he felt his body thrown backwards into the air. Flailing wildly as he fell, James tried to cushion his fall with a cushioning charm but he cast it too late. Air was forced from his lungs as he hit the ground, groaning loudly over the pain that shot through his neck and down his left arm.

He lifted his head to see Sirius lying unconscious in the snow, blood staining the area around where he lay. James gingerly got to his knees and looked around for the Death Eaters, but was hit from behind with another spell and knocked face first into the snow.

Air was pushed violently from his lungs as though someone was squeezing him tightly around the ribs. James fought with himself for breath and to keep his wits about him as the snow crunched and someone moved close to him.

A foot connected with James' ribs, and he groaned loudly, gasping for air and listening to Snape's slow exhales above him. James grunted with effort, trying to get to his feet as Malfoy chuckled next to him and Snape walked away. "I'll give my regards to Lily if we happen to see her later tonight," Malfoy said quietly. "I'll tell her you said good-bye."

Another foot to the ribs; James groaned loudly, his eyes half open to see Malfoy stand and raise his wand. This time he didn't even try to defend himself, to weak from the curse working its way into his lungs. James closed his eyes, silently praying that Lily would be safe as he waited for it to end…

BANG!

The sound echoed off the trees, causing James to open his eyes and Malfoy to look for the sound. He swore and disappeared on the spot with crack, and James exhaled in relief, causing more air to be forced out of his lungs as his breathing became rapid and shallow. There were more cracks… the sound of new arrivals to the area. James pushed himself upon to his hands and knees and looked around at the people running in their direction.

He briefly saw someone hovering over Sirius and talking with Peter (where had he been?) about what happened before a pair of dragon hide boots obscured his vision. "Potter?"

"Sirius…?"

"He's alive, but he's got some kind of a curse on him that's making it hard to breathe, along with… other injuries," replied Fabian Prewett's voice.

"Yah… I think… I have the same thing happening," grunted James. "I … can't breathe …"

"Just…hang on," said Fabian, grabbing James' hand and helping him to his feet. The latter leaned into Fabian for support as they walked over to where Sirius and Peter were standing.

Sirius moaned in pain as Gideon helped him up, Peter hovering nervously nearby. "We've got to get them back to the flat; we can't go to Mungo's unless it's an absolute emergency… to many questions," Gideon grunted, holding a majority of Sirius' weight and looking at Fabian. "Do you three know anyone good at healing charms or counter curses?"

J&L&J&L

There was a whimper, then a low growl, and Lily shifted as something very heavy and furry suddenly nudged her awake. Inhaling sharply, she looked over to see Remus Lupin in his werewolf form staring at her nervously.

"Whas goin' on?" she asked, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Before Remus could do so much as nudge her in one direction or another, there was a brilliant flash of light and a silvery mongoose appeared in Remus' bedroom.

"Back in Wiltshire, need assistance…" Fabian Prewett's voice advised.

Lily shook her head to wake herself up and clamored to her feet, grabbing her wand from a desk in Remus' room and pulling her cloak on. She grabbed a pair of trousers off of Remus' floor and turned around to look at him. "If I hold onto you and Apparate you'll stay sane right?" she asked in a tired voice.

Remus nodded, walking close to her and wincing as she grabbed a handful of his fur. Lily closed her eyes and concentrated on the destination, bracing herself mentally and physically for what she would find upon arrival.

J&L&J&L&J&L

"Potter… just hold still, all right?" Gideon ordered as he examined James' broken arm and collarbone. "It seems like the more you move around the worse it gets so- "

"I can't… breathe… I can't-" James gasped, wincing in pain as whatever curse was still on him squeezed his ribs tighter and tighter. Sirius was experiencing the same situation, though in addition to his breathing troubles he was bleeding from a large, gaping wound just below his shoulder. Gideon had tried everything, but he was unable to stop the bleeding, and the injury seemed to be expanding across his chest with each passing second, as though his skin was being eaten away…

"Where are they?" asked Peter frantically, watching out the window for Fabian to appear with Lily. He'd sent her a message and was waiting outside for her, but that had been ten minutes ago and she still hadn't shown up…

"Where … were … you?" Sirius groaned from his curled up position on the floor.

"I ran away to – to try to send a message," he stammered. "When I came back-"

Peter's explanation was interrupted as the door to Gideon's flat burst open and Fabian strode in followed by Lily and a large grey wolf. Gideon looked marginally alarmed, but the wolf simply sat down near the opposite end of the room and watched with a worried expression. Lily on the other hand swept quickly through the sitting area, clasping her hands to her mouth when she saw the amount of blood on Sirius' shirt and James struggling to breathe.

"Oh my God!" she shouted. "What happened? What-"

"Can you do something?" asked Fabian, interrupting her panic.

"Do what? They've got to get to the hospital! I can't-"

"We don't have time, and the healers ask too many questions," Fabian replied. "Can you do something? Anything… a healing charm or-"

"I can do healing charms but … only for minor injuries. I don't know anything about what happened to them or-"

James groaned and grabbed hold of Lily's hand, his eyes closed as he tried desperately to control his breathing. His lips were blue and face pale, breath coming in shallow gasps as he squeezed her hand tightly. Lily bit her lip and ran her fingers through her hair before turning back to Fabian. "What … what curse did they use? What were you hit with?" she asked.

"Don't … know…" Sirius grunted.

James seized Lily's hand again, a rush of panic filling his aching chest. He wasn't ready to die, he wasn't ready to go and leave her behind… he didn't want to cause her pain, or have her grieve for him… He tried to mouth that he loved her, tried to beg her to do anything, but the pain was too great and all he could do was cough. She pushed his hair out of his eyes, her face pale and worried as she watched him. "Can't…" he stammered, eyes widening as another squeeze forced more air out of his body.

"Get me a Dark Arts' book," Lily ordered over her shoulder. James heard the sound of footsteps racing down the hall and then back into the sitting room. He began wheezing loudly as Lily tore through the pages of a book looking for a counter-curse.

"I knew something like this was going to happen, I just knew it," she was muttering under her breath. "They knew you were coming and-"

"Just do something!" Sirius snapped angrily, the effort seemed to strengthen the curse that was squeezing air from his lungs.

Lily flipped the pages faster, stopping suddenly with an intense look on her face. She placed her hand on Sirius' ribs and pointed her wand at his throat. "Explico Constrixion," she shouted.

James turned his head sideways to see Sirius' back arch violently and then relax as he inhaled a raspy, relieved breath. He put his hands on his chest, his eyes closing as he relaxed further into the carpet beneath him. James felt Lily place her hand against his ribs and mutter the same counter curse. Intense pressure constricted his throat and passed through his chest, but then the pain ceased and he breathed deeply.

"Nice work, Evans," Gideon said, ruffling Lily's hair.

"Potter," she corrected, watching James inhale a few deep breaths before relaxing slightly. She put her hand against his cheek, expecting him to be relieved and happy to see her, but was shocked when rolled over with a furious expression on his pale face.

"Bugger this," he grumbled, sitting up and then wincing in pain when she pushed him back down onto the sofa, his broken arm curled against his chest.

"You need to rest" Lily protested, shaking her head as she tried to coax James back into lying down. "You almost suffocated just-"

"They're still out there!"

"Are you insane?" Lily countered, moving away from James and over to Sirius, whose breathing steadily improving, but had other injuries still causing him distress.

"Potter, she's right," Gideon said firmly. "You can't get so riled up about-"

"Riled up?" asked Lily as she looked at the wound on Sirius' chest. It was the size of her fist, both muscle and bone visible through the ever expanding wound. "Is that what happened? You let someone pull your chain and-"

"His arm is broken, and his collar bone," interjected Fabian, sensing Lily's irritation with the situation and trying to keep her focused. "How do I fix them?"

"Rescario Umerus," Lily replied sharply, throwing James an angry glance before she turned back to Sirius.

James cried out, the bones in his arm and neck had snapped back into place when she snarled the charm in his direction. A far off part of his mind was incredibly impressed by her ability to stay focused on Sirius but repair his injuries, but his fury over three Death Eaters surprising them and then escaping overrode the amused emotion.

"You've got to give me some idea of what I'm working against here," Lily growled after trying a few counter curses on Sirius' injury, all of them seemingly causing more damage than repairing it.

"It's a curse," Sirius replied, wincing and looking slightly alarmed at the amount of blood on his chest.

"I'm not a complete idiot," she snapped. "I'm also not a healer; I have no idea what I'm doing and I'm trying to help so tell me what you got hit with!"

Peter cleared his throat. "It was… something with a D… disengage… no, that wasn't it. Disentrax-"

"Disentanagro?" asked Lily suddenly, her eyes widening as she turned back to the book.

"Yes, something like that," said Peter.

Lily frowned and her expression became stern. "Get me dittany, hazel, and hellebore," she demanded. "And a cauldron, obviously."

Gideon ran into the other room, and Lily hovered her wand over Sirius' chest. She started murmuring a soft incantation over and over again. Peter, James and Fabian were silent as they watched Sirius' wound slowly repair itself around the edges and then stitch itself together under her command. When Gideon returned, Lily took the contents he'd placed in the cauldron and cast a charm to pulverize them. She then added water and lit a small fire underneath the pewter bowl.

"Stir this," she ordered Fabian before turning back to Sirius She murmured the incantation a few more times, each time James noticed Sirius became more and more coherent. Lily turned over her shoulder to Fabian stirring the potion and motioned for him to stop.

"That's good, thanks," she said, conjouring a cloth from thin air and dipping it into the concoction. She handed it to Sirius, motioning for him to spread the liquid over his chest. James sighed and stood up, moving over her shoulder and watching quietly.

"Where's… where's your loo? I need to… wash up," Lily explained, holding up her shaking blood stained hands. Gideon nodded for her to follow him down the hall as James sat down next to Sirius with a slightly amused look on his face.

"So much for me looking out for you, eh?" Sirius asked with a grin.

James shrugged. "You looked out for me. Speaking of which," said James, looking up at Fabian and Gideon, "What's this about Voldemort having it out for me? How did you get this information?"

Gideon looked at Fabian, shrugging before sitting down in a chair and gesturing for Peter to do the same. Fabian sighed heavily and leaned against a wall near the hallway. "So… that day in Diagon Alley, when Nolan sent the three of you in there blind against all those Death Eaters and neglected to tell the rest of the Order what was going on… well, Moody let him have it when they got back to the Ministry. Threatened to sack him… all of that. But he did it in front of a group of people… and one person in that group just happened to be someone we suspected as a Death Eater sympathizer. Moody had been tracking him for weeks, and figured he'd want to get an insider in the Auror office so during his scolding of Nolan he made it sound like he was sympathetic to their plight.

"So this bloke, next day when Nolan comes in, approaches him and starts asking questions about why Nolan sent you guys in there and all of that," Fabian continued. "And on Moody's orders, Nolan lies and says that it was because he knew you were married to a muggle-born and the lot of us were, quote, 'mudblood loving traitors.' This kid buys the whole thing – I don't think he's that bright to be honest – and connects Nolan up with Rastaban Lestrange. So now, they think that Nolan is on their side and they're using him as a spy inside the Auror office."

"So," James said, considering Fabian's words. "So Nolan is now feeding information about us, and the Auror office, to the Death Eaters?"

"False information," Gideon explained. "He's giving them false trails so we can track them easier, find out what they're up to. This bloke he's talking to frequently is not the best at keeping their plans… shall we say, under wraps."

"Hold on a tick…how do you know Nolan is giving them false trails?" said Sirius skeptically. "How can you be sure-"

"Oh, we're sure," said Gideon. "Moody's got him bound so he can't say anything about the Order. He's put a tongue-tying curse on him, Nolan has a Vertiserum antidote just in case… Moody's got him under numerous spells to make sure he can't squeal. Plus, it makes Nolan feel like he's a big shot now – which is what he wanted – so he's more than willing to cooperate."

"I don't know," James said, tousling his hair. "I don't like the guy… I definitely don't trust him."

"He's a connection to them, and they're telling him things we need to know to plan," Gideon insisted, looking at James' skeptical expression.

"He's under Moody's thumb; he's keeping a close eye on him, making sure he doesn't do anything to compromise us," Fabian reassured, shifting his position and dropping his voice. "Besides, through him we've been able to get a lot of information about what Voldemort's planning… so we can really dig in and get rid of the bastards."

"Are you sure that Nolan isn't just… making this information from the Death Eater's up?" asked Sirius. "I mean… everything we've heard and found out on our scouting excursions suggests that half of His followers don't even know who the other half are, and apparently there are a lot of consequences for talking about his plans. This bloke Nolan's talking about … well, he must have a big mouth. And Rastaban Lestrange is right in there with Voldemort. If they find out that this kid is talking, they'll off him… so how do we know Nolan isn't just making this all up? Has Moody or anyone actually seen this kid?"

"Nolan talks to him frequently in sight of the office. They don't know his name, but they know his face," Fabian explained. "As far as making stuff up, he relays the information straight to Dumbledore and … well, you can't hide things from Dumbledore, as I'm sure you're aware," he laughed, watching James and Sirius nod. "This kid doesn't have his Dark Mark yet, he's waiting to get one. He must be close to getting it 'cause Nolan says he's constantly talking about how Voldemort is like a father to him. And you're right, Rastaban Lestrange is right in there with Voldemort, and this kid is close to them for some reason which is how Nolan got to meet up with Rastaban and found out a lot of the more recent information… which now brings me back to my point."

Fabian sighed and gave James a very severe look. "You've got to keep your head about you, Potter. The Death Eaters know, first off, that you're insanely protective of your friends and family… and they will use that against you. If 'members' rile you up and you pick a fight, they could seriously hurt you or even have you thrown in Azkaban… so keep your wand out of a knot when you're talking to someone you suspect of following Voldemort. You're not the only one he has it out for," Fabian explained.

"That's what Sirius said, that he has it out for me. Which makes me confused because-"

"James," Gideon interrupted. "You ran through that crowd in Diagon Alley like you were being summoned, and you tried to blast him off the stage. And when he cast whatever spell he did to make everyone's disguises disappear, he saw you, as yourself, coming after him. Apparently, he feels like you 'challenged' him. Not only did you turn him down to join the Death Eaters, but you flat out challenged him. So he wants you gone because he wants everyone challenging him out of the way."

"Which includes all of us obviously, but he's got a soft spot for you, Frank, Alice… Dunford the Auror… that's from a tussle they got into early last year… and Dumbledore obviously… plus a few more of us, even though he doesn't realize we're all working together… but that's beside the point. He's going to do all he can to kill you, or order someone to kill you, because you're a challenge to his-"

"What? You did what, James?" Lily's quiet voice whispered from the end of the hallway. She emerged from the shadows looking pale, alarmed, and enraged as she stared across the room at her husband.

"Nothing," said James, getting to his feet. He moved closer toward her, hoping to stop her from digging her fingers into her arms, but she backed away from him. He frowned. "I didn't - I was in that crowd, and he was there. He had killed that innocent man and-"

"What did you do?" Lily asked fiercely.

"I … I only tried to stop him! No one else was doing anything! He was a sitting duck on that platform so I tried to-"

"'Sitting duck?' You thought he was a sitting duck and decided to attack? You didn't think he'd have any protection around him?" Lily said incredulously. "We all saw a hex fly off that giant barrier he'd put up, and that's when it all started to erupt and-"

"I only tried to stun him, it wasn't anything-"

Lily's cheeks flushed with color and she released her grasp on her arms, making vague frustrated movements with her hands until finally they balled into fists. "Tell me someone told you to attack, tell me you weren't the only one-"

"No one else was doing anything!" James replied, gesturing toward Gideon and Sirius as her eyes flashed angrily. "These two were standing there trying to stop me, but … I had to do something!

Sirius stood up, still pale, and looked at Lily curiously. "All he did was try to blast him off the platform and-"

"Because, of course, James Potter would be the one to destroy Voldemort," Lily interrupted in a sarcastic tone. "Young, talented, over-confidant James Potter could easily defeat Voldemort with a stunning spell!"

James' face grew red. "I was trying to save your life. I saw you up there-"

"Don't blame me for your need to be a hero," Lily snapped. "Do I look like some kitten stuck in a tree that you need to constantly save? If you saw me, you surely saw Emmeline and Alice and should have figured 'oh, she's probably got a plan so she'll be safe and-'"

"What was your plan exactly?" asked James, crossing his arms over his chest. "Have a nice little chat with Bellatrix and then let Voldemort meet you? He knows Legilimency they say, he would have seen-"

"Our plan was to get you three out and let the Aurors and hit wizards do their job!" Lily shouted.

"It's our job too! That's why we're in the Order and-"

"Why didn't you listen to them? When they told you to wait, to think before you act, why didn't you listen? Are you above them?" asked Lily in an exasperated voice. "You have this… you're obsessed with proving yourself worthy or being useful and it's going to get you killed!"

"I was trying to save you from being killed," James growled. "I was saving your life… again!"

"Is that supposed to impress me? Is that what it is?" Lily replied. "If it is, you might want to try something different because saving my life is getting old."

"I'm not trying impress you-"

"Then who are you trying to impress, James?" asked Lily. "No one here expects you to destroy Voldemort. We're supposed to be a team, working together to-"

"Why are you angry at me? I fired a spell at him so he wouldn't go after you and-"

"Yes, but now he's after you!" Lily shouted, her voice breaking. "Now apparently he's hunting you and every time you go out they're going to be looking for you and-"

"So let them come after me!" James shouted. "If you can handle yourself, let them come me! I'm not afraid of-"

"But I am, James," Lily replied shakily. "I'm terrified. Every time you're gone and I'm stuck home all I can think about is if you're ever coming home and what I'll do if you don't come home or-"

"Lils," said Sirius, glancing at James whose expression wasn't softening any as Lily fought back tears. "First off, he's with us… he's safe. And secondly, if something did happen, we would-"

"You don't get it… you… you called me here tonight because I insisted in teaching you all a bunch of healing charms, and now you think I know something about it… like it's some hidden talent I have. You know how I know that stuff?" asked Lily. "Because when you were in the hospital, I sat in the waiting room and talked with mediwitches about it… about the kinds of things they see on a daily basis. They see muggles coming in with… these horrible injuries, or dead and their families are in hysterics," she explained, shifting uncomfortably. "And I sat there, and I saw some of that… I saw it when they brought in that poor woman who'd been tortured for hours, and-"

"That's why I didn't want you to be at the hospital," James growled. "You didn't need to see that stuff… and you can't handle that but you think you can handle battle? This is why I've tried to keep you out of it… You think you can handle-"

"So you have tried to keep me out of it!" Lily snapped angrily.

"It's dangerous for-"

"How is it less dangerous for you?" Lily shouted. "Tell me that! Tell me why it's less dangerous for you!"

"It's not! But-"

"But what? It's not okay for you to worry about me and panic when you think I'm being threatened, but it's okay for me to sit around and fret about whether you'll come home in one piece or seven hundred?" asked Lily, finally lowering her voice. "Because that's what I worry about, James; that's what scares me most… that's why I have nightmares and I'm terrified all the time. And now I find out that you… you're being hunted by this monster because you offended or… 'challenged' him. And now I have to worry about him finding out where we live and how-"

"You don't need to worry about it, Lily," said Fabian. "We helped place protective charms over-"

"Oh, well… I'll just go home and sleep soundly tonight," Lily replied sarcastically. "Because there's no possibility of protective charms being broken, is there? I tell you what… I'll go ask the relatives of that goblin family that was murdered last week how well their protective charms held up. Or, maybe I'll pay a visit to Mungo's and talk with Marlene while she visits her brother and her nephew who were attacked by Death Eaters last month… see how their protective charms held up."

Lily snatched her wand off the table, not even glancing at James as she headed toward the door. He moved forward and grabbed her by the shoulder. "Lils… I don't understand why you're angry with me… I'm only trying to … end this war so you'll be safe, so we'll all be safe… because I love you and-"

"If you love me, James, don't try to be a hero anymore," she replied. "Work on keeping yourself safe. I've already lost my dad, my mom, my best friend… I don't want to lose you as well."

She shrugged out of his grasp and walked out the door into the night. Remus, who had been sitting in the corner of the room the whole time, whimpered quietly. Sirius glanced at James, who was staring at the door with a slightly irritated expression on his face.

"Um… that was interesting?" Gideon offered. "Has she been nagging you to stay out of things?"

James shook his head. "No… and even if she had been, I wouldn't. I want this to end and she knows that, she knew that-"

Remus made a low growling noise and Sirius chuckled once. "Prongs… it's not that she doesn't know that… she wants the war to end just as badly. What I think she was saying, and gather I'm not fluent in Lily-speak, is that she's upset that you… well, that you picked a fight and almost got killed, and that you keep picking fights and are going to get killed if you don't stop."

"I'm not the only one picking fights," James growled. "And I can take care of myself, she-"

"So can Lily," Sirius said. "But you don't want her to suffer, and you want her to keep herself out of danger so you don't need to worry… now put yourself in her shoes."

"I can't, her feet are much smaller than mine," snapped James, though he knew what Sirius meant. He listened to the men in the room chuckle, but felt his heart fill with worry as Lily left alone in the middle of the night to return back to their house. Malfoy's words from earlier in the evening suddenly flooded back into his head. "The Dark Lord is right, Potter… you are meddlesome and irritating… We'll give Lily our regards if we see her later this evening…"

"Does anyone else get the feeling that maybe… maybe… the attack on us was a diversion from bigger plans?" asked James. "Malfoy said something to me about seeing Lily later in the evening… like they were going to be out doing … things…"

Fabian frowned and glanced at Sirius who was getting to his feet. "Perhaps we ought to go get your wife then?" he asked.

"And perhaps a few of us ought to go back to the Lestrange's?" asked Sirius, indicating Peter, Remus, and himself.

Gideon was about to respond, but there was a sudden woosh from outside as a large silver streak flew through the window to the flat and solidified into a doe.

"They're in Avon, come now," Lily's slightly frantic voice whispered. The doe faded away, and the men in the room looked at each other for only as second before grabbing their wands and heading out the door. Remus growled and followed, wincing as Sirius grabbed the skin on the back of his neck and twisted into darkness.

James' mind ran circles around itself. He should have followed Lily out the door… How would he find her? Who was in Avon and what were they doing? His heartbeat was wild and uncontrolled as he opened his eyes and the compressing darkness faded away. Sirius materialized beside him, clutching Remus in his wolf form who was growling viciously. Fabian and Gideon appeared a second later along with Peter, all of them staring around the area in front of the flat James, Sirius and Lily called home.

"It's foggy," James noted, peering around at the thick air. "It wasn't foggy-"

"It's the charm," said Fabian in a low voice. "It's been activated… only people who've used magic at your house can go beyond it."

Sirius looked curious. "How-"

"Lily must have purposefully activated it," Gideon muttered, moving forward. "Do you see any-"

"There!" said James, pointing his wand down the street before running after the sudden flash of light that illuminated a slender figure with long red hair. The others raced after him, wands ready but refraining from firing spells until they knew exactly what was happening.

A bright flash of light exploded suddenly, illuminating a circle of figures further down the street who were chuckling over Lily's defensive tactics as she tried to protect a woman who was hiding behind her.

"We just wanted to talk," a voice laughed, firing another spell in Lily's direction. The spell connected with her shield, the resulting sound made James' hair stand on end as he willed his feet to move faster to get to her.

Fabian cast a spell that lit up the darkness for a second, distracting the Death Eaters and allowing Lily to push the woman to safety.

"Run," she ordered. "Run now… somewhere public, downtown… anywhere, just run!"

The terrified woman obeyed and ran off in the opposite direction just as James reached Lily's side. The group of four Death Eaters sprung into action, firing curses and hexes at the seven people who'd arrived to stop them. Lily seized James' hand, pulling him away from where Sirius and Peter had engaged two of the men, following after the other two who had taken off running down the street, Fabian and Gideon following after them.

There was a soft glow from the end of the street; James realized that this was where Lily was running. A fire was consuming an isolated single-story muggle house, the progress of the flames was being monitored by two more Death Eaters who shielded their fellows from Gideon and Fabian's attempts to stun them.

"Move!" Lily shouted, pushing James roughly aside as a jet of blue light flew in their direction. All four of the masked figures were sniggering in between various their various curses at the four Order Members and the fire that was consuming muggle house behind them. Several times Lily tried to douse the flames, but each time she did the flames only seemed to grow larger.

"They burn quicker than we do," taunted a sneering voice as Lily's horrified eyes moved toward a window where the frantic owner was trying to escape. "You should join them, Evans," He continued, laughing as she ran forward toward the house. "I've always been curious to see if mudbloods will burn as fast as the muggles do."

Another hex flew in Lily's direction, and James watched horrified as she made no attempt to block it, instead casting a cushioning charm to protect the man who had leapt from his bedroom window. Her charm protected him, but cost her the ability to defend herself as the spell hit her and she was thrown backwards into the burning building.

Gideon and Fabian both turned at the same time James did, meaning to run to help Lily out, but it was as if hooks had snaked around their legs and all three of them fell forward onto their faces. James heard Gideon and Fabian struggling as another figure crouched next to James, yanking his head up by his hair and watching curiously as the fire in the house roared to life in front of them.

"Wow, that muggle bloke was quite the runner," the voice mused. James didn't recognize it, though admittedly he wasn't listening at the moment. He screamed Lily's name, waiting for her to jump through the same window the muggle man had.

"Lily! Lily!" the man holding him mocked. "I'm guessing she's out from whatever Dolohov shot… he does that, you know. Likes to take them out straight away. This was all his idea, really… how did you know where we were?"

James struggled against the man's grip on his hair and the jinx holding him to the ground as the fire burned brighter in front of him. The popping and sizzling sounds were like torture, and there was no sign of movement from inside the burning building. James was about to scream for Lily again when a flash of silver light suddenly raced by them. Suddenly James' struggles were no longer in vain; he threw the man holding him down away, jumping to his feet at the same time that Gideon, and Fabian broke free of whatever was holding them. Sirius raced forward, jumping in with James as he fought against the Death Eater who tried to retackle him. Peter moved forward to help Gideon and Fabian subdue the other men.

As soon as Sirius got James to his feet, two more figures raced forward to help their fellow Death Eater gain the upper hand in the duel. One cloaked figure seemed much more violent than the others. Several times James and Sirius found themselves dodging the torture curse along with several other unrecognizable spells that left singe marks and deep grooves in the ground and the houses around them.

Everyone paused suddenly when the burning house behind the fight made a low creak and the side collapsed. "LILY!" James shouted, his hands tangling into his hair as he watched the building start to crumble, his wild horrified eyes reflecting the dancing flames. "NO!"

"Should have trained your pet to not be so nosy, Potter," chuckled the voice of Lucius Malfoy. "All we were doing was talking to the pretty muggle and she-"

A flash of red disrupted his speech. Lucius' eyes went blank and then he slumped to the ground, his fellows bracing themselves for more stunning curses. Another streak of red stirred them to take action, but by then Gideon, Fabian, James, Peter and Sirius had managed to get their guard up and gained the upper hand in a newly formed battle. Remus suddenly appeared and was able to help the group subdue the Death Eaters as he snarled and snapped at them.

James was in the middle of wrestling one man to the ground when another figure appeared by his side. He let out a relieved yelp of laughter as black cords shot from Lily's wand and bound the man James was wrestling with.

"Are you okay?" he asked her breathlessly, one hand on her shoulder and one tangled in her hair as he examined her with worried eyes. Her face was streaked with soot, and her clothes looked a little singed, but she appeared to be all right.

Before she could respond there was an earsplitting screech that made the six order members clap their hands over their ears. Remus howled in anguish, and James wrenched an eye open as it ceased just in time to see the smoky appearance of seven masked figures accompanying the sickly paler face of Voldemort, who was now striding towards them.

Everyone paused, but then gust of wind blew toward them and vanished the bindings on the Death Eaters they had managed to subdue. James grabbed Lily's cloak and pulled her back behind him as Gideon, Fabian, Sirius and Peter got to their feet and moved closer. Remus stuck close beside, growling viciously as several of the Death Eater's laughed at him.

"They have a guard dog," laughed a woman's voice. James felt Lily stiffen behind him and saw Sirius' eyes narrow. "How quaint… cool it, mutt," she snarled when Remus snapped at her. "Everyone knows you aren't going to bite any of us… you're too cowardly to pass on the curse if you're taking that damn potion."

Lucius Malfoy lifted his mask and wiped blood from his lip as he walked backwards toward where Voldemort was standing. "Playtime get out of hand?" a man's voice sniggered from the group.

"No, playtime was going fine," Voldemort responded, glancing at Lucius who lowered his mask. "It appears James isn't the only Potter who likes to disrupt our plans."

"The mudblood?" asked a gruff voice. "You let the mudblood-"

"It seems that the mudblood is… much more capable than any of us assumed," Voldemort interrupted. "This must be because she has traitors watching over her… guiding her every move, teaching her our sacred ways… spoiling our sacred blood by allowing her continued existence, along with all of her filthy mudblood friends… and the muggles that live in these houses," he continued, fingering his wand as his bloodshot eyes scanned the houses along the street.

James felt his hair stand on end, felt Lily tense and press herself against him, felt Peter shake and Remus growl and Sirius inhale sharply before Gideon swore and Fabian groaned and Voldemort raised his wand high in the air.

A flash blinded them, a loud bang deafened them, and a balloon of fire erupted from Voldemort's wand and blasted apart the windows and doors of the five houses closest to where the group was gathered. Flames began consuming the doors and wooden framed windows; slowly shouts of terror and screams began erupting. Several of the Death Eaters around Voldemort laughed and drew their wands, firing various hexes and disfiguring curses at the muggles who were trying to escape their burning homes.

James grasped Lily's shoulder as she moved towards one of the houses, Voldemort didn't miss this. "Going to try and save them all? Save your filthy muggles… the dirty scourge keeping us hidden away and out of our rightful place? Do try… try your best," Voldemort mused, glancing around at his followers. "Enjoy yourselves…"

He slowly backed away, watching with an amused expression as his Death Eaters gleefully shouted at the muggles emerging from their homes. They were helpless against the curses fired upon them, screaming in vain as they tried to protect younger family members and loved ones. Gideon shouted for Peter, Sirius and Remus to try and stop the onslaught, while Lily raced away to try and assist those still trapped in the fires. Fabian raised his wand to send a message for help before jumping into the fray and engaging in a fierce duel with two other Death Eaters.

James found himself fighting Lucius Malfoy again, watching out of the corner of his eye as Lily rushed various muggles out of their homes and away from danger. She was carrying a young girl out the door of one of the houses a spell struck her from behind. Her knees buckled and she cried out, dropping the girl who got up and ran toward where her parents were waiting. Lily turned to face her assailant, attempting to shield herself, but a flash of purple that shattered her protection and hit her square in the chest. She collapsed backwards, still and unmoving. The muggles she had helped paused for a moment, but were then assaulted by streaks of green and purple, their lifeless bodies falling beside her. Her assailant moved away, following the path Voldemort was taking down the street.

A bang erupted from James' wand as Lucius Malfoy fell to the ground and James ran over to Lily's figure. "Lily?" he whispered, fingers against her neck as he felt for a pulse. Before he could find it a low chuckle caught his attention; the Death Eater who had cursed her was watching him, it's shoulders shaking with laughter.

"Poor wittle Potter," said a woman's voice. "Perhaps this will teach you to not be so fond of muggles, they're all going to die in the end."

She sauntered away, casting a curse at him which James blocked without a second glance. Anger erupted inside of him, his blood loud and roaring through his ears.

"Potter!" Gideon yelled after James as he tore down the street after the woman, blocking the jet of red light and dodging another purple one as they sailed behind him. He raised his wand, not knowing what spell he would cast in his anger, but was thrown to the ground as Voldemort turned and ordered the woman away. She disappeared, and Voldemort threw James a marginally amused glance as he continued to walk down the street.

"Anakatus!" James shouted, dodging the spell as it was rebounded back at him. "Stupefy!" James jumped behind a lamp post to avoid that one. "Bumastus! Petrificus Totalus! Incarcerous!" James tried again and again to stop Voldemort, desperate both to avenge his wife and to stop him from murdering more people. His anger at the effortless way Voldemort blocked each spell grew like a monster inside his chest. "CRUCIO!" he shouted.

Voldemort flinched and turned around, his eyes narrowed at James' approaching figure. He whipped his wand and James was thrown violently sideways into the solid brick wall of some shop. His vision blurred from the impact, but he raised his wand again and fired another spell. It was blocked easily again and then James screamed in pain as Voldemort's wand set fire to his bones.

"You need to put in more effort, Potter," Voldemort murmured after minutes of torture. "I'm not even sure your heart is really into destroying me… if you even mean it."

"I mean it!" James shouted breathlessly, every muscle aching with his attempt to get up.

"Are you sure? You're sure you want to continue this traitorous path? Look what your mudblood did… she didn't even stand to defend you; she was only concerned about saving those poor filthy beasts in their filthy homes cluttering our landscape. She doesn't care for you," Voldemort murmured. "We do… our family would-"

"It's not a family!" James shouted. "I have a family, and –"

"It is one less now it seems, thanks to-"

"I'm going to KILL you! I'm going-"

"No, James Potter," Voldemort snarled, moving closer to James and sneering into his face. "I am going to murder you for your insolence and lack of effort. I am going to murder you for your constant challenging of our mission to right the ways of society. I am going to murder you, James Potter… you and everyone who stands in my-"

"ABIGIO!" shouted a weak voice. Voldemort was flung backward into a cluster of rubbish bins. He emerged with his wand raised, his eyes furious as he stared down the alleyway at the weak, tottering figure of Lily Potter. James eyes widened in both relief and horror as Voldemort walked forward, stepping in front of James and staring at Lily furiously.

"LILY NO!" James shouted.

"What an insolent, irksome, filthy mudblood you are, Lily Potter," Voldemort snarled. "Though I admit… I am inmpressed you are on your feet after - "

"You talk too bloody much," Lily replied weakly. She leaned against the brick wall of the alley, her wand shaking in her hand and bright red blood was darkening the shirt she was wearing. "You have to make some insanely long speech every time-"

"AVADA KEDAVRA!" Voldemort shouted. James had gotten to his knees and stared in horror as the jet of green light sailed from the end of his enemies white wand toward his wife… his love… the bravest person James knew…

But nothing happened. The jet of light hit Lily square in the chest but seemed to pass through her like she was made of smoke. Voldemort walked toward the end of the alleyway, waiting avidly for Lily's figure to fall to the ground as James held his breath and wondered what the hell was going on.

The crunch of gravel caught James' attention. He turned to see Lily – the real, solid, flesh and bone Lily – running toward him from the opposite end of the alley with Sirius following behind her. She screeched a spell that blasted a deep crater in the ground just behind Voldemort's feet. He roared angrily, turning to curse his flesh and blood foe, but stumbled and tripped into the hole, his wand flying out of his hand.

Lily grabbed hold of James, who was already halfway to his feet when she and Sirius reached him. He grabbed her by the waist as Sirius pulled them both to the end of the alleyway and straight into Remus, Peter and Gideon who was supporting an injured, unconscious Fabian. As soon as the group was together and everyone connected, Gideon twisted and they were sucked away into the darkness.

The sensation of apparition felt ten times worse with multiple people crowded around him, James though. It made him weak and even more unsteady than he normally felt when the constriction ceased. James sucked in deep breaths when his lungs were free from the pressure, falling to the ground and trying to support Lily who was pale and weak beside him.

"Where-"

"Hogsmeade," Gideon said as more figures converged around them. James recognized the voices of McGonagall, Dumbledore, Moody and several others, but he focused only on the limp figure clutching his robes and slowly fading in front of him.

"Lily! How-"

"Mirror…" she whispered, coughing and cringing in pain. "Mirror charm… Dorcas taught me."

James pushed her hair from her face. "You're going to have to teach me that," he murmured, kissing her forehead and pulling her close.

Lily nodded, her eyes fluttering as she rested against James. "Stay with me," he said forcefully. "We're safe, just stay with me… okay? Stay with me, Lils… don't-"

"Stay with me," Lily repeated quietly, her fingers tightening around James' cloak as he held her close to him. Her eyes closed as she slipped into unconsciousness; Madam Pomfrey and their former Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor rushed over and took her from James' arms. They rushed her inside the Three Broomsticks, leaving James kneeling in the gravel with warm blood all over his hands and the icy grip of terror on his heart.