Thanks for the reviews, KrystynaK, KJ, Anna and CB. Cheers!
KrystynaK: Again, thank you so much! I hope I was able to do justice to the infamous 'Mudblood' scene in the previous chapter. Like I said, it was a different experience to write it from Lily's PoV, and I totally enjoyed it! Stay tuned to find out how I develop this story further!
KJ: Cliffhangers are fun! Here you go, updated!
Anna: Yes, I can hardly belive it myself! 50 chapters! That took some doing, really – and thanks for sticking to this story for this long! Haha, take another weekly update, then – and consider it a Diwali gift! And thanks, the last chapter is also one of my personal favourites. Do leave a review for this one, too!
CB: Yes, it was about time! Severus Snape is a wonderful character with lots of layers and complexities, but he was never a hero of the story…
Hello everyone, here is chapter fifty. Readers, please review. Thanks!
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. All (well, most, anyway) characters are from J K Rowling's brilliant best-selling series.
Chapter Fifty
"We're all going to come with you."
Lily gasped. "That's terrible!" she managed to choke out. "How – when –?"
"I dunno," said Liz, talking fast. "I was chatting with him and Remus when he got a letter. I remember thinking how odd that was, we get our post during breakfast – but his face went pale and white as soon as he read it – he looked like he'd seen You-Know-Who!"
"But – who was the letter from? The kidnappers?"
"So I gathered," Liz replied tensely. "After the initial shock, however, James was livid – he wanted to get out of the school, to help them – but Remus and I managed to restrain him. The letter warned him that if he went to Dumbledore – or any teacher, for that matter – consequences would be dire."
"Dammit," Lily cursed softly. Liz continued, "The letter didn't mention any location – but the kidnappers have sent him a letter written by his Mum, too, as proof of life or something –"
"To prove that she's alive so that he'll bend to their will," said Lily, her forehead wrinkled. Her blood ran cold at the thought of kindly Mrs Potter being tortured and held against her will… And brave, capable Mr Potter in the clutches of Voldemort's supporters… No, said a firm voice in her head. I can't just sit by and watch this…
"It was that Jugson bloke, wasn't it?" she asked Liz, her eyes narrowed. Her best friend frowned and said, "He's the most likely candidate – but the who doesn't really matter. What matters is what we're going to do –"
"I think we should still go to Dumbledore," Lily said thoughtfully, but her best friend shook her head. "Dumbledore isn't here – didn't you notice that for the last three days?" Lily frowned, and Liz ploughed on, "Besides, they want a ransom of a hundred thousand Galleons – they've instructed him to remove that money from his Gringotts vault and await further instructions. He has twenty-four hours to do that… Oh, and he has to publicly denounce his parents and declare support for You-Know-Who."
"That'll never happen," said Lily decisively. She couldn't fathom someone like Potter, who despised the Dark Arts wholeheartedly, would do that…
"I know – which leaves only one option," Liz said, her voice calm yet forceful at the same time. Lily gave her a firm nod. "We help him," she said, her hand on her wand stowed away in her pocket.
"Precisely what I was thinking," said Liz, clapping her on the back. "Look – find Mary and Marlene, and meet us all back in classroom twenty-five, OK? Sirius must already be on the way – that mirror of James's is dead useful."
"Yep," agreed Lily. "Now, go – keep him calm until we all get there, yeah? Then we'll decide our course of action." Liz nodded swiftly at her before turning around and hurrying away.
Lily sprinted down the stairs, making her way towards the grounds. Her thoughts were into the fourth gear, formulating a plan… They had no idea where Potter's parents were. Perhaps his Mum's letter would give them a clue… But what then? They had to somehow leave the school… We could fly, she thought. Four of us have brooms… Perhaps they could go to Hogsmeade first and take off from there… But where would they go? Everything depended on them getting some sort of clue…
Winded, she slowed down as she spotted Mary and Marlene under the beech tree. Relieved, she hailed them, briefly explained the situation to them, and within minutes, all three girls were running back towards the castle. They arrived at their destination, and entered the classroom – in the midst of an argument, by the looks of it.
"I told you, I'm going alone!"
"But where? You don't know where they are, idiot!"
"I don't care, Padfoot! I'll go to the Ministry – get all of Jugson's known addresses –"
"That's too obvious! And we don't even know if it's Jugson!"
"I DON'T CARE! THIS IS MY PARENTS WE'RE TALKING ABOUT!"
"Enough!" Lily shouted, taking charge at once. "This isn't helping – everyone, calm down! Yes – you too, Potter!"
"How can you tell me to –"
"Please," she cut across him. "Please – I know this is difficult, Potter – but please, try to relax… It's necessary to keep a cool head," she added, her voice gentle. "Deep breaths – just take deep breaths…"
After what seemed like an age, Potter collected himself. His breathing grew easier, and the wild look disappeared from his hazel eyes. "That's it, James," encouraged Liz softly, as Black placed a hand on his shoulder.
"What does your Mum's letter say, James?" Marlene asked him delicately. Potter threw a crumpled piece of paper at her. "It's all gibberish," he said, his voice brittle. "It's like she doesn't know what she was writing…"
The implication of what he said hung perceptibly in the air. If Mrs Potter was incapable of writing anything but nonsense, it didn't bode well for her… Lily watched silently as Marlene, Liz and Mary pored over the letter for a few minutes without success. Finally, she held out her hand for it, and Liz handed it over. Her stomach gave an unpleasant lurch as she saw the smudged ink and the dampness of the paper – Mrs Potter had evidently been crying as she'd written this note. Hmm, this may indicate that she was sane when she wrote it, she thought, a bit relieved. Taking in a deep breath, she read:
My dear, sweet son,
Always the same, a stupid bloke, thinking and dwelling about the Cygnus constellation in West Africa is outside of the triangle.
Yours lovingly,
Mum
Lily frowned; overall, the note made no sense at all. Why would Mrs Potter be blabbering on about constellations and Africa? Nay, it was obvious that there was some sort of code associated with it. She quickly went over the basics of secret codes; it didn't look like a code with a keyword or with a few letters rearranged; all the words made sense. OK, then… Maybe some words mean something else, like the ones in uppercase, for instance. Cygnus? West Africa? But she couldn't think of what it could mean…
"Cygnus is visible from the northern hemisphere – so it would be seen from West Africa," said a mild voice, and she turned her head to find Remus reading the note over her shoulder. "And the triangle – that could be the summer triangle, which consists of Altair, Vega and Deneb, which are the three brightest stars in Aquila, Lyra and Cygnus –"
"No," interrupted Lily. "I don't think that's the case – the first half of the note doesn't fit in. I think it's a blind – a misdirection, so that the kidnapper wouldn't be able to understand what the code is…"
I'm missing something, she thought feverishly. Her eyes narrowed, she scanned the note again. Maybe I'll try alternate words, she thought. My – sweet – always – same – stupid – thinking – dwelling – the – constellation –
She stopped. 'Cygnus' had to be relevant, otherwise it was no good – and the alternate words approach eliminated that.
"She wrote dear and sweet – I reckon that's odd," said Peter quietly, coming up to Lily's other side. "Sort of redundant, don't you think?"
"You know how Mrs Potter writes her letters?" Lily asked, her eyebrows raised. Elsewhere, she noticed Black and the girls trying to comfort Potter… She hoped that they were telling him that all was not, yet, lost.
Peter nodded hesitantly. "I wasn't able to believe that James had invited me over for the holidays in our third year – until he shoved a letter from his Mum under my nose," he said, flushing a little. "'Read it, you prat,' he said to me… That's how I remember what she'd written."
Lily shook her head. "Just one letter – it's too flimsy a premise to base that on, Peter," she said, but then she frowned… What if Peter was right? She'd already tried alternate words. What if she tried every third word instead? That would serve to eliminate 'dear' and 'sweet' in the first line, leaving only 'My – son' in it –
Woah, she thought as she read the note whilst considering every third word. My – son – same – bloke – dwelling – Cygnus – West – outside – triangle – Your – Mum! Wow! That makes some sense at least, she thought excitedly. She clapped Peter on the back and said, "I think I've got it, Peter – Remus, c'mere…"
She quickly showed them what she'd found. A slow smile lit up Remus's face, while Peter's eyes widened. "Unbelievable," whispered Remus, "That's it!"
"Now all we need to do is figure out what each word means!" exclaimed Lily, and the three of them headed over to where the rest were seated. "Potter," Lily began kindly, "I think we've cracked the code. Here…" She grabbed a spare quill and a bottle of ink from one of the bookshelves in the room, and returned to her seat. "It's every third word," she said, her words coming out in a rush. "Here – I'll show you." She quickly underlined every third word in the note, which now read:
My dear, sweet son,
Always the same, a stupid bloke, thinking and dwelling about the Cygnus constellation in West Africa is outside of the triangle.
Yours lovingly,
Mum
"Now – it may not seem like much, but I think all the underlined words mean something," she added as the others scanned the note. For the first time since she'd arrived in the room, the tension reduced palpably, and she saw a ghost of a grin on Potter's face. "You did it," he said simply. "I guess I was too distraught to see it… Hiding in plain sight! I have to hand it to Mum."
"She certainly thought you'd figure it out, James," said Marlene gently, rubbing his shoulder. "She's not insane… She's all right!"
"For now," said Potter sombrely. Then he scanned the note again. At once, he gave a huge sigh and leaned backwards on the bench. "Of course! It all makes sense now!" he exclaimed, his eyes wide.
"Er – what?" said Black, voicing out what everyone was thinking.
"Each word is a clue! For instance – same bloke, that has to mean that effing Jugson," Potter said savagely. "But what does Cygnus mean?"
"Well – Cygnus is the swan –" began Liz, but Mary interrupted her. "Swansea!" she exclaimed. "Cygnus means Swansea – if she's written dwelling, she means a house or a home – not thinking; it's a noun, not a verb! And look – West sort of strengthens that, because it's to the West of Britain!"
"Wow – that's brilliant, Mary!" said Marlene in an awed voice.
"Outside – does that mean outside of Swansea?" mused Remus.
"Probably but the important thing is, of all the specks on the map, we have one location," said Liz. "We know where they are!"
"Triangle – hmm – what would that be?" said Black thoughtfully, before turning to Lily. "Of course! 'Tri' – that's 'three' – it probably indicates every third word – which you figured out anyway!" he said, his tone admiring, and she blushed slightly. "Peter pointed me in the right direction," she said, ruffling the fat boy's hair as she spoke; he looked delighted at the compliment.
"So – the message roughly translates to 'James, Jugson is holding us somewhere outside of Swansea'?" summarized Liz. Everyone nodded except Potter. "Yes," he said, "But we cannot be sure, still…" His voice became stronger. "Yes – that's it. Obviously, I'm not going to do what they ask – I'll write to the Auror Department, and go to Swansea – to save them." His face was set in resolution. He stood up.
"Thanks, everyone – you've all been a big help. I'll see you later," he said tersely, and began to slide out of the bench – only to be stopped by Black. "And where the hell d'you think you're going?" he asked Potter roughly.
"To Swansea – wasn't I clear before?" Potter replied, a little nonplussed.
But Remus joined Black now. "You're a fool if you think we're going to let you go to Swansea by yourself, James," he said mildly, but Lily shuddered at the force in his voice.
"It's suicide!" Liz exclaimed. "Of course we're coming with you!"
"But –" Potter protested; however, Marlene cut across him. "Non-negotiable," she said shortly. Mary nodded and said, "I'm coming, too."
"And me," said Peter, though Lily detected a note of nervousness in his voice.
"We're a bunch of glory-hunters, y'know," Lily said dryly. Then her voice became forceful. "Don't think for a moment that you're going there alone, Potter – it's reckless, stupid and like Liz said, suicidal. We're all going to come with you."
"Hear, hear," said Black enthusiastically, which brought a smile out of Potter. He surveyed them all and said, "I could protest, I could argue – but I'm smart enough to know when I'm beaten. Fine – we're all going."
"That's what I'm talking about!" Black said cheerfully, clapping Potter on the back. "Now c'mon – let's go!"
"How were you going to get there anyway?" Marlene asked as they all stood up and began to leave. Potter smiled slightly. "My broomstick isn't for sweeping the floors, you know," he said dryly, and Marlene clapped a hand to her forehead. "Of course! And now – we have mine, Liz's, yours – and Sirius's, too! That'll do nicely!"
"Yup," said Potter. "We must go to Hogsmeade, though – the wards around Hogwarts don't let anything fly out or in."
"In that case – better Summon our brooms now," said Liz, and Potter nodded. "Good point," he said, and raised his wand. Black, Liz and Marlene imitated him, and the four of them shouted together, "Accio Brooms!"
Nothing happened for a few seconds… Then with a whooshing sound, four broomsticks arrived and halted neatly in front of their owners, who grabbed them at once.
"Right," said Black, "Gregory the Smarmy's, then?"
"You read my mind," said Potter, and they began to make their way to the secret passage. That's what I reckoned, Lily thought smugly. Summon broomsticks, go to Hogsmeade – fly out! Her stomach clenched slightly; she wasn't a fan of broomsticks – though someone else would be flying, and she'd merely be sitting at the back.
They entered the passage and began to hurry along, talking little. Lily steeled herself for a fight in a few hours… She'd just had a bunch of cupcakes, and she could feel the energy coursing through her veins. Well – I don't feel guilty anymore, she thought wryly. She knew that she was ready; she felt confident in her abilities to duel. Expelliarmus, Impedimenta, Stupefy, Levicorpus… She went through the basics in her head. She fingered the handle of her wand and smiled grimly, preparing herself for battle…
They climbed out of the passage and stepped out of the abandoned house, before arriving into a deserted alleyway. "Right – we ready?" said Black, but Potter hesitated. "I think someone should take these letters to the Ministry – Auror Office," he said, and held up the pieces of crumpled parchment. "Now that we have a location, we need to communicate it to the Ministry – and an owl would be too slow, so someone has to go there to deliver these."
"I'll take care of it," volunteered Peter immediately. "I can sneak in – I know I can. That way we avoid wasting time at the watchwizard's desk or being stopped by some employee, see?" He seemed oddly confident of himself.
Black rolled his eyes and said, "C'mon, Pete – don't be such a –"
"No, he's right," interrupted James, and clapped Peter on the back. "I know you can sneak in, Pete – just, be careful, OK?" The fat boy nodded eagerly.
"I'll come with you, Peter," said Mary. "We've only got four broomsticks – and a broom can't support three people, see? Besides, I know the visitors' entrance… We can sneak in very easily from there."
"Er – OK, sure," said Peter hesitantly; Lily was sure she could detect a bit of disappointment in his voice. She wrinkled her forehead, thinking… It was out of character for Peter to be disappointed that he wasn't going alone. Whatever did it mean?
"Great," said Mary, and grabbed Marlene's broom right out of her hands. "Thanks, Mar – we'll try not to break it!" Her amber eyes were a little mischievous.
"Er – all right," said Marlene, clearly a little discomfited, "I'll just ride behind Liz." Liz nodded in agreement.
Black withdrew something from his pocket, and handed it over to Peter. "We'll use that to stay in touch, mate," he said, earning himself an approving grin from Potter, even though it looked a little strained. Peter nodded happily, placing the mirror in his pocket – for Lily was sure that Black had handed him the twin mirror the Marauders used quite often.
Mary mounted the broom, and Peter sat behind her. "Give them the letters, raise the alarm, and send the Aurors to Swansea, OK?" Potter said succinctly, and Peter gave him the thumbs-up. "Don't worry, mate – they'll be there before you know it!"
"Hang on – d'you know the way?" Lily asked, and Mary exchanged a look with Peter. "Er – I know that we should head in a general southeast direction," said Mary. "I figured that we'd follow the lights – that way we'd know that we're in London…"
"Don't worry – I can fix that," said Lily, and drew her wand. She held it on her palm and said, "Point me!" At once, the wand rotated and pointed to a direction on her right. "That's north," she said, "And if my geography is correct – you should head – that way." She pointed out the southeast direction, and Mary nodded. "Useful spell, that," she said. "Think you can navigate, Pete?"
"Yes," said Peter confidently, and drew his wand. "Point me!" he exclaimed, and his wand mimicked Lily's. "Nice, Peter," she complimented, and the plump boy smiled. "It's an easy spell," he said. "Well – thanks, Lily – we're ready! Take care, everyone – help is on the way!"
"Good luck!" Mary shouted, and kicked off from the ground. Within seconds, their broom was a mere dot in the light blue sky.
"Right," said Potter, "We should get going, too."
"'Course," said Remus, "C'mon, Sirius." Black nodded and mounted his broom. Liz did the same, and Marlene clambered up behind her.
"Well – this leaves you and me, Evans," said Potter, with only a ghost of his lopsided smirk as he mounted his broom. "C'mon – hop on."
Just my luck, she thought, inwardly cursing Marlene. She hesitantly climbed onto the broom behind Potter, wildly searching for a place to hold on – but there was nothing apart from half an inch of the broom handle itself.
"Just hold my waist, Evans," said Potter impatiently. "I know you don't like flying very much – but trust me, you're safe with me."
"All right," she said nervously, and after a second's hesitation, grabbed his waist. "There you go," he said. "Now – we're going to lead, so you'll navigate, right? As far as I know, we should head south."
"Correct, Potter," she agreed. "That's the fastest way – and we can pass the Isle of Man as we go over the sea, that'll do it. You can fly over the sea, right?" she added with a twinge of unease.
"Of course!" he exclaimed confidently, just as Black said, "He may still tip you over into the water, if that's what you're asking –"
"In that case, I'll hex –"
"We're wasting time," interrupted Potter tersely. "The journey – it's going to be at least three hours. If anyone wants to turn back – now's the time to do it."
"No way, mate, we're all with you," said Black firmly, before suddenly jumping off his broom. "Just a minute," he added quickly, and hurried away. "Where did he go?" wondered Marlene, but no one answered; Lily wasn't sure what was on Black's mind either.
He returned five minutes later, carrying three packets of – sandwiches. "Here," he said, and threw one to Lily. "Remind me to tip Madam Rosmerta generously the next time we're in Hogsmeade."
"Good thinking, mate," said Remus, before his brow clouded over. "What about Pete and Mary? They have to fly a longer distance!"
"If I know Pete, he's definitely carrying something in his pockets," said Black dismissively, and climbed onto his broom. "We're set to go," he said.
"All right, then – follow us!" said Potter. "C'mon – let's go!"
He kicked off from the ground, and Lily felt a jerk near the region of her stomach. She instinctively tightened her grip around Potter's waist, silently wishing that she'd return to the ground in one piece. They accelerated as they gained altitude, flying closer and closer to the evening sun as it sank lower into the sky. It was a warm evening, but there was a bit of wind… Lily slowly began to relax. Granted, they were moving fast, but there was something refreshing about having the wind fly through your hair like that…
The broom suddenly jerked, and she squeezed Potter's waist as a result. Embarrassed, she loosened her grip as he adjusted the broom. "Bloody crow!" he exclaimed. "How're you doing back there?"
"Wishing I was back on the ground!" she exclaimed. "Why didn't we use Floo powder? Dammit – I didn't even think about that!"
"No good!" he yelled back. "The Hogwarts fireplaces are under heavy protection – to use them requires special permission! It's to make sure that none of You-Know-Who's supporters get through to Hogwarts!"
"Oh – I didn't know that!" she shouted; it certainly made sense. "I guess it's better we're flying, then!"
The sun steadily began to dip lower, and the breeze became colder. She stole a glance behind her, and was reassured to see two more brooms behind them – the others were on course, too. She looked down, and made out the still blue waters of the Irish Sea. "Wow – great view!" she shouted.
"I know! I just love this feeling of freedom – don't you?" Potter shouted back. He seemed more upbeat than earlier; Lily supposed that the flying was keeping him distracted from the predicament his parents were in. "It sure feels great!" she shouted.
There was a silence, following which Potter yelled, "I really appreciate this, Evans! I know things haven't been good between us, and you positively detest me – but it was mighty grand of you to come along!"
She shook her head. "I don't care that you're a pain in my neck, Potter – your parents are in danger, and they need our help! Everything else trumps that!" she shouted. Then, as an afterthought, she added, "And I don't detest you – I never did!"
Even with all the wind, she heard his disbelieving snort. "Rubbish!" he exclaimed loudly.
"It's true!" Lily yelled back, blushing slightly. "You're fatheaded, self-centred and arrogant – but I don't hate you! I know that you have shades of goodness within you!"
"Wow – that's the first nice thing you've ever said to me!" Potter shouted, sounding awed.
"Don't make me regret it, then!" she shouted back with a slight smile. She looked down, and was relieved to see that they were right above an island – the Isle of Man, she thought. She performed the Four-Point Spell again; they were bang on course. "We're headed in the right direction – and nearly halfway there!" she shouted.
"Really? We're making good time, then!" he shouted back. "Can you pass me a sandwich? I'm hungry!"
"I was wondering when you'd ask me that!" she returned, and carefully unwrapped a sandwich. "Here!" she added, and he took it from her and swallowed the entire thing in one gulp. "Ahh – tasty!" he shouted.
"Really, Potter – you eat like a horse!" she shouted, making a face. Potter guffawed. "So I've been told – Sirius isn't the only one who can do that, you know!"
"Urgh!" Lily exclaimed, "You two – you're well suited for each other!"
It was still daylight when they sighted land again. "We're over Wales!" she yelled. "Still on course – we should be above Swansea in an hour at most!"
"Got it," he shouted back, and they kept flying steadily as the sun set… But the long British twilight was certainly no myth, and it was another half hour before darkness began to fall. "We shouldn't be too far now!" she exclaimed.
"I'll descend as soon as I see some lights!" he yelled back. He remained true to his word – fifteen minutes later, he dived, and Lily held on to him for dear life as the broomstick travelled earthwards. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her friends follow them, and felt relieved… Finally, they landed in an open field on the outskirts of town. Lily clambered off the broom at once, heaving a huge sigh of relief as her feet hit the ground. She adjusted her hair, which was all over the place, just as Liz and Black landed right next to them.
"Whew – long ride, wasn't it?" Liz said, exhaling a deep breath. She turned to Potter. "So, what now?"
"We split up," Potter said promptly. "We need to scout around – on the outskirts of the city, possibly fly low enough to detect traces of Dark Magic."
"Er – how?" Lily asked, nonplussed.
"There's a spell," said Potter shortly. "My Dad showed it to me one day – I've been practising it ever since. The important thing to remember is that magic always leaves traces… Powerful wizards like Dumbledore can detect it by themselves, but for us lesser mortals – we need a spell."
"Right," said Lily, nodding. "Plus – if we're going to fly low, we should Disillusion ourselves."
"Good thinking, Lily," said Liz, and raised her wand – but Marlene held up a hand. "Hang on," she said pensively, "What if the 'West' in your Mum's note wasn't for the west of Britain? What if it indicates that they're being held at a house to the west of Swansea?"
There was a silence as everyone mulled this over. Finally, Remus said, "Marlene's right – 'Cygnus' for 'Swansea' makes the 'West' redundant… Perhaps the house is to the west of the city after all."
"All right – let's start from the west," said Potter, and Lily stepped forward. "Point me," she said, and her wand immediately spun in her hand to indicate north. She pointed in a direction at right angles to the left of the wand tip. "That's west," she said, "We should start here."
"Perfect – great work, you lot," said Potter, smiling a genuine smile for the first time since they'd set off. "I don't know what I'd do without you – it was good you didn't let me come here alone like I was planning to."
"Like Evans said – we wanted a share of the glory, mate," said Black promptly, his tone sarcastic. "Shall we?"
"Yup," said Potter, his voice purposeful. They all mounted their brooms, Disillusioned themselves (Lily noted happily that the Disillusionment Charm worked even better the dark), and were airborne within a few seconds.
They flew slowly, keeping a sharp lookout on the ground. "Volo deprehendere inimica magicae," Potter whispered. "Volo deprehendere inimica magicae…" It sounded like a very complex incantation, and she was glad that Potter knew this spell; it would've been a nightmare to find the place otherwise. She could see that they were travelling along a straight line in a southward direction, canvassing the west outskirts of the city.
Suddenly, they came to an abrupt halt; Lily had to adjust herself to avoid crashing into Potter's back. Potter shot up red sparks which lingered for two seconds – but it was enough; she could hear the whooshing noises from the others' broomsticks as they came to a halt near them. "What is it?" came Liz's voice.
"I think this is the house," said Potter. Lily looked down and saw that they were directly above a secluded sort of house; it looked like a mansion with three floors. There was a picket fence around it, and there was a clump of trees around the fence – the location, in the middle of nowhere, seemed perfect for nefarious deeds. Lily surmised that the trees probably hid the house from view if they were on the ground. Her gaze travelled to the gate in the fence, and her heart skipped a beat as she saw at least four hooded figures standing there. Well, I'll be damned, she thought. We found the place!
"Right," Potter said softly, and she was sure that he'd seen what she had. "My detection spell is telling me that this whole house has an Anti-Disapparition Jinx around it. Plus, there's a spell to prevent objects from flying in – we can't go more than five feet lower than our current altitude. Let's land in the trees about fifty yards behind us – and make a plan of attack."
They all silently flew to where Potter indicated, and lifted their Disillusionment Charms. However, Lily sensed that there was something they weren't seeing… Something felt off. She thought hard as the others discussed their plan softly, until she understood what the feeling was. Her pulse quickened at the realization.
"Listen," she said in an urgent whisper. "What if this is a trap? What if they knew that you'd never do what they asked, Potter? What if this is merely a ploy to get you here – then capture you as well?"
There was a silence as the others digested this. "You do have a point, but there are too many variables for that to be true, Lily," Liz said finally. "Look – they couldn't possibly know that James's Mum would write that letter in code, and that he would actually figure it out and come here…"
Lily paused, thinking. Then she said, "Cygnus – is it too obvious a giveaway to Swansea?"
"No time to worry about that now," interrupted Potter. "Look, Evans – we know that they've been kidnapped, all right? And we know that they're most likely in that house, which gives us two options – wait for Pete to send reinforcements, or storm the house ourselves."
She considered, but came to the same conclusion as he had. Even if she was right, and that they were most likely walking into an ambush, there was nothing they could do about it… Waiting for the Aurors would waste precious time, time which would most likely be utilised by the Death Eaters to inflict some more torture on Potter's parents… And even worse, what if they decided to – no, she couldn't allow herself to think that.
She took a deep breath and steeled herself again. "Fine," she said, her face set. "You're right – trap or not, we shouldn't sit around chatting. That gate is the only point of entry that I saw… Perhaps should start there. If they're not bothering to guard the fence, they must have ensured that there's no way to enter through it…"
"Perhaps they have a Caterwauling Charm in place," said Marlene thoughtfully. "It sets off an alarm if someone enters a building or an area without authorisation."
"Right – so, we go through the gate," said Black, and drew his wand. "I like it better that way, a direct attack is the most effective."
"Wait," said Potter, and pulled out his twin mirror. "Peter Pettigrew," he spoke clearly, and two seconds later, Peter's face appeared in the mirror. "Hey, mate – what's going on?" the fat boy shouted – evidently, they were still flying.
"We've found the place, Pete," Potter said, speaking fast. "It's to the west of Swansea, an abandoned-looking three-storey mansion with a white picket fence around it – got that?"
"Loud and clear," said Peter. "Mary reckons we're about twenty minutes away from London – as soon as we get there, we'll send help. But it'll be half an hour, at least!"
"Sure – thanks, mate," said Potter, relieved.
"No problem, Prongs," Peter replied. "I didn't know the trip would take nearly four hours – it was just as well that I stopped by at the kitchens and stuffed my pockets with cakes and macaroons right after the exam!"
"Told you," said Black smugly. "He's a greedy little blighter!"
"All right, mate – we're going in, OK? Send help as soon as you can!" said Potter. Peter gave an encouraging nod and said, "Don't worry – help is on the way. Take care!" He waved at them, and the mirror went blank.
"Handy little thing, that," said Liz. "Well – he needs us to give him half an hour. What's the plan?"
"We're not just going to stand there, if that's what you mean," said Potter. "He said half an hour – but if they get stopped, asked too many questions – then there's all sorts of bureaucratic rubbish… We can't just sit around waiting for help to arrive. At least – I'm not going to – you're free to do what you like."
"Shut up – we're with you," said Liz, and drew her wand. "What I meant is, any suggestions?"
"Maybe we can distract those guards first," said Remus. "The house is quite big – may take some time to search for your parents, James. I suggest that we divvy up into groups – with each group having a different function."
"Leave it to Moony to come up with the fancy plans," said Black, clapping Remus on the shoulder.
"Someone has to," retorted Remus, before saying, "The first group – I don't think it should have more than two members – will distract the guards – several ways to do it, we can improvise. When that's done, the others go in as soon as they can. There will be Death Eaters inside that house, and it's our job to stay out of the way as much as we can. Remember – discretion is the better part of valour."
"So – you're saying we run away from unfriendly situations?" asked Potter incredulously. "C'mon, Moony – these people are holding my parents hostage! How can I leave them alone? They have to be punished!"
"Finding your parents is the top priority, James," said Liz firmly. "We encounter a Death Eater, we must run away – until we find your parents. Diversionary tactics – that's the key."
"She's right, Potter," said Lily, supporting her best friend's argument, "What good will it do if you get hurt even before we find them? Look," she added gently, "I know you're livid – you're hurting – but you need to stay cool and unruffled. It won't do us any good if we plunge headlong into danger. We have to be smart, Potter."
"Fine," he said sullenly, his eyes narrowed. "But once we find my parents – those slime moulds had better watch out, 'coz I'm going to make them wish they'd never been born."
"That's the spirit, mate," said Black, clapping him on the back. "Now – who wants to do what?"
"I'm going in," said Potter once again, and no one argued with him – there was no need to.
"I can do the distraction," said Remus mildly. "I have a few ideas…"
"Great, I can help you," said Lily quickly, before anyone else could volunteer. The others nodded, and she couldn't help but notice a twinge of disappointment in Potter's eyes – she figured that he'd have liked her to go with him, but she'd had enough of Potter for one day – even though he'd been quite nice, and not annoyed her at all. "Once we've dealt with those guards, we can join you, too," she added, and everyone else nodded.
"Right," Potter said, looking at Lily and Remus, "You do that, then – and we'll sneak in. Join us when you're done – and stay safe, OK?"
"Count on it," said Lily confidently. "You, too."
"Don't worry about us," said Liz reassuringly. "We'll be fine. You take care – and don't do anything stupid!"
"I have her back if she does," said Remus wryly, and she gave him a little punch. "Right back at you," she said nonetheless. With a little wave to the others, she reapplied the Disillusionment Charm on herself. Remus imitated her, and they stealthily made their way towards the gate, before pausing about ten yards away and hiding behind a big elm tree.
They watched the four figures at the gate intently for a few seconds, until Remus whispered, "I don't think a direct attack is a good plan, whatever Sirius says. Even if we're Disillusioned, they may still be able to hit us…"
"I was thinking the same thing," agreed Lily. "Perhaps we can distract them, and make them chase us or something – then catch them unawares."
"I've got an idea," said Remus, "Hold on to this tree." She did as he asked, and Remus pointed his wand at the gate. "Terra Motus!" he whispered, and the ground began to shake – it was the Earth Wave, which resembled an earthquake. Lily saw two of the figures fall over, before quickly springing to their feet. The two standing figures moved away from the gate, and began to search for the source of the disturbance… Sensing an opening, Lily waited for one of the Death Eaters to come close enough, and as soon as he was within range, she whispered, "Stupefy!" Her Stunner was bang on target, and the figure went down like a lamp.
"Good one!" complimented Remus, just as the others ran in the direction of their fallen comrade. "Heads up – here they come!"
The figure in the lead shot a Stunner in their general direction, but their Disillusionment Charms made sure that his Spell was inaccurate. "Hang on!" Remus shouted, "Terra Motus!" Lily caught a tree branch just in time, and the Death Eaters were again rendered off-balance. Praying that Liz and the rest were using that time to enter the compound, Lily yelled, "Impedimenta!" One of the figures was blasted off his feet, and immobilized.
"Stupid kids!" the figure closest to them yelled, "Avada Kedavra!"
Lily heard a whooshing noise as a jet of blinding green light erupted from the goon's wand, and dived aside to avoid it. She was horribly shaken – she'd never dreamed that these people would use the Killing Curse so indiscriminately…
"Stupefy!" Remus yelled, but his Stunner missed; the other man pointed his wand at Remus and shouted, "Confringo!"
"Protego!" screamed Remus, and the Shield Charm stopped the worst of the Blasting Curse; but she was sure that the force of it would've rendered him off-balance. Galvanised into action, Lily yelled, "Expelliarums!"
The Death Eater she was duelling blocked her Disarming Charm, and screamed, "Confractus!"
Lily quickly cast a Shield Charm, and the Curse rebounded; however, the thug was ready, and he dodged it easily. "Want to play, do you? Stop hiding and fight!" he taunted her.
Lily noticed her Impediment Jinx on the first Death Eater wearing off, and made her decision in a fraction of a second. Praying that Remus would quickly shut his eyes, she screamed, "Lumos Intensum!" The reassuring, familiar, blinding jet of all-consuming white light erupted from her wand; blinded, the Death Eaters staggered back, and Lily quickly saw her opening – "Stupefy!" she shouted, and the Death Eater nearest to her crumpled to the ground. The others blindly fired spells in her general direction, but they missed – "Petrificus Totalus!" Remus shouted, and the second thug went down. By now, the third one had had enough, and he yelled, "Expuslo!" whilst pointing his wand in their general direction; she dived aside but the Curse passed within inches of her, and she could feel the rush of power –
"Stupefy!" Remus shouted, and the Death Eater went down like his fellows. Silence reigned.
"Whew, that was close," she said with relief, and wiped a bead of sweat from her brow. "Good work, Remus!"
"You too," said the brown-haired boy, and she could hear the smile in his tone. "We make a good team – that Intensifying Spell was a masterstroke!"
"Thanks," said Lily, feeling herself blush a little as she examined the nearest Death Eater. "Petrificus Totalus," she said, and he was instantly paralysed. "Good thinking," Remus said, and repeated the Body-Bind Curse on the other three Death Eaters. "I think we should put them to sleep for good measure," mused Lily. She pointed her wand at one of the Death Eaters and whispered, "Somnus!"
"Nice," said Remus, and together, they put all the Death Eaters to sleep. "This Charm lasts for approximately two hours… These goons won't be bothering us anymore," Lily said, relieved. There was a pause, following which Remus said, "Instead of Disillusionment Charms, let's wear these masks and sneak in. That way, they won't be able to tell that it's us until it's too late!"
"Good idea!" said Lily, and they proceeded lift their Disillusionment Charms and don the masks of two of the Death Eaters. "These creeps don't look much older than us," she observed, "It's sad that You-Know-Who is influencing them at such young ages!"
"Younger minds are easier to corrupt," said Remus sagely. "It's simply a question of being offered the opportunity to gain power." Together, they began to walk cautiously towards the gate. There were no unpleasant surprises, though she was sure that the alarm had been raised, and she prayed that the others had been able to move into the house unseen.
They entered the house stealthily, and crept forward. Lily instinctively raised her wand when she spotted someone on the ground, but it looked like the figure had been knocked out. "They came in safely," she whispered with relief. Her heart leapt as she saw the staircase; she was sure that the others had gone upstairs… But they still had to make sure that their floor was clear. "Let's check out all the rooms," she whispered, and Remus nodded. The pair of them crept noiselessly towards an entrance to another room… As soon as she peeked in, however, Lily's blood ran cold as she spied two masked figures standing over the prone form of someone with black hair –
"Stupefy!" she screamed, simultaneously jumping into the room; one of the Death Eaters crumpled to the floor. Behind her, Remus shouted, "Silencio!" Lily figured that he'd put the Charm on the entire room, to prevent the noise they were making from raising the alarm.
"Avada Kedavra!" the other thug roared, and Lily dived aside to avoid the Killing Curse for a second time that night. "Remus – take Marlene and get out!" she screamed, as he shot a Stunner at the Death Eater, who blocked it lazily. "Atrufumus!" she yelled, and black smoke billowed from her wand; out of the corner of her eye, she saw Remus levitate Marlene towards himself. "Go!" she shouted at him, for he looked indecisive – but at that moment, a gust of wind blew the smoke away, leaving her exposed. "Stupefy!" she yelled, just as her opponent screamed, "Damnum iecoris!"
Both jets of lights met midway – and rebounded upon their casters. "Protego!" shouted Lily, and the Shield Charm protected her from her own Stunning Spell – but her opponent wasn't quick enough. His own Curse hit him, followed by the Stunner – and he went down like the others, too. Lily quickly paralyzed both Death Eaters, and put them under the Sleeping Charm before hurrying back towards Remus.
"How is she?" she asked fretfully, and Remus shook his head. "She has a pulse – it's strong but slow. Not sure what Curse she was hit with, but she needs Healer attention."
She examined the room, and noticed two other hooded figures lying unconscious. Marlene must have taken them out to give buy the others time, she thought with mingled admiration and worry. She scanned the room and caught sight of another entrance. "Colloportus!" she exclaimed, and the entrance sealed itself. She turned towards Remus, who was still trying to revive Marlene. "No luck," he said tightly, "She came around for a few seconds – but she passed out again. She was really groggy…"
"All right," said Lily decisively. "Take one of these masks so that no one stops you. Go out, go to the trees, and try to do what you can for her…"
"What're you going to do?"
"I'm going to help the others," she said grimly. "The mask will allow me to move unimpeded."
"I have a better plan," said Remus. "I'll take her to the trees, a safe distance away from the house – and if I can't help her, I'm going to come back and help you all instead." His tone was firm, and she knew that it would be useless to argue. She nodded and said, "All right, then."
"I don't want to leave you alone – but you're duelling a lot better than you did at the start of this year, so I know that you'll be safe," he said, and grinned at her reassuringly. Then his expression turned sombre. "This lot mean business, Lily – they tried to kill us, and it was only because their aim stank that we're still here. Stay safe, OK?" His brown eyes were intense.
"Don't worry – I'll be fine," she said confidently. "Now – go." He obeyed, and placed a mask from one of the Death Eaters on Marlene's face. "Mobilicorpus," he whispered, and walked away slowly whilst levitating their friend in front of him. Lily watched him go with trepidation, knowing that she was quite alone…
A quick tour of the ground floor was enough for her to understand that the others had been as thorough as her; she came across at least six unconscious thugs before returning to the main room. She stealthily made her way back towards the stairs and began to ascend them, feeling sure that Potter's parents were probably being held in a room on the top floor…
As she came up to the first floor, she found Liz and Black engaged in battle with three Death Eaters. It looked like Liz was defending herself and Black while he went for the offensive spells; she hurried forward to help just as Black Stunned one of the Death Eaters.
Liz spotted her and yelled, "There's another one!" She pointed her wand at Lily and shot a Stunner, but it missed – immediately, Lily pulled off her mask. "It's me!" she yelled, and shot a Body-bind Curse at one of the Death Eaters who had stopped duelling, thinking that the new arrival was on their side –
"Lily!" Liz exclaimed. "Go – we have this under control – help James!" Her Shield Charm stopped the worst of another Curse, and there came a yell from behind them as two more Death Eaters arrived at the base of the stairs. "Go!" Liz yelled again, and Lily didn't need to be told twice; Liz and Black kept the goons distracted while she made her way up the stairs to the second floor.
She came across Potter engaged in a ferocious duel with a solitary Death Eater. The walls next to them had large chunks removed from them, and the half the banisters of the staircase were missing. "Petrificus Totalus!" Potter yelled, but his Curse missed, and his adversary laughed jeeringly. "You're going to have to better than that to reach your worthless parents, boy!" he shouted derisively. He shot a jet of yellow light at Potter, who dodged it; and as he moved, she noted to her astonishment that Potter was still clutching his broomstick. She stepped forward.
"Stupefy!" she yelled, jumping into the fray. The man focused his attention on her instead, and Potter saw an opening; he shot an Impediment Jinx, a Stunner, and a Body-Bind Curse at the thug in quick succession – the man was able to block the first two, but the Body-Bind Curse hit its mark, and the goon fell back, rigid and stiff as a board.
"Thanks, Evans," acknowledged Potter as he stepped forward to examine the man he'd just Cursed. He drew back, and kicked the man hard on his ribs. "That's what you deserve for kidnapping my parents, you scumbag!" he said dangerously. Clearly, he'd recognized the man as Jugson, the main perpetrator of the whole deed.
"They're here!" came a yell, and Lily's reprimand to Potter caught in her throat. She whipped around to see three new figures running towards them, wands raised. "Run!" she yelled, and followed Potter straight ahead into a room which had its door open. Just as she entered the room, however, she heard someone scream, "Toxicus sanguinem!"
"Ouch!" she exclaimed as the Curse hit her ankle; she could feel a dull sort of pain. Incensed, she turned around and screamed, "Flammunda!"
The Fire Wave erupted from her wand, and it was powerful enough to bodily throw the three Death Eaters ten feet into the wall behind them; she was sure that they'd been burnt as well. She quickly turned to Potter, who was watching her with mingled worry and astonishment. There was another exit at the other end of the room.
"What're you waiting for?" she yelled at him, "Go – find your parents! I'll hold them off!"
"But –"
"I said, go! NOW!"
"No! You're hurt!"
"My ankle's fine, Potter! Your parents need you!" she implored. She could resist that Curse for some time, couldn't she? He looked irresolute, and she screamed, "Dammit, Potter! I'm not going to repeat myself – GO!"
That seemed to get through to him. "I'll be back in five minutes!" he assured her, and sprinted towards the exit. She turned her attention to the door frame, just in time to see a hooded figure sprint in her direction. The thug shot a jet of blue light at her, and she screamed, "Flammunda!" once again. The Fire Wave erupted from her wand as before, and absorbed the unfriendly Curse. She coaxed the fire into a sheet form, blocking the doorway completely. She retreated to a corner of the room, away from the Unforgiveable Curses she was sure would penetrate her makeshift flame barrier and sure enough, a jet of green light shot straight through the fire and hit the opposite wall, leaving a sizzling hole in it.
She concentrated with all her might, hoping and praying that Potter would come back soon. She was confident that she could hold on for ten minutes at least, but the numbing pain in her ankle, where the Dark Curse she had no knowledge of had hit her, was starting to spread. She wasn't even sure if she could feel her ankle anymore…
She could feel beads of sweat on her forehead as she concentrated hard to keep the fire barrier up. The pain was starting to weaken her, but she kept her spell up through sheer force of will. Her strategy was simple; stand out of the way, and let the Unforgiveable Curses pass through the sheet of fire – not even one had hit her so far. Any other spell had simply been absorbed…
Each minute seemed like an age to Lily. She could sense that her barrier was being hit by jets of water – each hit felt like a hammer to her wand hand, such was its impact. But she still held on, willing the blockade to stay up – and it did. The minutes trickled by slowly, and the Fire Wave stayed up as strongly as it had when she'd cast it…
But it had been far too long. Potter had promised he'd be back in five minutes, but there was no sign of him. She prayed that Liz and the others were OK… But if help didn't arrive soon, how were they going to escape? Would they die here, in the middle of some random house in Wales?
No, said the strong voice inside her head. She doubled her effort, but she could feel her energy being sapped at a faster rate… The process was obviously accelerated by the Curse she'd been hit with, and the numbing pain which had now spread to her entire leg. She gritted her teeth – she had to buy Potter enough time to somehow blast his parents out of that room and send them home… That's probably why he had his broomstick, she thought, as realization dawned to her. They would no doubt be in bad shape… But they could still escape on the broom…
There was a tiny part of her brain that was annoyed with Potter, though. How could he leave her alone like that, to stall? He prided himself for being chivalrous and noble, didn't he? Well – where was that famous gallantry now?
She shook herself. Hadn't she herself told him to go?
She was relying on the reinforcements that Peter and Mary would undoubtedly send… But what if they were too late? What if the Death Eaters broke through her fire barrier? Already, she could feel it weakening… Someone was spraying water at it with renewed strength. She could feel the water evaporating, but the impact from each jet felt like a hammer blow to her wrist, sapping some of the power from her spell…
She couldn't hold on much longer. Her Fire Wave began to flicker, and to her horror, a water jet blasted its way past the flames. No, come on! she thought, but she was utterly exhausted… Her injured leg wouldn't support her weight any longer, and she fell to her knees. She closed her eyes hopelessly and resigned herself to her fate as the flames grew dangerously low –
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Author's Note: That's right, another cliffhanger. I'm starting to enjoy those, myself!
