Thanks for the reviews, CB, Anna, Guest and hpgirl. Cheers!
Anna: Read on! Oh, and you're welcome!
CB: Thanks! I hope this one is even better, I certainly think so. Let me know!
Guest: Haha! C'mon, cliffhangers are fun! Anyway – here you go. Enjoy!
hpgirl: Thank you for pointing that one out, I myself confused the names of the moons between the biggest one (Ganymede) and the only one with an atmosphere (Titan). I've made the change. Thanks!
Hello everyone, here is chapter fifty-one. 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-One
"James."
"No! Tempestas!"
The stormy gale came out of nowhere, and Lily's flickering flames suddenly returned to their former glory. Astonished, she turned around to see James Potter with his wand raised, blowing air into the fire, causing it to burn brighter than ever.
"You came!" she managed to choke out.
Potter gave her a swift smile – a smile that inexplicably sent a warm wave of relief through her body, warm as the fire was still coming out of her wand. "Just in the nick of time, by the looks of it!" he shouted.
"A couple of minutes ago would've been nicer!" she returned dryly, and Potter gave a chuckle. "Can't win them all," he yelled, smirking. Then his face became serious. "You can't give up now, Evans," he shouted, diving to his left to dodge a jet of green light. "I can't raise an Air shield – so we need your barrier to last longer! Give me some fire – come on! I know how fit and strong you are – you can do it!"
"I'm exhausted – I can't hold on much longer!" she shouted fretfully. The pain was now near her waist, inching up slowly but surely.
"'Course you can!" Potter shouted back. "You're a remarkable person, Lily Evans – if it's anyone I can trust with this, it's you!"
Buoyed by his encouragement, she concentrated with renewed vigour, and a fresh wave of fire erupted from her wand to feed the barrier, which suddenly glowed brighter than it had ever been… And what was more, it seemed a lot stronger, too. "Wow!" she exclaimed in wonder, "How did it become so powerful?"
"That's because air makes it stronger, Evans," said Potter, a trace of impatience in his voice. "Fire is the best element for attack, because the elements that are weak against it – are weak simply because they make it stronger. Air makes it burn with triple strength, and Light will make it blindingly bright, to buy the caster ample time to make their next move!"
She stared at him, astounded. "How do you know that?" she asked, unable to keep the surprise from her voice.
"Contrary to popular opinion – I do study, Evans," he retorted, and she laughed despite the precarious situation they were in. "Air makes Fire stronger… Those goons can do what they like – so long as we stay out of the way of the Unforgiveables, we should be fine!"
"Did you find your parents?" she asked urgently; after all, that was the whole bloody point of this risky operation, wasn't it? He nodded tightly and shouted, "Yep – they were in a room beyond that exit, and no one was even guarding their door – can you believe that? Anyway – I got them to take my broomstick – Mum's going to fly it outside the perimeter of this house, and alert the Ministry for help – if they haven't come already, that is."
"How are they?" she asked tensely, dreading the answer.
"Not good," said Potter, his voice shaking with anger and worry. "I should've done more than broken that bloody bugger's ribs – I suppose Dad may need to spend some time in St Mungo's, but Mum seemed OK – given the circumstances."
"Why did you come back? Why didn't you escape with your parents?" she shouted over the gale's whooshing noise. Potter shook his head. "I couldn't leave you – any of you!" he exclaimed. "You were all risking your lives for my sake – how can I escape like a coward and leave you to fight on your own?"
"Well – I'm glad you came back," she said truthfully. "Honestly, I was starting to feel so weak –"
"Yes – the Curse!" he shouted, moving towards her while keeping his wand pointed to the flame barrier and dodging a jet of green light in the process. Her pulse quickened as she witnessed him evade certain death, just like she had twice already… "D'you remember what it was?" he asked, kneeling down next to her at last and placing a comforting hand on her shoulder; his other hand held his wand which kept the gale up, continuously hitting the flames with a jet of air and keeping them from dying out.
"The incantation sounded like – Toxicus Sanguinem," she said uneasily. "I dunno what that does, Potter –"
"It's Dark Magic, no doubt," he said heavily. "Dammit, Evans – why did you let me go forward, then?" He sounded angry. "I could've helped you, but no-o-o – you just had to –"
"The whole point was to find your parents, Potter," she interrupted, panting with the effort of her spell – but the blockade remained intact, no doubt strengthened by Potter's gale. "And I could take a little bit of discomfort if I could buy you some more time –"
"But not at the cost of your own well-being!" he snapped.
"I did what I had to do, Potter!" she snapped back. "And you're such a hypocrite – didn't you do the same thing when you saved Severus? Did you think of your own well-being then?"
That seemed to shut him up. Grinning triumphantly, Lily refocused her attention on the flame barrier, ignoring the pain that was now in the region of her chest. Someone was shooting water jets at it again, but thanks to Potter's stormy wind, they felt like simple taps on her wrist. She coughed slightly, feeling anxious… What was the Curse going to do? Cause her to faint? Indeed, she was weakening…
"I'm so – so, tired," she whispered, and Potter shook her slightly. "C'mon, Evans – I know you're tired, but just a bit more," he coaxed. "Help is almost here – any time now. I'm sure my mother has been able to contact the Ministry… And Pete and Mary would've raised the alarm, too… Just a few minutes longer…"
"I can't," she whispered, and her wand dipped lower. At once, the flames began to grow weaker… Potter grabbed her wand hand with his free hand, and redirected her wand to the flame barrier. He shot more air into it, but it didn't help… "I can't strengthen it if you can't keep it up, Evans!" he exclaimed. "You can do this – I believe in you! I know you can – c'mon!"
"Too tired," she whispered. Tears of frustration came to her eyes, she couldn't help it. She wanted to keep going, but her head was starting to swim, and she could feel energy draining out of her body and into the Fire which she struggled to keep up. It had already been fifteen minutes at least – she knew that she'd exceeded her capacity.
Potter rubbed her back gently, comfortingly… "Look, Evans," he said softly, "I know you can do this, OK? I've seen you on the Quidditch pitch. It was difficult for you, the training I put the team through – but your tenacity, your perseverance, your persistence… It was incredible." There was a smile on his face. "One can be the greatest wizard in the world – but if one doesn't have endurance – the ability to use and keep up powerful, energy-sapping spells – one is useless. After the strongest spells have been cast, it is endurance that matters… For it is by endurance – by endurance we conquer."
She gazed at him steadily, and he continued in that same gentle way, "Fuérimus in patientia, Evans… By endurance we conquer. I know that you never give up… Well, now would be a good time to show me how – how indomitable you really are."
She knew that he was trying to inspire her – and what was more, it was working. He's right, said the strong voice inside her head… I can't give up now! With a Herculean effort, she dug into her reserves of strength, and concentrated with all her might. The weakening flames were suddenly revived, and the barrier was back up to full strength. "That's it," encouraged Potter, maintaining his firm grip on her hand, "You're doing wonderfully! I'm proud of you!" he exclaimed. "If I'd known that quoting some fancy Latin would do the trick, I'd have done it much sooner!"
She gave him a little smile… His presence was certainly helping. She marvelled at his ability to keep his own spell up as he helped her; didn't he ever get tired? She couldn't believe they'd been able to hold the Death Eaters off for so long… She was worried about the others, though. Marlene – hit by a Curse they had no knowledge of… Black and Liz duelling so many Death Eaters – Remus, probably assisting them… Dammit, she thought. There are too many of those thugs!
"D'you think help is here already?" Potter asked, cutting into her thoughts. "There've been no Curses through the barrier for two minutes at least –"
"James!" came a shout, and they turned around, alarmed – but it was a tall, broad-shouldered wizard with a single gold hoop earring who stood right behind them. "Kingsley!" Potter shouted in relief, and the black wizard smiled. "Well done, James – and I take it this is Miss Evans?" said Kingsley. He had a deep, slow voice, which reassured Lily at once. She nodded, and the man's grin grew wider. "Aurors are taking down Death Eaters as we speak… By the time your Mum contacted us, we were already on the way – two kids barged into the Ministry with an incredible tale – friends of yours?"
"Yup," said Potter, smiling back at the Auror. He let the storm vanish, and Lily's flames followed suit. Potter let go of her hand, and she suddenly realized that she couldn't have lasted so long if it hadn't been for his assistance…
Kingsley watched silently before saying admiringly, "Looks like you did one hell of a job – keeping at least five of them at bay like that is no easy matter."
Lily smiled at the praise, but felt a sudden wave of anxiety and fear – she couldn't quite explain it. She felt dizzy, and spots appeared before her eyes. A white mist descended upon her, and she knew no more.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
She opened her eyes and tried to look around, but her head felt too heavy. It was dark and quiet, and she could tell that she was lying in a bed, tucked underneath two blankets… Where am I? she thought fretfully, before her eyes adjusted to the dim light; she could make out several outlines of beds in the room, which looked familiar. With a flash of realization, she understood that she was in the Hospital Wing, back at Hogwarts.
She tried to sit up, and groaned… She was feeling thirsty. Her head still felt heavy, leaving her groggy as a result. She caught sight of a chair to her right – someone was sitting in it, evidently asleep. She squinted, trying to make out who it was – it was someone with glasses, and untidy black hair…
She groaned softly once again, and Potter stirred before jerking awake. Immediately, his eyes went to her, and he leaned close… "Evans!" he whispered urgently. "How're you feeling?"
"Water," she managed to whisper, and he immediately poured some into a glass from the jug on her bedside. He gently lifted her head, and helped her drink it… "Easy there," he said gently, and she took a few grateful sips; the room became clearer and his worried face came into focus. She lay back in bed, and let out a little sigh.
"How're you feeling?" he asked again, his hazel eyes worried.
"Awful," she said softly. "My head hurts, and my ankle feels like a hippogriff stomped on it…"
He let out a sigh of relief. "Yeah – Madam Pomfrey said that would happen, and that you may have to spend at least two days in the Hospital Wing," he said, his voice shaking slightly. "But she also said you're going to be just fine…" He smiled warmly. "I'm so glad you're all right."
"Ugh," she moaned, trying to ignore the throbbing ache in her ankle, "What happened?"
"You were Cursed," Potter said simply, and she remembered at once – the house in Wales, the battle with the Death Eaters, the fire barrier – it all came back to her. "Your parents!" she whispered urgently, "How –?"
"They're fine – they're going to be all right," he said softly, smiling in relief. "Dad's in St Mungo's – but he'll be out in a couple of days. Mum's there with him now, she said she'll send me regular updates…"
Relief swept through Lily momentarily, but cold fear soon replaced it. "And the others?" she asked uneasily, fretfully… "Are they –?"
"All fine," he said reassuringly, and she exhaled the breath she'd been holding. "We all made it back safe and sound – Madam Pomfrey said it was a miracle, really, that none of us suffered any long-term injuries. Liz and Sirius held their own against five Death Eaters – yes, five," he added proudly. "Liz told me they Disillusioned themselves and used diversionary spells – Lumos Intensum, Umbra Unda, Obscuro and the like. Kept the Death Eaters distracted for long enough… Skilful duelling, really."
"And Marlene? Remus?" she asked, wanting to hear more.
"Well – Marlene was knocked out by a Curse similar to a Stunner," said Potter. "Remus was able to revive her within a few minutes – she's OK, too. She waited outside for the Aurors while he went back in to help Liz and Sirius… They're all fine – just tired, so they're spending quality time in dreamland. The best cure for exhaustion is a good night's rest, I always say…"
Relief swept through her at once. So, her friends were OK… "And Mary and Peter? They sent the Aurors, right?" she asked, and Potter grinned. "Yup," he said cheerfully, "They made it to the Ministry and sneaked into the Auror Office – Mary distracted the watchwizard and Peter made his way in whilst Disillusioned… He was able to convince the Aurors, and Mum was able to get a message to them just as they were leaving – that accelerated the process. The Aurors stormed the house and managed to capture all the goons – even Jugson." He relaxed back into his chair. "Pete and Mary were sent back by Redbeard, though – he Flooed them back to Hogwarts himself before setting off to help everyone else."
"Redbeard? What was he doing at the Ministry?" Lily asked, nonplussed.
"He's a former Auror, see? He was just having a cup of tea – it was Friday evening, the OWLs had just ended, he wanted to meet his colleagues… Lucky he was there, though – Pete had an easier time convincing the Aurors because of him," replied Potter.
Lily nodded, drinking all this in. Then she asked, "Where's Liz?"
"Sleeping – it's nearly daybreak, you've been out for the better part of the last six hours," he responded. "Liz told me how Redbeard whisked them directly to this place from that bleeding house, they barely had enough time to Summon their brooms… They were here when Redbeard brought you, and Liz was sitting with you till two o'clock – she didn't want you to – to wake up alone, see? Then once I got back from St Mungo's – I told her to go to bed, that I'd stay here…" He blushed slightly.
Lily nodded pensively once again. "Ugh," she said, frowning, "That bloody Curse is giving me an awful headache… The last thing I remember is the arrival of that Kingsley bloke – after that, everything's a blank – until now."
"You gave me quite a fright, y'know," said Potter softly. "You sort of had a fit, or something… It was because of that Curse." There was relief mingled with concern in his hazel eyes. "Redbeard did something, and a Healer from St Mungo's reversed the Curse – then Redbeard brought you to Hogwarts…"
"I see," she said slowly. She made a mental note to thank Redbeard… "What happened? How did you get your parents out?" she asked, "Did you blast a hole through the wall?"
Potter grinned. "Which version d'you want – the short one or the long one?" he asked.
"Er – the long one," said Lily, wanting to know everything. "It's not like I have anything else to do right now," she added dryly. He smiled, his hazel eyes twinkling. "Very well, then," he said, "It happened like this…"
XXXXX James's POV XXXXX
James uneasily watched Remus and Evans hurry away before turning back to the others. "Right," he said, trying to shake off the feeling of worry in his gut, "Once they cause a diversion – we're going in! Everyone ready?"
"I was born ready," Sirius said confidently, and James resisted an urge to roll his eyes. It was a fact that out of the two of them, Sirius was definitely cockier… "I meant, we need to Disillusion ourselves," he said forcefully. Raising his wand, he muttered, "Pellucidus." At once, he took the colour and appearance of the brown tree trunk behind him, and the others imitated him – all he could make out were their blurry outlines, but he could at least tell where they were at a very crude level. He grabbed his broomstick and Disillusioned it, too.
"Why the broom?" Marlene asked.
"I know that my parents are on the second floor," he said grimly. "I'd do the same thing – if I were the one holding people hostage. Ergo, my plan is to blast the window open as soon as we find them, so that they can escape on my broom."
There was a pause, following which Liz said, "Ingenious."
"Thank you," said James, "Now – let's move towards the gate slowly…"
The gate came in their line of vision just as four figures sprinted away from it. "They've done it – now's our chance!" James whispered, and together, the four of them ran through the open gate, stopping only when they came up to the door – just as a masked figure opened it and stepped out, evidently looking for the source of the disturbance.
"Stupefy!" James said softly, and the man crumpled to the floor. They crossed the threshold and stepped inside the house. "Hang on," came Liz's voice, "We should drag this goon inside – that way, the ones outside won't smell a rat immediately if they come in to ask for reinforcements."
James was doubtful of this proposition, but he waved his wand, whispering, "Mobilicorpus!" The goon's unconscious form levitated into the house, and Marlene shut the door. James spotted a staircase at once, and there were two doors that branched off from the room they stood in.
"Right," James whispered, "Here's the strategy – we go from room to room, we have to make sure that my parents are not on this floor. One of us puts Silencing Charms on the room as soon as we enter, and the others take care of the goons. Got that?"
"Yes," came three voices, and Marlene added, "I'll take care of the Silencing Charms."
"Instead of the remaining three going on offence, one of us should be in charge of defence, too," said Liz softly. She has a point, thought James. Not a good idea to brazenly attack head on, now that I think about it… "I'll take care of it," Liz added.
"Which leaves you and me for attack, Prongs," came Sirius's voice. James nodded (though the others couldn't see him) and said, "Yes – now, let's go."
They entered the room on the left, and came across two Death Eaters. "Silencio," Marlene whispered behind them, and James raised his wand. "Protego," came Liz's voice, and they went on the offensive… "Stupefy!" he and Sirius screamed in unison, and the two goons, caught unawares, crumpled to the floor. "That was easy," said Sirius, and chuckled.
"Don't get cocky, Padfoot," warned James. "There may be several others…"
They exited the room through another door, and entered another. This time, there was a solitary goon in that room… "Stupefy!" shouted James, and the goon went down just like the previous ones. Padfoot is right – this is too easy, James thought… And at that moment, four thugs entered the room, wands raised – no doubt alerted by the sound of the first goon going down.
I spoke too soon, James thought, yelling, "Petrificus Totalus!" The Curse was blocked, and the four of them began to duel their opponents in earnest. James's opponent shot a jet of blue light at him, a Curse which he dodged… "Locomotor mortis!" he shouted, and the Leg-Locker Curse immediately glued his opponent's legs together. "You swine! Show yourself!" the man roared. "Avada Kedavra!"
James quickly dived aside, shaken… It was the first time that the Killing Curse had been shot at him, and it was only his Quidditch reflexes that had saved his skin. Rage filled him, and he yelled, "Ventus Dromonem!" The Wind Cutter sliced through the man's arm, leaving a deep cut. The man yelled out in pain, and James took the opportunity to Stun him before helping the others with their opponents. The four of them stood over their opponents, panting.
I'm starting to regret bringing this broomstick, James thought. It's impeding me… "That may have been everyone on the floor," he said tersely. "C'mon – upstairs!" He led the way back to the main room, presuming that the others were following him; it was hard to tell with the Disillusionment Charms.
"Wait," cautioned Marlene as they stood near the base of the staircase. "Look – there're two of them standing on the first floor." A single look told James that she was right. Before he could say anything, however, she whispered, "I have an idea – I'm going to cause a diversion. When they run downstairs – you just climb! Leave them to me."
"Mar – are you –"
"Yes, Liz, I'm sure." James heard the tight note in his friend's voice. "Do it, please."
"OK," he whispered, just as Sirius said, "Take care, Mar."
There was no reply, but at the next moment, a vase which had hitherto been on a table in the main room flew rapidly up the stairs, right at one of the goons. The ploy worked – the two goons came running downstairs just as Marlene revealed herself and ran into one of the rooms. Watching uneasily as the thugs chased her, James and the others ran upstairs. I hope she'll be OK, thought James tensely… Please let her be OK…
On the first floor, they ran into three other goons. Perhaps the thugs heard something, for one of them exclaimed, "Someone's here! Homenum Revelio!"
The sensation of being X-rayed was apparent, and the second goon yelled, "Resurgo Totalum!" James felt as though someone had poured something warm down his neck – with a horrible blast of recognition, he understood that his Disillusionment Charm had been lifted. "Run, James!" Sirius screamed as he raised a Shield Charm to protect them all from three jets of red light. James obeyed at once as Liz came to Sirius's aid, and shouted, "Umbra Unda!"
The first floor became engulfed in all-consuming darkness as James made his getaway, clutching his broomstick tightly. He hated himself for leaving his friends alone… But someone had to find his parents, and if his friends were willing to stall for time and help him out, he was not going to let them down. I won't let them down, he thought firmly to himself as he climbed up to the second floor and headed straight ahead.
He came to an abrupt halt as another masked figure stood in front of him with its wand raised. He quickly raised his own wand as the other man removed his mask. He felt a rush of hatred as he recognized the Death Eater… "Jugson," he said with suppressed rage, and the man's bestial face split into an evil grin. "Well, well, well – James Potter," he said, venom in his words, "I have to hand it to you – I am surprised to see you here, how in the world did you find us?"
"You really are stupider than you look," snapped James. "How in the world did you think I'd do what you said?"
"It was a long shot, anyway – I was going to kill your filthy parents after collecting the money," said the Death Eater, licking his lips. Then he raised his wand. "Enough talk – Avada Kedavra!" he yelled.
For the second time that night, James dived aside to avoid the jet of green light. "Stupefy!" he shouted, but the Death Eater deflected his Stunner lazily. Jets of light flew from his wand, and James defended desperately, looking for an opening… Jugson was clearly a skilled dueller, and James could see that he was being outclassed here. How the hell was he supposed to defeat this creep if he wasn't even getting an opportunity to use an offensive spell?
Jugson wasn't playing around, either – he repeatedly used Unforgiveable Curses, which James dodged successfully thanks to his heightened reflexes; however, the spells proceeded to cause damage to the banisters behind him, and the walls of the passage as well… Clutching his broomstick even tighter, her shouted, "Petrificus Totalus!" – but Jugson dodged it and laughed jeeringly. "You're going to have to better than that to reach your worthless parents, boy!" he shouted disdainfully. He shot a jet of yellow light which James dodged – and spotted someone in his peripheral vision.
Evans! he thought in astonishment, just as she yelled, "Stupefy!" Jugson blocked it and pointed his wand at her instead, and James finally saw an opening. "Impedimenta! Stupefy! Petrificus Totalus!" he screamed, shooting spells one after another… Jugson blocked the first two, but the Body-Bind Curse hit its mark, and the thug fell back, rigid and stiff as a board. He let out a huge sigh of relief.
"Thanks, Evans," he said, before stepping forward to examine Jugson. Hatred filled him, and he violently kicked the man hard on his ribs. "That's what you deserve for kidnapping my parents, you scumbag!" he spat dangerously.
"They're here!" came a yell, and trepidation clutched his heart – they'd been found. "Run!" Evans screamed, and he sprinted straight ahead into a room which had its door open; to his relief, he could hear her following him a little distance behind… He heard a voice shout out an incantation, and Evans exclaimed, "Ouch!" He turned around in alarm just as she screamed, "Flammunda!"
The Fire Wave erupted from her wand, and James watched in astonishment as it bodily threw three Death Eaters ten feet into the wall behind them. She turned to him and shouted, "What're you waiting for? Go – find your parents! I'll hold them off!"
"But –"
"I said, go! NOW!"
"No! You're hurt!" he said urgently. Why else would she have exclaimed? He was sure she'd been hit by a Curse; he couldn't just leave her.
"My ankle's fine, Potter! Your parents need you!" she said pleadingly, her emerald eyes boring into his own… What should I do? he thought desperately. He wanted to stay and help – but he was so close to finding his parents – he was sure they were on this floor. But before he could say anything, Evans yelled, "Dammit, Potter! I'm not going to repeat myself – GO!"
In a split second, he made his decision. "I'll be back in five minutes!" he assured her, and sprinted towards the exit… He spotted another door, which was padlocked, and felt a leap of excitement. "Mum!" he yelled as soon as he came up to the door, and banged it loudly. "Dad! Are you in there?"
He heard movement from within the room, and a familiar voice called, "James? Sweetheart, is that you?"
"Mum!" he exclaimed, feeling an indescribable sense of relief. "Stand back – I'm coming in!" He wasn't going to wait around. "Go ahead!" his came his Mum's voice, and he raised his wand. "Confringo!" he yelled, and the Blasting Curse blew the door open. He stepped into the room hurriedly.
"Oh, Jamie!" said Mrs Potter, and pulled him into a bone-jarring hug. "Oh, darling – I thought – I thought –"
"It's OK, Mum – I'm here now," he said soothingly. "How's Dad?"
He extricated himself from Mrs Potter and felt a dull blow in the region of his stomach… His Dad, his father, lay on the floor with a little blood next to his prone form. He looked unconscious. A surge of rage ran through James's veins… "His injuries aren't too serious, James," Mrs Potter tried to reassure him. "He'll make a full recovery…"
"Right," he managed to choke out, still unable to believe it. "D'you have a wand?" His mother shook her head, and he roughly handed her the broomstick. "You have to fly out of here," he instructed urgently. "Take Dad – fly out, and call the Aurors! I'm sure Peter and Mary are already at the Ministry – but no one's here yet, which means that no one's believed them! Call the Aurors, Mum!"
Mrs Potter stared at him as if he were mad. "I'm not leaving here without you, son," she said firmly. James shook his head and said tightly, "My friends – they're duelling scores of Death Eaters downstairs – and one is even holding at least three goons off on this very floor just to buy me more time. So – no, Mum," he added firmly, "I'm not going to leave them – they need my help. But I need you to leave – and call the Aurors. Please – there's no time!" He was pleading, willing his mother to listen…
To his relief, she nodded. "All right, then," she said, and mounted the broomstick. Together, they helped a still-groggy Mr Potter on the broom, behind his mother. James performed a quick Charm to keep his father upright on the broom. "Right – now, I'm going to blast this wall open, and you're going to fly out," he said, his eyes narrowed, and his mother looked fearful. He gave her a reassuring smile and said, "With luck – I'll join you at St Mungo's within the hour. Take care!" He raised his wand.
"Wait!" his mother shouted. He looked at her, confused, but she merely gave him a gentle smile. "I'm so proud of you, son," she whispered, and there were tears in her eyes. James felt his eyes grow moist, and he deliberately looked away… "Thanks," he choked out, and pointed his wand at the wall he was sure faced the outside of the house. "Confringo!" he screamed, and the wall broke open; cold, refreshing night air blew into the room at once.
"See you!" he yelled, and indicated his mother to fly out of the room. She gave him a swift smile and the thumbs-up, and kicked off from the ground. He watched her fly out of the hole, before sprinting back to the room where he'd left Evans. The mere fact that no one had been able to follow him spoke volumes of Evans's ability to hold off the Death Eaters, and he marvelled at how she'd been able to do it. He arrived into the room and saw a sheet of fire at the other entrance – that's how she did it, he thought. A Fire Wave as a shield! That's incredible! He spotted her at once – she was panting with the effort of keeping her spellwork up. Dammit, I never should've left her alone! he thought, angry with himself.
At that moment, to his horror, a water jet blasted its way through the sheet of flames, and he understood – he'd been gone far too long, and Evans was probably exhausted by now. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her fall to her knees. "No!" he shouted desperately; he had to help her out… And the only way to do that was to strengthen the fire barrier. An idea came to him.
"Tempestas!" he yelled, and the stormy gale erupted from his wand and flew to the sheet of fire at once, supplying it with some much-needed oxygen. Air strengthens Fire, he thought happily as the flickering flames suddenly glowed more intensely than before, and returned to their shape of completely blocking the doorway.
"You came!" said a tired voice, and his gaze went to Lily Evans – the girl he was sure was the love of his life – he hated himself for leaving her like that, though admittedly his parents' need had been greater than hers. Well, he was back now – and he intended to make amends. He gave her a quick smile and shouted, "Just in the nick of time, by the looks of it!"
"A couple of minutes ago would've been nicer!" she returned, and he chuckled. Always the dry wit, he thought. "Can't win them all," he said, smirking. But his smile faded immediately – she looked exhausted, and he knew that if they were to stand any chance of survival, her fiery barrier was essential… He didn't know how to manipulate the Air Wave into a shield. He had to help her…
"You can't give up now, Evans," he shouted – at that moment, a jet of green light came his way, and he dived to his left to dodge it. He shuddered slightly – it wasn't the first time he'd evaded death that night… Thank God for my reflexes, he thought fervently. Aloud, he addressed her, "I can't raise an Air shield – so we need your barrier to last longer! Give me some fire – come on! I know how fit and strong you are – you can do it!" It was true, after all… He'd been thrilled when she'd asked him if she could practise with the team, and he'd watched with growing pride as she'd increased her physical fitness and endurance with a dogged determination.
"I'm exhausted – I can't hold on much longer!" she shouted, worry on her face. He swore inwardly; it wouldn't do any good if she didn't believe that she could…
"'Course you can!" he shouted back encouragingly. "You're a remarkable person, Lily Evans – if it's anyone I can trust with this, it's you!" It was true – she was one of the most strong-willed people he knew. Her tenacity rivalled his own when he was asking her out – no, you can't think about that now, he reminded himself.
His encouragement seemed to have worked, for a fresh wave of fire erupted from her wand to feed the barrier, which suddenly glowed brighter than it had ever been… "Wow!" she exclaimed, "How did it become so powerful?"
"That's because air makes it stronger, Evans," he said impatiently. "Fire is the best element for attack, because the elements that are weak against it – are weak simply because they make it stronger. Air makes it burn with triple strength, and Light will make it blindingly bright, to buy the caster ample time to make their next move!"
She stared at him, surprised. "How do you know that?" she asked, her tone disbelieving.
"Contrary to popular opinion – I do study, Evans," he retorted, bristling a little… Who did she think he was, some kind of idiot? But she laughed, and his irritation vanished as soon as it had come. Had he just made her laugh? He ploughed on, "Air makes Fire stronger… Those goons can do what they like – so long as we stay out of the way of the Unforgiveables, we should be fine!"
"Did you find your parents?" she asked urgently, and he was astonished – they were in a terrible position themselves, and she was still asking about his parents. I can't believe how selfless she is, he thought… It was one of the reasons he was so attracted to her. He nodded tightly and shouted, "Yep – they were in a room beyond that exit, and no one was even guarding their door – can you believe that? Anyway – I got them to take my broomstick – Mum's going to fly it outside the perimeter of this house, and alert the Ministry for help – if they haven't come already, that is."
"How are they?" she asked tensely, and he felt a twinge of anger as he was reminded of his Dad's broken form, and all the blood… "Not good," he said honestly, his voice shaking with anger. "I should've done more than broken that bloody bugger's ribs – I suppose Dad may need to spend some time in St Mungo's, but Mum seemed OK – given the circumstances."
"Why did you come back? Why didn't you escape with your parents?" she shouted, and he shook his head in disbelief. How could she even ask that? "I couldn't leave you – any of you!" he yelled back. "You were all risking your lives for my sake – how can I escape like a coward and leave you to fight on your own?" It was so obvious!
"Well – I'm glad you came back," she said, and he felt heartened… "I was starting to feel so weak," she added, and he drew in a sharp breath. "Yes – the Curse!" he shouted; how could he have forgotten? Making a quick decision, he made his way towards her whilst keeping his wand pointed to the flame barrier – and dodging a jet of green light in the process. He kneeled down next to her and placed a hand on her back, and took it as a good sign that she didn't shake it off… "D'you remember what it was?" he asked gently, keeping his wand pointed at the flames and holding them steady.
"The incantation sounded like – Toxicus Sanguinem," she said, worry in her voice. "I dunno what that does, Potter –"
"It's Dark Magic, no doubt," he said heavily. He hadn't heard of that Curse, but he was sure that it was nothing good… "Dammit, Evans," he said angrily, "Why did you let me go forward, then? I could've helped you, but no-o-o – you just had to –"
"The whole point was to find your parents, Potter," she panted. "And I could take a little bit of discomfort if I could buy you some more time –"
"But not at the cost of your own well-being!" he snapped.
"I did what I had to do, Potter!" she snapped back. "And you're such a hypocrite – didn't you do the same thing when you saved Severus? Did you think of your own well-being then?"
He drew in another sharp breath – she was right, he'd done the same thing when he'd pulled that greasy git away from Remus – in his wolf form, no less. She gave him a triumphant grin, before coughing slightly – he could see that her strength was slipping. No, he thought, willing her to keep up her spell… Come on, you can do this, Evans!
"I'm so – so, tired," she whispered, and he shook her slightly. "C'mon, Evans – I know you're tired, but just a bit more," he coaxed – it was all he could do. "Help is almost here – any time now. I'm sure my mother has been able to contact the Ministry… And Pete and Mary would've raised the alarm, too… Just a few minutes longer…" He knew they were empty words, but it had been more than half an hour since he'd talked to Peter. Where the hell were they?
"I can't," she whispered – her face was horribly pale, and her wand dipped lower. At once, the flames began to grow weaker… Without thinking, he grabbed her wand hand with his free hand, and redirected it to the flame barrier. He desperately shot more air into it, but it didn't help, the flames kept losing their intensity. "I can't strengthen it if you can't keep it up, Evans!" he exclaimed urgently. "You can do this – I believe in you! I know you can – c'mon!"
"Too tired," she whispered, her emerald-green eyes piteous – and teary. She was going to need him to goad her into holding firm… Poor girl, she was almost at the end of her tether – he couldn't bear to see her like that… He rubbed her back comfortingly. "Look, Evans," he said softly, "I know you can do this, OK? I've seen you on the Quidditch pitch. It was difficult for you, the training I put the team through – but your tenacity, your perseverance, your persistence… It was incredible."
He smiled fondly at her and ploughed on. "One can be the greatest wizard in the world – but if one doesn't have endurance – the ability to use and keep up powerful, energy-sapping spells – one is useless. After the strongest spells have been cast, it is endurance that matters…" It was true, after all; if one lacked fortitude, one would be overpowered. He paused before continuing firmly, "For it is by endurance – by endurance we conquer."
He could see the despair in her eyes reduce as he talked to her. It's working! he thought, his hopes rising with every second. The flames were barely holding on, but they were still blocking every spell that came their way. He had to keep going, he had to keep talking to her… "Fuérimus in patientia, Evans," he said delicately, "That's my motto… By endurance we conquer." He gave her another encouraging smile. "I know that you never give up… Well, now would be a good time to show me how – how indomitable you really are."
He could see the resolve in her green eyes as her face screwed up in concentration, and to his relief, the flames burnt brighter once again. "That's it," he urged, maintaining his grip on her hand and holding it up. "You're doing great! I'm proud of you!" He couldn't help but feel a little happier… He was helping her, and doing it wonderfully! It probably isn't the best time to tell her right now that the Fire Wave saps one's energy twice as fast as the Air Wave, he thought wryly. "If I'd known that quoting some fancy Latin would do the trick, I'd have done it much sooner!" he said instead, his tone dry, and she gave him a small smile, which melted his heart…
He quickly shoved those thoughts aside and concentrated on the circumstances they were in. He felt a horrible stab of worry as he thought of the others – Sirius and Liz, stuck duelling several Death Eaters – he hoped that they were OK, though he was so worried… He hadn't seen Marlene since she'd volunteered to stay on the ground floor, giving them time to escape… And Remus, too – but Evans had made it here, so he supposed that Remus was all right. His pulse quickened – he could never forgive himself if something happened to them – it would be all his fault.
He refocused on the task at hand, and subconsciously realized something… There had been no Curses through the flames for at least two minutes. "D'you think help is here already?" he asked her, frowning thoughtfully, not daring to believe it. "There've been no Curses through the barrier for two minutes at least –"
"James!" came a familiar voice, and he turned around… Relief swept through him; he could hardly believe it – Kingsley Shacklebolt was standing behind them, his wand raised, taking in the scene. James had always liked Kingsley; there was something so – so reassuring, about his deep, slow voice. "Kingsley!" he exclaimed, and the Auror grinned. "Well done, James – and I take it this is Miss Evans?" he said, and James nodded. Kingsley's grin grew wider, and he said, "Aurors are taking down Death Eaters as we speak… By the time your Mum contacted us, we were already on the way – two kids barged into the Ministry with an incredible tale – friends of yours?"
"Yup," he said, smiling back at the Auror. He let the storm vanish, and Evans's flames followed suit. He let go of her hand at once, satisfied that she was still OK… Kingsley watched silently before saying admiringly, "Looks like you did one hell of a job – keeping at least five of them at bay like that is no easy matter."
James beamed, but a movement caught his eye – to his horror, Evans had sunk to the floor, and her limbs were moving jerkily. He froze as her eyes rolled into their sockets until he could only see the whites, and her muscles spasmed uncontrollably. "Evans – Lily!" he yelled, trying desperately to shake her by the shoulder, but it was useless – she was thrashing around and foaming at her mouth.
"She's seizing!" Kingsley shouted, and pointed his wand at her. "Relaxo!" he said, and her body seemed to relax a little… "Nolite Volutabatur Spumans!" he added further, and she stopped seizing at once, though she remained unconscious.
"She was hit by a Curse – I think she said the incantation was Toxicus Sanguinem," James exclaimed worriedly, "But I don't know what it does!"
Kingsley let out a low whistle. "That's the Toxic Blood Curse," he said grimly. "Poisons the blood…"
"Oh, no!" he exclaimed, as all sorts of horrible thoughts came to his head. "Can you reverse it?"
"I think so," said Kingsley, frowning. "She needs Healer assistance, though – we alerted St Mungo's, I think there's a Healer downstairs –"
"No," he interrupted. "If you can cure it – please, do it, Kingsley. I don't want to waste any more time!"
But at that moment, someone familiar rushed over to them – it was Redbeard. "Professor!" he exclaimed, "She was Cursed, Sir – Toxic Blood Curse –"
"Where?" Redbeard asked without preamble. James swallowed. "Her ankle – I think," he replied anxiously, and the professor removed Evans's shoes and socks – James gasped as he saw that her right ankle was an ugly bluish colour.
"Kingsley – send Healer Goldstein here at once," he ordered, and Kingsley nodded before hurrying away. "Right – c'mon, Lily," said Redbeard gently, "You're going to be fine…" He began to mutter some complex incantations, and her breathing grew easier. James let out the breath he'd been holding as the blue hue on Evans's ankle slowly began to disappear…
The Healer arrived, and bent down next to Evans's prone form. "I'll take it from here, Professor," she said reassuringly, and continued the healing process. Redbeard stood up. "Professor," said James at once, "The others – Sirius, Remus, Liz and Marlene –"
"All fine, my dear boy," said Redbeard with a slight smile, "They're exhausted – but all right. Apart from Jugson, all the thugs here were small-fry – inexperienced, but still dangerous. All the same, it was remarkable that your friends made it unscathed from all the duelling they did… Y'all are a skilful bunch, I'm proud to be your teacher," he said. James felt relief at once.
"My parents –"
"They've been taken to St Mungo's," said Redbeard. "Your friends – Miss MacDonald and Mr Pettigrew – I took them back to Hogwarts myself. The Floo network is open for Professors," he added, obviously in response to the questioning glance James gave him. "It's a good thing the Aurors have their own ways to communicate – we were convinced anyway, but your Mum's message made sure that help arrived swiftly."
"Right – er, thanks, Professor," said James fervently. He turned to the Healer and asked, "How is she?"
"She is going to be just fine," said the Healer with a little smile. "She may feel some pain in her ankle for a few days, though – that was a nasty Curse she took."
"I saw your fire barrier from the outside," said Redbeard. "It was a remarkable piece of magic, James – I suppose it's a good thing y'all paid attention in class."
"That was her, Professor," he replied quickly. "I just blew air into it to keep it strong – but without her, it would've been impossible."
"Remarkable," said Redbeard again, and there was note of admiration in his voice. "That she managed to continue after being hit by that Curse is amazing…"
"Yes, well – she is an amazing girl," said James without thinking, before mentally kicking herself. Why don't you just announce your feelings about her in the Daily Prophet, idiot? he thought angrily.
Redbeard tactfully ignored his last comment and said, "It's a pity Dumbledore's not here – he's in Paris for that International Alchemy Conference. Otherwise, these goons would never have dared to do this." He paused, then continued, "Your friends – I'll take them back to Hogwarts now, from the fireplace downstairs. It's a fully functional Wizarding House – registered to a bloke who is dead now, so the Ministry wasn't able to detect Underage Magic here." With a glance at Evans, he added, "I'll come back for her – you can go ahead to St Mungo's, Kingsley will take you."
"Er – is it OK if I stay here until you come back to take Evans, Professor?" James asked offhandedly. Redbeard gave him a knowing look and said, "Of course, my dear boy – of course. Take care – and good work tonight." With a final smile and a reassuring pat on James's shoulder, the Professor strode out of the room.
James remained silent as the Healer rose and said, "She's all right now – just unconscious. We need to wait until she wakes up – the spell I used is a natural healing process; it doesn't allow the victim to regain consciousness until the very last remnants of the Curse are removed from the body."
James nodded and asked, "She can still travel by Floo, right?"
The Healer nodded and said, "Yes – there's no reason not to. Take care." With a final smile at him, she exited the room just as James called out, "Thanks!"
He was now alone in the room with the still-unconscious form of Lily Evans. He felt awful – it was his fault that she was lying in this state, all his fault. He knelt down beside her, and grasped her hand in his. "I'm so sorry, Evans," he whispered. Tears came to his eyes, but he blinked them back at once. "Thank you," he murmured, and gave her hand a quick squeeze just as Redbeard entered to room once more, followed closely by Kingsley.
"Everyone's in custody, Professor," the tall Auror reported. Redbeard nodded and said, "All right – now, take this young man to St Mungo's." Kingsley nodded and gave James a reassuring smile. "Ready, James?" he asked, as Redbeard levitated Evans's unconscious form and began to make his way to the fireplace downstairs. With a final look at their retreating profiles, he said, "Yep – I'm ready."
"Come along, then – Side-Along Apparition," said Kingsley, "We removed the Anti-Disapparition Jinx on this house, we should be able to Disapparate from here itself." He held out a hand, and James took it. He took a deep breath as Kingsley turned on the spot and they vanished into a swirl of nothingness…
XXXXX End of James's POV XXXXX
"And that's it," said Potter, coming to the end of his tale. "I arrived at St Mungo's, met Mum and Dad – Mum was OK, though she said she'd still feel the effects of the Cruciatus Curse for a few days. Dad's going to make a full recovery, too – he isn't thrilled about having to buy a new wand, though, he liked his old one."
Lily took in a deep breath as she pondered upon his tale. There was no doubt about it – Potter cared about her, that was for sure. She wasn't entirely wrong about the extent of his feelings – she supposed that she'd wrongly read his infatuation as love back at Slughorn's Christmas party, but he genuinely cared about her. She could tell that he felt unbelievably guilty that she'd been hurt…
With an effort, she reached for his hand, and clasped it delicately within hers. "Potter," she began gently, "I want you to stop blaming yourself. Please," she added firmly, as he opened his mouth to protest. "I made my choice – we all did, for that matter – to accompany you. If I had to do it again, I'd do the same thing – there was no way we'd have let you go by yourself, it was suicide! Oh, and whatever happened to me – that's on me and me alone. Well, perhaps the fault lies with the creep who Cursed me," she added as an afterthought, and was relieved to see the corners of his mouth twitch slightly. "But it is not your fault, Potter. Don't blame yourself."
Silence fell between them, and Lily tried to read his thoughts in his hazel eyes. Finally, he gave her hand a gentle squeeze and said, "All right, then…" She nodded in satisfaction and added, "Oh, and by the way – thank you, Potter. If it hadn't been for your help, we'd both probably be dead by now."
"I could say the same about your fire barrier, Evans," he said, smiling slightly, and squeezing her hand lightly once again. "I supposed we helped each other out, didn't we?" She nodded again; withdrawing her hand, she looked away, staring at the ceiling…
"Er – there's something I want to tell you," said Potter tentatively, and she focused her gaze on him. What was he going to say? Oh, God… I hope he doesn't ask me out again, she thought cynically. She nodded nonetheless, indicating for him to continue.
"Er – I'm through asking you out on a date," he said, and she was thrown; this was not what she'd expected. "You have made your feelings perfectly clear – and it is high time I respect that." He gazed directly into her eyes as he spoke, and she could tell that he was being honest.
"Er – thank you, Potter," she said uncertainly. He smiled nervously and said, "There is something else, too." He paused for a couple of seconds, before continuing quickly, "I really want to be your – friend." He gave her a hopeful glance, and she considered… He'd certainly helped her a lot over the past year, and though he'd annoyed her constantly, her assessment of his character wasn't wrong. She knew that he was a noble person – oh, he was surely arrogant and conceited, but then again, who in the world was flawless? He was smart, charismatic, and refreshingly honest… Plus, now that Severus was no longer her friend, she was under no obligation to take his feelings into account – he clearly disregarded my own, she thought furiously. Her decision made, she looked directly into his eyes, which were still hopeful.
"I'd like that," she said, with a slow smile, and felt a faint blush on her cheeks. His face split into a relieved grin.
"So would I," he said simply. "And I'd like to start over, too – I'm James, James Potter." He held out his hand for her to shake.
She rolled her eyes at his cheesiness, but decided to humour him. "Lily Evans," she said, shaking his hand as firmly as she could, given the circumstances. His beaming grin widened. "Lily," was all he said, though. She hoped that she wouldn't regret her decision, but she was willing to give it a try…
She grinned, too; she couldn't help it. "James," she said lightly, nodding back at him, and the smile on his face was brighter than a million stars…
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Several people came to visit Lily over the next couple of days, ensuring that she didn't feel bored at all. Her friends called on her the next day, and there was a lot of swapping of stories as everyone narrated what they'd been up to… Lily found out that Peter and Mary had landed on top of a skyscraper and made their way to the bottom by descending nearly fifty flights of stairs to avoid detection by Muggles. Once inside the Ministry, Mary had lifted her Disillusionment Charm and pleaded with the watchwizard to let her through, effectively distracting him – while Peter sneaked in, Disillusioned… It was a simple yet effective way to ensure that all their bases were covered.
Lily had also told Liz about her new friendship with James Potter (who now referred to her by first name, and she was returning the favour), a fact that had interested her best friend very much. After listening intently to what had transpired between them, Liz had given her a knowing smile and a not-so-subtle wink, causing her to roll her eyes. Thankfully, Liz had refrained from making any more comments, other than the fact that she was happy that they were all friends now. To Lily's pleasure, Liz had also told her that Dumbledore had spoken to them all in his office, and proceeded to award Gryffindor fifty points each for their trouble… She was sure that these additional four hundred points would win them the House Cup that year, too – making it three in a row!
Lily had had two more surprise visitors – Mrs Potter had Flooed down to Hogwarts, and dropped in on her along with Dumbledore. Mrs Potter, with tears in her hazel eyes (so like James's) had proceeded to thank Lily profusely, something which had caused her to blush intensely… She'd asked about Mr Potter, and Mrs Potter had assured her that he would, indeed, be all right…
Dumbledore had listened to her tale intently, before saying, "Thank you, Miss Evans – that was most illuminating. It shows us the paramount importance we must place on the security of our figures of authority. Oh, and Miss Evans – well done. You have made me proud." He'd given her a benign smile, and her heart had lifted at his high praise…
To her fury, Severus had also tried to visit her. She'd pretended to be asleep when he'd sat next to her silently, before saying, "I'm sorry, Lily." Her heart had stirred with pity, but she'd hardened it; nothing was going to fix what he'd said to her… It wasn't just about the word; it was about the implications of it – the pureblood mania, the bigotry, the inclination to pursue the Dark Arts and 'cleanse' the world that was filled with 'filth' such as Muggles and Muggleborns… And so long as he failed to understand that, she couldn't even think about forgiving him. Nay, Severus Snape had been cut out of her life.
Lily left the Hospital Wing two days after she'd been admitted into it, with only some minor pain in her ankle to remind her of the Curse she'd taken. Her friends had welcomed her back with great enthusiasm, and she'd spent her days out in the sun, enjoying her freedom from revision and studying. She'd proceeded to play a best-out-of-three series of Wizard's Chess with James, too – and had won all three matches (after being persuaded by him to play the last game as an attempt for him to salvage some pride), trouncing him in two of those. Peter had then proceeded to play with her, and he'd effectively brought her back down to earth by beating her in under twenty moves. He was just too good for her.
"One of these days, I'm going to beat you, Peter," she said with a slight smile as they packed up the chessboard. Peter grinned and said, "I don't doubt that – though that day may not come for several years!" There was a mischievous glint in his eye, and James laughed and thanked him enthusiastically for saving his dignity. "Yeah, just let others do your dirty work, James," she taunted him good-naturedly. He grinned as she addressed him by his first name and said, "Nothing wrong with that – especially if others can do it better than you!" Lily had no counter to that, so she merely stuck out her tongue at him, causing him to guffaw some more.
Lily had also met Redbeard and proceeded to thank him, but the Professor had waved her gratitude aside, telling her instead how proud he was that his students had been daring and resourceful enough to take matters into their own hands. He'd also told her that he'd resigned that morning; the rescue mission had helped him understand how much he missed being an Auror, and he felt that he'd be of greater service out in the field. She'd been disappointed – he was a good teacher, but she supposed that at the end of the day, he was still on their side fighting Voldemort and his Death Eaters, and she was OK with that.
The Leaving Feast rolled around, and Lily had a good time as she talked, laughed and ate with the rest. Her joy was complete when Gryffindor won the House Cup for the third year running… She'd noticed that the Headmaster had been discreet about their little adventure, presumably providing information only if someone asked for it… And as for the Daily Prophet, the entire credit for solving Mr and Mrs Potter's kidnapping had gone to the Auror Office, with the Minister for Magic declaring that the Ministry always 'stood by their own'. The roles of Lily and the others had been omitted for their own safety, and she wasn't complaining… A life with publicity was not what she desired, really.
Their trunks were packed, and it was time to leave for home once again. Lily and the others spent most of the train ride discussing the attack on ten Merseyrail stations in Liverpool – there had been more than twenty casualties, most of them Muggles. The mood was sombre as they spoke, and the resolve that Lily had made at the start of the year was stronger than ever – no doubt strengthened by their recent feat of overpowering more than fifteen (admittedly inexperienced) Death Eaters. I'm going to join the war, she thought fiercely. I'm not just sitting around… I'm going to fight.
As she re-entered the Muggle world through the enchanted barrier, she spotted her parents a little distance away, talking to Mr and Mrs Huntington. She hugged Liz and promised to visit over the holidays, and the pair of them began to make their way towards their parents –
"Lily! Liz! Over here!"
The familiar voice stopped them in their tracks, and they turned left to find James standing with his parents, grinning at them and beckoning them over. Lily was heartened to see that Mr Potter looked hale and hearty, and Mrs Potter gave her a beaming smile as she approached them with Liz in tow.
"Hello, girls," said Mr Potter, smiling at them. "I just wanted to thank you in person – for all your help. If it hadn't been for you, Heaven knows what might've happened…"
"It was our pleasure, Mr Potter," Lily said courteously, and Liz echoed her, grinning.
"James told me you were the one who deciphered my code, Lily," said Mrs Potter proudly, and Lily beamed. "It was Peter who helped me there, actually," she said honestly. "And once I knew what the code was, cracking it didn't take too long, especially with everyone else there…"
"Well – I'm glad our Jamie has friends like you both," said Mrs Potter, causing James to blush and exclaim softly, "Oh, c'mon, Mum!" Liz laughed, and Lily smirked as Mrs Potter said, "Sweetheart, even if you're seventy years old, you're still going to be our Jamie."
"You should all come to our house for dinner sometime during the holidays," said Mr Potter. "Yes – we'll make it on a weekend, when everyone's free. Jamie will write to you," he added, ignoring his son's protest at the nickname.
"Thank you, Mr Potter," Lily and Liz chorused. They shook hands with the older man, and Mrs Potter gave them both big hugs. Finally, James hugged Liz, shook hands with Lily and bade them goodbye, still looking faintly embarrassed.
"Bye, Jamie!" Lily called one last time, smirking brightly as Liz chuckled and James stuck his tongue out at her before turning around and following his parents. "That was interesting," said Liz, "Dinner at his house – should be fun, eh?"
"Maybe," mused Lily. "I dunno – I've never been to his house."
"Oh, that's right!" exclaimed Liz as they came up to their parents. The customary round of hugs followed, and they parted ways, with Liz saying hurriedly, "You'll love their house – it's amazing! And don't forget to write!"
"Who were those people you and Liz stopped to talk to, Lily?" Mrs Evans asked curiously as they wheeled Lily's trolley to their car. Lily blushed slightly before saying, "They were parents of James Potter – one of the boys in my year."
"Ah, yes – the irritating kid you go on about all the time, isn't he?" said Mr Evans, his eyes twinkling. Lily's blush deepened. "I do not go on about him all the time," she said defensively, and her father grinned. "Oh, yes, you do, sweetheart. For instance, here's what I know about him." He looked at her with a mock-thoughtful expression. "He's the kid who became team Captain of – er, Quidditch, right?" he asked quickly, and she nodded. Her father ploughed on, "Let's see – he often beats you on your exams without appearing to study at all – you think he's too big for his boots – and wasn't he the one you were taking fitness tips from? I remember you mentioning it to Matt over Christmas…"
Lily was beetroot red by now. Did she really talk about James so much?
"Well – his parents seemed nice," said Mrs Evans, trying to come to her daughter's aid. Lily nodded vigorously and said, "Oh, they are – they're good people. In fact, they've invited us all – me, Liz, Marlene and the rest, that is – over for dinner sometime over the summer – on a weekend, they said!"
"Really?" said Mr Evans, as he loaded Lily's trunk into the boot of their car. "But – you can't stand that boy, can you? Though you seemed to be quite civil to him right now," he added thoughtfully.
Lily smiled; nothing really got by her father, did it? "Well," she said carefully, "I suppose he's all right, really – in fact, we're friends now."
"You are?" asked her Mum as her Dad started the car. "That's nice – he's quite good-looking, isn't he?"
"Mum!" Lily exclaimed, "I thought you were on my side!"
Mrs Evans chuckled and said, "I'm just saying!" She proceeded to wink at Lily, who rolled her eyes. She leaned back on her seat, thinking… He isn't so bad, really, she thought objectively. She'd admitted to herself before that she'd readily be friends with him if he wasn't such a prick to Severus and if he stopped annoying her by asking her out… Well, the second of those has taken effect, and I don't care anymore about the first, she thought reasonably.
She smiled slightly. She had a good feeling about her budding friendship with James Potter…
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Author's Note:
I would like to take this opportunity to thank each and every person who has read this story, and special thanks to those who have left a review. I believe that in the past (almost) two years since I started to write this story, I have improved significantly as an author (I recently read the first few chapters again, and I myself can tell the difference). None of this would've been possible without your consistent feedback. So, thank you! And I hope you continue to read and review this story!
This is the final chapter in this story (relax, read on!). I'm going to write Lily and James's sixth and seventh years as a separate story, as a sequel to this one. It is a decision from a creative standpoint, for I believe it will allow me to go more into detail, and explore the characters some more. I will post the first chapter of sixth year soon, please stay tuned. Thanks!
