It took James and Sirius to keep Lily from breaking down the door to go find Severus.
"He's here—just outside!" Lily fought to get out of the boys' grip. "James, you sod! Why didn't you drag him with you?"
"What should I have done? Clock him with the candelabra?" James kept his hold on Lily's arm, but just barely.
"Yes!" Lily shouted in James' face.
"Prongs, how on earth did you ever have the hots for this girl?" said Sirius as he pulled Lily back by the waist.
"Don't know, mate… Although that fiery temper's quite a turn-on." James smirked.
"You disgust me!" Lily spat.
"And there's the Lily I know and somewhat love." James shook his head. "Calm down, will you."
"No! Sev's on the other side of this stupid door," she kicked at the wooden frame, "and I don't care if I'm captured or threatened as long as he comes out and faces me! And he will! Hear that, Sev?" Lily addressed the closed door. "Face me, you slimy little git!"
Sirius raised a brow. "And that's the man she claims to love above all else. Wouldn't want to be someone she hates."
"Pads, you were one of those people—for almost six years."
"I knew there was a reason I had such bad memories of every other school year," said Sirius. "Maybe it was because of my looks or great personality. At least she hated you more than me."
"And she's about to hate me more." With one hard tug, James pulled Lily away from the door. "If you don't be quiet, Umbridge is going to find us. Now, listen to me." He faced her and took both grasping hands. "I hate to say it, but I'm with Snape on this. The man knows what he's doing, and we're in his way… again. He has a better chance of rescuing Evelyn and making it out because he has a plan. If you love him, let him do this."
"Don't you get it? He's destroying himself!" Lily tried to tug free. "He could be happy—and stronger than this, but he won't do it! I want to slap him, make him realize. That's all."
"Can't say I know him that well," said James. "But I do know that if you get hurt, he will be destroyed… And I at least owe it to him not to let that happen."
"What do you owe him?" Lily's eyes welled with tears.
"Your life. And mine too. Can't you understand that?"
Lily bit back tears. "Why does everyone I know insist my life is more precious than theirs?" she said, voice tinged with bitterness. "It's not true. Every time someone looks at me, they expect a messiah or treat me like a glass statue. They're afraid I'll get hurt. But I'm not a savior—or a porcelain doll! I'm not special, but I try hard to prove myself. And how can I do that when no one will let me?"
"It's not that…" James hesitated, shook his head. "I adore you for being you. I hope you know that. I wouldn't want you to lose that passion for anything, but, Lily… I don't want to lose you—any piece of you. I wish you could see that and stop saying you don't care if you get hurt. Maybe you don't, but I do. So many people do."
"I hate sitting around doing nothing." She stopped trying to get free. "I hate being left out. I just want to help, and I really am doing my best with what I've got. But that isn't much."
"I know." James let go of Lily's hands and gently gripped her shaking shoulders. "But your best isn't helping right now. Me…? I just don't want anyone to die because of this."
Lily met his honest eyes but couldn't hold his gaze long. "James… I want to do something…"
"Prongs?" Sirius interrupted.
"What?" James snipped.
"It's quiet downstairs. Think they left?"
James stopped. "How loudly did Lily yell?"
"You mean before or after she tried to beat us up?" said Sirius.
The door handle clicked.
"Sev?" Lily whispered hopefully.
In strutted Umbridge, bright pink clothes and toadish face still just like they'd been a few hours before. Her beady eyes churned with anger as she screeched in a note James swore could shatter glass, "Ooooh! What have we here? Three young guests? Aren't you supposed to be in school?" Four or five Ministry employees appeared behind Umbridge.
James, Sirius and Lily exchanged looks.
"We're on vacation," James offered.
"Really?" said Umbridge.
"Oh, yes." Sirius nodded. "Just some time to clear our heads—get ready for N.E.W.T.s. Poor Miss Evans here," he clapped Lily's shoulder, "almost had a breakdown. We had to get her out. Tsk, tsk. Even the school nurse agreed—almost booted her out to get her to go."
"Miss Evans, you say?" Umbridge appraised Lily as if she were an expensive pair of shoes shoved in a bargain bin.
"Nice going," Lily muttered.
"Whoops." Sirius swallowed hard.
"But I seem to recognize this face too." Umbridge eyed Sirius next, even though the top of her head barely reached his chest. The woman still struck an intimidating pose. "A fine blood, isn't it? You must be one of the Black brothers—Sirius. Or Regulus."
"Yes, I'm Regulus!" Sirius said.
"I thought we liked your brother now," James hissed with a raised brow.
"Oh, that's right!" Sirius said. "It's just because he keeps his distance so much it's hard to remember. He still doesn't want to talk to me. He only sneers and grouches all the time. Can you imagine? At me, the most charming, likable man in the universe!"
"You'd be surprised." James smirked.
"Alright, I'm the serious one, Sirius."
"Then this must be Potter." Umbridge turned to James. "The one Walburger's disgusted with—who corrupted the poor Black brothers. Wait until I report this."
"This is just swell." James groaned. "We're definitely getting expelled."
"And that's bad?" said Sirius.
"You're right. We're so brilliant we can make it without N.E.W.T.s!" James snarked.
"I remember why I hated you now." Lily gave the boys a sour look. "Did Moony take your better behavior with him when he left?" She carefully omitted Remus' real name.
James shrugged.
"Regardless," said Umbridge with one of her sick smiles, "you'd better come with us. It's late, and tomorrow is a busy day. We'll have to place you somewhere you won't be troublesome until we can return you to Hogwarts."
"Why don't you just send us now?" said Lily.
Umbridge squinted at them, and her voice dropped at least an octave, maybe two. "Why are you asking so many questions?" The high squeal returned. "Men! Please, take these darling children somewhere they won't disturb us. Remember to treat them nicely. I'm sure Crouch will want them unharmed for interrogation."
"I was wrong," said Sirius as four large men escorted them to the next floor down. "We're not just bad at this. We're really really bad at it."
"This is embarrassing." James covered his face as one Ministry official shoved him, Sirius and Lily into a nicely furnished room, almost identical to the one they'd come from. "For Merlin's sake, we're the Marauders!"
The door shut behind them and instantly lit, locked magically.
"I don't think we can count on Severus coming to the rescue." Sirius snorted. "No offense, Lily."
"None taken." She sat in the corner and gave the whole room an angry stare. "You're exactly right." She almost sneered. "This game is over. The Ministry will send us back to Hogwarts."
James hunched in a chair. "Unless they find an excuse to lock us up—not to mention we're definitely getting expelled for this… At least no one got hurt." He scratched one ear and wished Lily had listened to him and never tried this idiotic venture in the first place.
Hours passed in silence before the door opened again. A young, exotic-looking woman entered with a tray of food and their backpack slung over one shoulder. "Excuse me, kiddos," she said with a clear Cuban accent. "I thought you'd be hungry by now. Sorry, but you'll have to stay here until Monday."
"Why?" said James. "Wouldn't it be more convenient to send us now? We could floo back. There must be fireplaces here."
"Yeah, should be," said Sirius.
"It's Umbridge's request. She's the lead for this operation, and not even the people with her know what it's about just yet, so there's no use asking." The woman set the tray on a low table, pushed dark hair over one shoulder and set the backpack in James' lap. "Don't worry. No one touched anything in the bag. And here are some yummy tea and chicken and tomato sandwiches." She smiled, then said, "To attempt escape is ill-advised." The warning in her voice, though covered in pleasantness, was clear.
"She's out to kill werewolves," said James darkly. "That's why she's holding us here. It's so we won't spill until she's already done it. How can she do that?"
The Cuban stopped. "No. I mean… I don't know. I'm just an assistant. Don't ask me these questions."
"That's horrible!" said Lily, still sulking in the corner. "How can anyone let this happen?"
The woman bent and whispered to them, "Look, kids, we're at war. Technically, the Ministry's still on the people's side. Those werewolves are clearly on the Dark Lord's. They can and will fight for him with this new enchantment that lets them transform at will. Thousands will die from this. Do you know how dangerous a transformed werewolf is? Magic doesn't work on them, and all those thousands who'll be bitten will only grow their army. Most of those people are just kids. I'm not just talking about some hypothetical future either. It's already started. You should see the bundle of yellow-eyed kids they drag around like they're Fenrir's own little family."
"But killing them?" said Lily, horrified. "There's got to be another way!"
"I'm just an assistant, Miss Evans. I don't know what you want me to do," said the woman. "I just make tea and sandwiches."
"That's a lame excuse," Lily spat. "It's wrong! Plain and simple."
The woman shook her head. "Madre Dios! What a bunch of kiddos we have here—young, young, young!"
"You're one to talk." Sirius snorted. "And I doubt you're just an assistant."
"Get something to eat," said the woman with a sad smile.
Lily glared at her, though it did nothing to help.
A moment later, she was gone, the door locked again.
"That was pointless," said Sirius. "Did you hear her? Calling us kids. Please!"
"She's right," James said. "Who do we fight for? The werewolves? The Ministry? Both? Neither? We're caught in the middle." He took a sandwich.
"We fight for what's right," said Lily. "And I don't care what it takes."
"Grow up, Lily," James bit back.
"What did you just say to me?" Lily stormed over and glared in James' face.
"Uh…" James suddenly realized what he'd said. "Nothing!" He stuffed most of the sandwich in his mouth, preventing any further conversation. He turned his attention to the sandwich tray. There, tucked just inside the tray lip was a slender, wooden stick.
James gulped down the sandwich and picked up the stick.
"Is that…" Lily studied the object. "A wand? Where did it come from?"
"That lady must have left it." James got up and swung the wand. Red and blue sparks flew and hit Sirius' robes, burning a hole through them.
"Hey!" Sirius batted at the smoldering fabric.
"Sorry, mate." James stared at the wand. "Didn't mean for that to happen. It was only supposed to be a small spark."
"Give me that!" Lily snatched the wand and took a swing herself. The wand coughed a pathetic smoke puff. Lily tried again, but received an even weaker result. "Did she leave us a broken wand?"
Sirius took the wand. From it popped a withered plant. "Don't think so. It just doesn't belong to any of us, so it won't work that well."
"Better than nothing," James said and laid the wand on the tray.
Severus sat in the castle's old, dusty library, his mood darker than any shadow in the room. Typical. Absolutely typical. They show up when trouble's close by. I should've known. Lily's her son all over again… Well, technically her son was her—insisting on taking up the task, excluding adults and rushing in without a plan because someone might be in danger.
At least they'll be sent back to the school now. Though I wish they'd just taken the Portkey. The important thing is that they go back, and Dumbledore doesn't expel them. That would only send them into another battle.
"Johan?" The Cuban woman entered. Each step raised its own little dust cloud.
Judging by the looks she often received from men, Severus supposed she was attractive, always wearing colorful clothes—far from British fashion. Now, she wore a long, scarlet skirt and green top. A large, gold hoop hung from each ear and her hair fell freely past her shoulders. Beautiful she might be, but in Severus' mind, she was useless. He didn't need or want help. But Dumbledore kept insisting.
"What, Lola?" Severus growled.
"Don't you think it's time to call in the Order?" she said.
"And what could a couple extra witches and wizards add to this?" said Severus. "Would they fight the Ministry? Or the werewolves? This isn't black and white, and it's not our battle. Let them destroy each other for us so we can keep our heads straight."
"But neither side is wrong!" Lola protested. "The Ministry workers follow orders to keep ordinary wizards safe. The werewolves just want to be left alone, not hunted down."
Severus shot her a dark look that said he knew that. "How do you think the Dark Lord collects his armies? How can one single man become such a threat?"
"The more I learn about this, the less I like it." Lola hugged herself as if her own arms could shield her from the cruel world. "It's nothing like what I imagined as a child. You-Know-Who isn't the only evil person, is he? He just understands how to turn people's fears and weaknesses against them. Please, can't we do something? Anything?"
"That's the thing about war… Those tales of war heroes—all lies. The people who do the real work, who make the difference—they're all comprised, dark, stained. Things aren't as straightforward as you think. That's how war is. Complicated."
"But I want to do something, Mr. Grumpy!" Lola spread pleading arms. "I feel useless and stuck right now. This is horrible!"
"It's war. If you feel locked in, take a flight and leave me alone, birdie."
"Very funny." Lola snorted and sat, chin propped in one hand. "Dumbledore has the worst sense of humor ever to lock me up with an old coot like you." She rolled her eyes.
"You have no idea…" Severus muttered. "And remember—"
"I know, I know. Don't do anything. Especially if a massacre happens in front of you, because by then it's too late. You can't save anyone, and you'll only get yourself killed." She recited the speech she'd heard over a dozen times. "War is won from the inside, picking the right fights. And you must choose carefully. Attack someone who doesn't expect it and can't reveal who the traitor is, blah, blah, blah. I remember." She stood and paced. "It's such a stupid way to fight a war!" She raised both arms in frustration.
"It's the only way if you want to win or survive more than five minutes." Severus sneered. "So, tell me, was there anything of real importance you wanted to share? If not, please leave so Umbridge doesn't suspect we're working together against her."
"There is one thing… Those kids upstairs. Why are they so important to you? I've been working with you for months now, and your reaction at the mention of Lily Evans was the most emotion I've ever seen from you. Who is she? Your granddaughter or something?"
"That is none of your business," Severus snapped. "I don't nag you about your personal life, so, please refrain from pestering me about mine."
"But as partners we should know stuff like that!" said Lola. "If something ever happened, it could be important. Besides, I need something to think about. I'm dying from nerves!"
I wish I could leave this woman behind. That would be the grandest thing I could imagine right now. She's too colorful, bright, impatient and far too young. Her position in the Ministry and contacts there are the only reason I can think Dumbledore let her join the Order. What does she even do? She'd have died in my last lifetime—even before Potter and his lot formed. And based on what I've seen so far, I can't say I'm surprised.
Edited by Dtill359
