Lily's Final Gift: Part Two

by FlashOfFlame

Sequel to Lily's Final Gift. The story of Lily and James picks up from where the previous chapter left off. Do read Lily's Final Gift before you read this one. Please Read and Review! Thanks, FlashOfFlame

34. Chapter 34

Thanks for your reviews, earthbibble, HARDINMAN, Nupurlath, Pratha, and AnnaMT. Thank you so much!

earthbibble: I've clarified things in the note after the chapter, do check it out! And thanks for reviewing – this was my first character death, and I'm glad I pulled it off!

HARDINMAN: Thank you!

Nupurlath: Thank you so much! Yes, it's the first time they defied them – this definitely counts. No, the prophecy hasn't been made yet – by the time it is, however, they would've defied him thrice. And no, this isn't the end of the story – the note clarifies things, I hope! There will certainly be a Part Three! And yes – well done for noticing the parallels between this and Goblet of Fire. The year as a whole is probably darker, and unlike Harry vs Voldemort + 30 Death Eaters, the characters in the chapter face Voldemort on more of an even footing. This is because Voldemort's ascent is still new – but it's going to get a lot worse in Part Three! And as for Fawkes – it was the only way to get the characters out of the situation they were in!

Pratha: I actually got that idea from a meme! I couldn't resist putting it in – its sheer ridiculousness caused it to make the cut! I'm glad this story is helping you somehow, please keep reading!

AnnaMT: That's right! And as for what Voldemort wanted with the Muggleborns – well, this may not be answered, largely due to the way the story is structured – a limited third-person POV. Like, in JKR's writing, we see what Voldemort is up to, but occasionally. I'm not incorporating any of that in this story – no plausible explanation for having that in the Jar of memories! And I've clarified things in the note after the chapter!

Hi everyone, here is chapter thirty-four. Readers, please review. Thanks!

Chapter Thirty-Four

Aftermath

A heavy landing on the grass… A grateful pat to a red-gold bird which promptly vanished… Supporting Lily, who was barely able to stand, as a familiar black building towered over them… The concerned voice of Professor McGonagall, as she assisted them… Lily refusing to let go of Emily's body, repeating over and over that she'd died trying to save them… Being half-guided, half-carried to the Hospital Wing… Being placed gently on a bed… Taking a sip of the Calming Draught from the heavy goblet, followed by some Dreamless Sleep Potion… Settling beneath the warm, comfortable blankets…

And the next thing James knew, he was lying on his back staring the dull grey ceiling of the Hospital Wing as sunlight streamed in through the window. It seemed to be morning, then… How long had he been out? He sat up with an effort, ignoring the dull ache in his lower back… He couldn't quite remember why it was aching, so he closed his eyes again as he settled backwards against the pillow, groaning. He vaguely remembered being in an ancient, grand Manor, fighting to rescue his girlfriend, the love of his life… There had been a whole group of friends with him, too. His eyes snapped open as he recalled the final part of the fighting. They'd come to face with none other than Lord Voldemort himself…

James couldn't suppress an involuntary giggle. Had he – had he actually addressed Voldemort as Tim Riddle? You must be out of your bleeding mind, he chided himself mentally. What the hell, James? He closed his eyes, trying to recall everything from the night before, and starting with the chill he'd felt down his spine as he'd realised that he couldn't see Lily anywhere.

After the Hogwarts team's lap of honour upon winning the match and hoisting the trophy, as Head Boy, he'd coordinated with the Prefects to oversee students to portkeys, but he'd tasked Sirius with searching for Lily. He'd noticed Hit Wizards and Witches leaving the stadium abruptly, and the Aurors seemed to be running around with serious faces… Professor McGonagall had asked him and the others to look for the missing students, and informed them following their unsuccessful search around the stadium that the Minister for Magic had abruptly gone missing, too… Had they found him yet? wondered James, frowning. Was he all right? James closed his eyes and sighed as he realised another thing. Was he even alive?

He looked sideways and saw, with a rush of combined worry and affection, a figure with long red hair on the bed next to his. He groaned slightly as he stood up, before slowly making his way to Lily's bed and plonking down on the chair next to it. He gazed at her calm, peaceful face intensely, hoping that she was all right… He extended his hand to caress her hair, but stopped abruptly. He didn't want to wake her up, she needed her rest…

Sighing, he stood up and glanced around the Hospital Wing. Only one other bed was occupied… Curious, he made his way to it. The curtains around it were drawn, and he supposed that it was for privacy… I wonder who it is, he thought. Could it be someone who had assisted them last night, and gotten injured? Deciding to take a little peek, he silently approached the curtains, and gently pushed one aside.

He couldn't stop a sharp intake of breath as he saw who it was. "Captain," he breathed; it was Ashley Bond, and she looked a lot worse for wear than the last time he'd seen her. Dull grey pyjama sleeves (to match the ceiling) covered her arms, but her hands were scratched, and her hair was dishevelled. What grabbed his attention immediately, however, was her face – or what was left of it.

It was as if the right side of her face had been either burnt or cursed off. All James could see was a deep missing chunk where her cheek should've been, leaving only a mass of blackened flesh in its place. There was an empty socket where her eye had been, and he simply stared into it – it was unnerving, it felt as if he was staring right into her soul. Her right eyebrow was missing, too – as was part of her hair directly above it.

James closed his eyes in shock as a wave of guilt hit him. He lowered his head as he remembered Ashley talking to Emily and Fabian Prewett, formulating a plan of attack while he'd paced nervously… How she'd pronounced her unconditional support for the rescue mission… How she'd reassured Claire that Melissa Knight would be all right, that they would find her… How she'd given him a few crucial seconds to enter the Manor, casting a Light Spurt (or Light Intensifying Spell) to distract their opponents… He shook his head. She'd come to save Lily and the others with him – and she'd gotten half her face blasted away as a result. A single tear dropped to his cheek. She didn't deserve this…

"Are you just going to stand there and cry?"

The raspy whisper came out of nowhere, and James's eyes snapped open. Ashley was looking straight at him, and he winced as she gave him a piercing stare with her solitary blue eye. "Blimey, Potter – never took you for a crier."

James quickly collected himself and wiped his tears away. "I'm not crying," he said quickly, and conjured a chair next to her bed before lowering himself onto it gingerly. "What – the hell – happened?" he asked her in a frantic whisper. Collecting himself, he added quickly, "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to, I understand."

"I'll tell you," she said softly, "But first – did you find Lily and the others? Are they all right?"

"Yes," he whispered, smiling a little as he spoke. "Lily's sleeping, she had a rough –" he stopped himself just in time; he couldn't exactly say that Lily had had a rough night when the girl lying in front of him had had half her face blown apart. "She's fine," he said instead. "I found her, we managed to escape – I'll tell you everything in detail later."

"That's enough detail for now," said Ashley, nodding. Her tone became more sombre as she added, "D'you think they found the Minister?"

"No idea," said James, his heart sinking to his stomach; he'd momentarily forgotten about Minchum's disappearance. That, and the unconfirmed news that several attacks had taken place all over Britain, led him to believe that the entire plan appeared to be well-thought out… The one thing he couldn't figure out was why, but he pushed that aside for now. "Are you – are you sure you don't mind telling me what happened to you?"

"Yeah," said Ashley, sitting up slightly with a grimace. James suspected that she did, in fact, mind, but didn't stop her as she continued, "When you went in, Potter, the fight continued outside – by the looks of it, there were more creeps inside the Manor than those fighting us. But the ones outside fought ferociously, as if their lives depended on it." She sighed. "The bloke fighting me – it was a mad duel, really… He kept trying to hit me with a variety of Curses – once or twice, he even used the Avada Kedavra, and I only just got away." She shuddered, and James shuddered with her… He knew exactly how it felt, escaping an Avada Kedavra narrowly. "Anyway," she continued, "I waited for an opening, and got one – I sent three Impediment Jinxes his way in quick succession, and while he dodged them, I blinded him with another Light Intensifying Spell." What remained of her lips curled into the familiar smirk. "I Stunned him, and proceeded to help Gavin and Pettigrew – apparently, Pettigrew was down, and Gavin was somehow holding his own against two goons. I jumped in to help him, and we took them both down – but two more arrived in their place, and Gavin went down quickly… He was exhausted." She closed her eye. "I battled them both, but if only – if only, I'd been more aware of my surroundings, this wouldn't have happened." She let out a little sob, and James gently held her hand. "Are you sure you want to go on?" he asked delicately, his heart aching with sadness.

"Yes," she said bravely, but her eye (James winced again) was swimming with tears. "I managed to Hex one, and was engaged with the other – when the one I'd Hexed stood up and hit me with a Curse on my face. I took it head on – didn't even see it coming." She buried her face in her hands, and James sympathetically squeezed her shoulder. She cried silently for a few minutes before looking up at him with tiredly. "That's all I remember – until I woke up with you crying by my bedside." She chuckled wetly, and James flushed slightly. "I was not crying," he said emphatically, and her smirk widened. "Sure, you weren't," she said, and he chose to not contest that.

Just then, James heard footsteps, and someone opened the partially drawn curtains. "Potter!" Madam Pomfrey hissed angrily, "You're supposed to be in bed! And Miss Bond needs her rest, too!"

"Yes – yes," said James, standing up gingerly. "I just came to check –"

"I can see that, but you're supposed to be resting, not walking around – go back to your bed," commanded Madam Pomfrey, and James obeyed. With a final sympathetic glance at Ashley, he gently patted her shoulder before making his way to his own bed, his heart full of dread… What had happened to the others? Had anyone else been injured as badly as Ashley? The other beds in the Hospital Wing were empty apart from Lily's but that didn't stop him from wondering if anyone had been taken to St Mungo's… Was Fabian all right? Had Claire gotten him to St Mungo's in time?

"Madam Pomfrey," he called to the matron as she passed by, presumably on her way back to her office, "Do you know what the situation is currently? Has the Minister been found?"

Madam Pomfrey sighed. "They did, yes," she said, "But he's in bad shape – he's being treated at St Mungo's as we speak."

James's heart sank once again. This was bad, very bad… "Do you have a copy of the Daily Prophet?" he asked, and the matron nodded before drawing her wand; she waved it once, and a newspaper flew into her hands from her office. She handed it to James, saying, "I'll just get you some porridge – no getting out of bed, boy."

"Yes ma'am," he responded meekly, and thanked her; she nodded at him before making her way back to her office. He took in a deep breath and began to read the newspaper, his jaw clenched.

Wizarding World Shaken by Simultaneous Attacks; Minister for Magic Hospitalised Following Disappearance

London: Forty-two people were killed, and more than a hundred were injured in a series of attacks across the Wizarding world, where several hooded thugs targeted key buildings around Britain. However, all attacked buildings sustained only minor damage, aside from Dublin's Christ Church Cathedral, whose iconic arched stone roof was nearly destroyed beyond repair; however, timely action from the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad prevented further damage. The response from Hit Squads was almost instantaneous, and the Auror Corps joined them quickly, successfully preventing further tragedy. Apart from Dublin, buildings in Belfast, Glasgow, Southampton, Swansea, Birmingham, and Liverpool were attacked, and eighteen Muggles were tragically killed, along with two Aurors, seven Hit Wizards, and four Hit Witches; eleven of the attacking thugs were also killed. But the most shocking and serious occurrence of the night was the disappearance of Harold Minchum, the Minister for Magic, who was found a few hours later in bad enough shape to warrant immediate hospitalisation at St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries.

"These attacks were coordinated," said a spokesperson for the Auror Office, who wished to remain anonymous. "They all took place simultaneously, at exactly nine o'clock. However, intelligence received by the Auror Office resulted in quick deployment of batches of Aurors, Hit Wizards and Witches to cities where potential and attacked targets stood, and we were able to contain the damage effectively. Our thoughts and prayers are with those who died, and the perpetrators will be brought to justice at the earliest."

Maximum security was provided to the Triangular Quidditch Tournament (3QT) Final, which had been threatened by the thugs who had carried out a coordinated attack on Chudley (home of the Chudley Cannons) and Falmouth (home of the Falmouth Falcons) last month. It remains unclear how the Minister for Magic was spirited away from the Tilbury Stadium in the presence of such high security. With the Minister currently hospitalised, the Daily Prophet can confirm that Senior Undersecretary to the Minister for Magic, Millicent Bagnold, is the acting Minister for Magic (in accordance with Law Two B). Secretary Bagnold was instrumental in the quick mobilisation of the Auror Corps and Hit Squads to the attack sites, a move that has been widely commended.

"The Minister is currently in a critical condition," said Senior Undersecretary Bagnold, addressing reporters in front of St Mungo's late last night. "St Mungo's has informed me that he is being provided the best possible care available, and that he is currently in a magically induced coma. They have said that they will provide another update in the morning. In the meantime, let us all pray towards the Minister's speedy recovery."

James set aside the paper with a sigh. The article hasn't exactly been forthcoming about what sort of Spell damage the Minister had suffered, so he flipped the first page over, and began to read another article.

Minister for Magic Battling for Life in St Mungo's Hospital

London: The Minister for Magic, Harold Minchum, is currently being treated at St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries in the Janus Thickey Ward (spell damage). Ministry sources have indicated that the Minister was subjected to torture while in confinement. "At this time, we are unable to provide specific details regarding the Curses that have been used on Minister Minchum," said a St Mungo's spokesperson late last night. "We will provide an update in the morning. What we can say is that the Minister is getting the best possible treatment St Mungo's can provide him." The spokesperson refused to confirm rumours that Healer Elsa Roth, the world-renowned West German Healer who specialises in Spell Damage to the brain, had been called to consult on the Minister's case.

The article contained a small picture of the Healer in question, a pretty woman who looked like she was in her late forties. James made a mental note to ask his Mum what she knew about this West German Healer, sighing as he set aside the paper; the news was just too depressing. Madam Pomfrey returned with his porridge, and he ate hungrily; he didn't really like porridge much, but his mother had told him years ago that porridge was generally a staple in most hospitals for patients who were about to be discharged, since it was easy to digest for the stomach, and like chocolate, had the ability to make someone feel warm, fresh and energetic.

There was a low moan from the bed next to him, and James sprang to his feet; ignoring the pain in his back, he Transfigured the chair next to Lily's bed into a fluffy armchair and sat down, rubbing her hand gently. "Lil?" he said softly as her face contorted slightly, "It's me, Lil… How're you feeling?"

Lily opened her eyes, and peered at him blearily. "Water," she whispered, and he immediately poured water in a goblet from the jug next to her bed. She sat up, and he held the goblet to her mouth, helping her drink it slowly. "That's better," she whispered, and he set the goblet down. Turning to him, her eyes still bleary, she said, "What happened?"

"You were taken," said James gently, without preamble. "You and a few others –"

"No, no, I remember that part," said Lily softly, her tone a tad impatient. "I meant – when did you realise that I was gone? How soon were you lot looking for us? And – did where the hell was Dumbledore?" Even her whisper was laced with anger. "His students were missing – what was he playing at? What could've been more important than his charges?"

"Just one thing, unfortunately," said James, sighing. "The Minister for Magic disappeared last night…" He saw the shock in her emerald-green eyes, and quickly handed her the newspaper. "Here – the Aurors found him, and Dumbledore was likely assisting them. The Minister's currently in St Mungo's, in a coma and critical – they say it's too early to tell if he'll make it."

They sat in silence as Lily read the Daily Prophet. Once done, she looked up, her face livid. "Those filthy, stinking bashi-bazouks!" she exclaimed, and crumpled the newspaper into a ball before flinging it away with uncharacteristic force. Angry tears fell from her eyes as she continued, "How dare they! So many people dead, Minister fighting for life, and Emily –"

She stopped talking, and began to sob in earnest. James hugged her tightly, his head bowed, fighting his own tears… He had to hold them back, he just had to. Emily had meant a lot to him, but he knew she'd meant a tad more to Lily… He was aware that Lily had stayed behind after their training sessions more times than he had, and she'd always filled him in on some interesting new insight Emily had offered, or an anecdote she'd narrated. To Lily, Emily had been more than just a teacher… She'd been a guide, a mentor, even a confidant at times – and more recently, someone who had just been offered a second chance at life just days ago, only to have it cruelly snatched away from her. She hadn't even been thirty years old…

James heard footsteps, and he drew back as he spotted Madam Pomfrey standing next to them, looking furious. "I told you to rest, boy!" she snapped, "And yet, here you are, disturbing my other patients!"

"She's my girlfriend," said James, rolling his eyes, but Madam Pomfrey was having none of it. "Go back to your bed," she commanded, just like she had about half an hour ago. "Now!"

"But –"

"Now, Potter!"

Throwing a dirty look at the Matron, James squeezed Lily's shoulder reassuringly before getting up gingerly and making his way back to his bed. Sometimes she overdoes it, he thought irritably as he slid under his warm, comfortable blanket. Why can't I sit with Lily?

He watched as Madam Pomfrey fussed a bit over Lily while examining her. "You're all right, just exhausted, Lily," she said at last. "Here –" she flicked her wand, and a bowl of porridge zoomed towards her, "—you can have this, but the earliest I'm letting you out of here is dinnertime. Until then – bed rest," she added severely.

"Please, Madam Pomfrey," said Lily pleadingly, "Please – can I just move James's bed closer to mine, seeing as we'll be here all day?"

James rejoiced inwardly, but Madam Pomfrey shook her head. "No, she said firmly. "You're both supposed to be resting – that means no excitement of any sort. Besides, Potter's already disturbed another patient aside from you, and that's one more than I'm fine with." She spared James a withering look, and he had the grace to look a little abashed.

"Please," requested Lily again. "It'll make us both feel better, Madam Pomfrey…"

That a girl, Lily, thought James as Madam Pomfrey hesitated; Lily's 'Please-I-want-something' face was irresistible indeed, and it was nice to see someone else faltering against it for a change. He quickly rearranged his own face into a pleading, hopeful expression of his own, and the Matron sighed and relented. "No excitement," she said severely, and with a flick of her wand, the armchair into which James had transformed the chair next to Lily's bed vanished. Another flick of her wand, and James was soaring through the air on his bed, with his bedside table in tow. His bed landed gently next to Lily's, and Madam Pomfrey said, "I'm warning you… Any more excitement, and you'll be sent to opposing corners of the Hospital Wing. Now, behave yourselves." She looked from Lily to James, and they both nodded meekly. Seemingly satisfied, she strode away to her office, muttering inaudibly to herself. James heard the door shut with a soft thud.

"So – what happened?" Lily asked immediately, her voice no more than a whisper. "When did you realise that I was gone?"

"Around the time we were holding the trophy and screaming like maniacs," said James sombrely. "I was searching for you, but I couldn't find you at all, which was odd, considering that I'd blown a kiss at you just minutes ago." Lily nodded, and he continued, "My sense of paranoia has increased ever since the New Year's attack, see? Anyway – we had to perform a lap of honour once again, this time with the trophy, and I got a chance to scour the crowd more closely. My fears were confirmed – I couldn't see you anywhere."

"Then? What did you do?"

"Well, as Head Boy, I was immediately tasked with shepherding students back to portkeys headed towards Hogwarts," said James. "I reckon that portkey-related Jinxes and Charms were not in effect, considering that people were just going to leave wherever they wanted to right from the stadium… Anyway, I was worried, so I got Sirius on it. He got the others, and they looked around for you while Liz, I and the rest of the Prefects sent students to their respective portkeys. I could sense that something was off, however – Dumbledore, Senior Undersecretary Bagnold and Mr Crouch were huddled together, and they looked rather serious before they set off somewhere. As more and more students were sent back to Hogwarts, my fear grew – there was still no sign of you."

Lily squeezed his hand gently, and James sighed. "Finally, just as the last batch of students had gone, Sirius returned with Peter, Remus and Marlene… They hadn't been able to find you, and they swore they'd gone around the entire stadium, twice. Marlene said she'd even checked all the bathrooms… Plus, to top it all, Liz came up to me and said that all students had gone back, except for a few. She had a clipboard, and she was scratching off names as people took portkeys, see?"

"Yes – I'm familiar with the process, I did the same thing when you lot played at Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, remember?" said Lily, with a touch of impatience.

"Oh, right!" exclaimed James, smiling slightly in embarrassment; as a member of the team, this was the first time he'd been in charge of the process owing to the huge number of spectators, and he'd quite forgotten that Lily had always taken charge of the logistics during their away matches. "Anyway – there were a few more names on the list. Aside from most of the seventh-year Prefects, Remus, Sirius, Peter, Marlene, Mary, and Brenda Hastings, the only people unaccounted for were Claire's friend Melissa Knight and some Cresswell bloke from Ravenclaw, a Walter Hopkins from Hufflepuff, Donnie – the old Gryffindor Seeker, and – you." He sighed and shook his head. "My worst fears were confirmed."

"What did you do next?" asked Lily, rubbing his back gently.

"Tried hard not to panic, of course," said James, with a wry smile, wincing as he relived the previous night. "We went straight to Professor McGonagall, who was the only teacher remaining – Dumbledore was nowhere to be seen, and the others had gone ahead, see? Professor McGonagall said that she hadn't seen you, either, and there were still around two thousand-odd people at the stadium, though the Aurors and the Hit Squads still seemed to be running around hurriedly. Professor McGonagall mobilised us into action – she sent some of us back to Hogwarts via the next portkey, one person from each House, to make sure that we hadn't accidentally sent the missing students back without crossing off their names. Mary, Brenda Hastings, Roger and Karen Norton went back – Claire refused point-blank to leave, seeing that her best friend was missing."

"Melissa," said Lily, and James nodded in agreement. "That left me, Sirius, Liz, Remus, Pete and Marlene, along with Claire, Gavin and Ashley." He winced again as he thought of Ashley's terrible injury, and Lily raised her eyebrows. He continued hurriedly, "Professor McGonagall made us look thoroughly around the stadium once more, to make sure that we hadn't lost you lot in the crowd after all. Sirius protested – they'd already done that, but she made us do it again. Took us at least half an hour to go around the stadium thoroughly – but there was no trace of any of you, anywhere."

"Yeah – that's 'coz we were lying in the cellar of Carrow Manor, knocked out," said Lily, through gritted teeth.

James nodded patted her comfortingly on the shoulder, and she cuddled up a little closer to him. "By the time we got back to Professor McGonagall, it was dark – past ten o'clock, see?" he continued. "She gave us more serious news – our lot whom she sent to Hogwarts had confirmed that you and the others weren't there, and that the Minister had disappeared, too, apparently. That explained why the Aurors were running around, and Dumbledore was nowhere to be seen…"

"Doesn't the Minister have something like these earrings on him?" asked Lily, fingering the earrings he'd gifted her as she spoke – the earrings that had been so vital in saving her the night before. "Y'know – to alert others of his location if he's in danger?"

"Yep," said James, with a slight smile. "Only the Minister and the Senior Undersecretary are aware of that article, for the Minister's own safety – if potential kidnappers knew what it was, they'd destroy it immediately after capturing the Minister, won't they?"

"That was the next thing I was going to ask," said Lily, grinning.

"He also has a powerful emergency portkey," said James. "Unfortunately, portkeys are probably easier to find – that's probably why he wasn't transported to the Ministry within a few minutes of his disappearance, they must have taken it. Anyway, Professor McGonagall confirmed that that was where Dumbledore had gone…"

"I see," said Lily thoughtfully. "When did you get my Patronus, then?"

"About half an hour after that," said James. "I was already worried sick, and we were just trying to figure out what to do, when Emily came back to us – Professor McGonagall had gotten hold of her earlier, and she'd just completed her own sweep of the stadium, only to confirm that you and the others were indeed nowhere to be found. We were just debating where you all could've gone when I had a sudden, odd feeling near my heart – it wasn't harmful, but it was almost as if you were calling out to me." He smiled as he remembered the warm, urgent sort of feeling. "I closed my eyes, and I immediately had a – vision, or something… I saw the countryside, a clear night sky full of stars, and a hill, along with some smallish houses – it looked like a village. I didn't see anything that would help me identify it, but I realised at once what was happening – you had to have used the earrings." He grinned at her. "Suddenly, my mind was clear – I had a general idea of where you were, and I was confident that I could Apparate to that place. That Charm worked great!"

"Ahh – that means I was out for around an hour," said Lily, smiling. She quickly filled him in on how she'd partially broken the Body-bind Curse on her and Summoned her wand, before energising the boys and tapping the earrings. "I probably should've sent you a Patronus before that, but I was focused on the others – and besides, I wanted to find out some more information on where we were at before informing you."

"Right," said James, nodding. "I told the others what I'd seen, and the fact that I could take everyone there… Professor McGonagall looked a bit sceptical, but Emily offered to come with me to take a quick look around. I took her with me through Side-Along Apparition, focusing on the village – we had to go outside the stadium to Apparate – and we arrived at our destination. We looked around for a bit, and came across a sign called 'Tregoss' – that was the name of the village, see? But neither of us had any idea what part of the country we were in, so we decided to look around some more before fetching the others. And that was when I got your first Patronus." He smiled before saying in a high-pitched voice, "'Melissa, Dirk, Walter, Donnie and I are in the cellar of someone's house, safe but trapped. I hope the earrings told you where we are.'"

"I sound nothing like that," said Lily emphatically, rolling her eyes.

"No comment," said James, and laughed as he received a mock-punch in return. "Incidentally, did you send a Patronus to Dumbledore, too?"

"Yeah," said Lily, nodding. "I didn't have a clue if you both were together, so I covered my bases. Why didn't you respond, though?" she added, frowning slightly.

"I didn't want to raise the alarm for the goons holding you lot," said James, a little contritely. "What if some Death Eater had walked into the cellar at that moment? You'd have been in danger… So, I refrained from responding, though I really, really wanted to." He looked away. "Emily assured me that it was the right call, and we returned to the stadium."

"That's also probably why Dumbledore didn't respond, either," said Lily, thoughtfully. Turning back to him, she asked, "That's when you brought the cavalry, then?"

"Not quite," said James, shaking his head. "Obviously, I wanted to go immediately – but Emily stopped us to formulate a plan. She decided that Professor McGonagall would remain behind and send Aurors our way, while she took us all to Tregoss to search for you. We were just about to leave the stadium when a few more people joined us – Gideon and Fabian Prewett, Alastor Moody, Caradoc Dearborn, Edgar Bones, Emmeline Vance and Benjamin Fenwick."

"Are all these –?"

"Order of the Phoenix members? That's right. Apparently, Dumbledore had gotten in touch with them, and we were all glad for their assistance. Moody had been recovering in St Mungo's after he'd suffered injuries during an operation a few days ago, but he said that Dumbledore had told him that it was an emergency, so he just skedaddled out of the hospital when no one was looking."

"Wow," said Lily, in wonder. "So – you all just came to this Tregoss place?"

"Nah – that's when we got your second Patronus," said James, grinning. "'Carrow Manor, Cornish Peninsula – hurry,'" he mimicked again, and she rolled her eyes. "It was perfect timing – saved us half an hour of looking around, it did. Moody and Emily knew where the Manor was – it's just outside the village, behind a small thicket. Anyway, they led the first attack – with Fabian, me, Remus, Peter, Sirius, Liz, Marlene, Gavin and Ashley, while Edgar and Caradoc remained behind with Gideon, Emmeline and Benjamin to gather more members, and as reinforcements in case the first attack failed. This was because they'd gotten the news that Death Eaters were out wreaking havoc all over the country, which logically didn't leave many of them at Carrow Manor… Besides, the ones at the Manor would be some of the weaker ones, so a bunch of just-graduating Hogwarts students should be able to handle them, right? 'Optimise your available resources' – that's what Moody said."

"I see," said Lily slowly. "But why not attack at the same time? If you'd surmised that the ones in the Manor were small-time goons, then why not just take care of them in one strike?"

"Because – small-time though they may have been, they could call for backup immediately, couldn't they?" countered James. "Then we'd have been in trouble, having to face them all at the same time… Besides, Emily gave us her vote of confidence." He lowered his head and smiled. "She said she had full faith in us, that we were ready – to fight."

Lily squeezed his hand gently. "You definitely showed that last night," she said warmly.

James smiled. "So did you," he said, and gave her a quick peck on the cheek before resuming his narrative. "Anyway – the Manor had protective enchantments around it, but Moody and Emily sort of blasted through them in just a few seconds and we all rushed in. They decided that a direct attack would be more effective, since we had the element of surprise – half of us would engage the ones who came out to battle, while the other half would sneak inside, Disillusioned, to look for you and the rest. We'd worked out an escape plan, too – as soon as we found you and the others, we were supposed to grab Floo powder, send someone through a fireplace, and if it worked, let our lot outside know before escaping, too. If it didn't, we'd have had to fight our way back out – but once inside, we were confident that we could do it. Ashley gave me an opening to sneak inside – I ran around, checking out the rooms and grabbing some Floo powder while Sirius, Liz, Claire and Fab kept some of their lot busy. That's when I found you – and you know the rest."

Lily squeezed his hand reassuringly. "I'm really glad you came looking for me," she said softly. James kissed her forehead. "Always," he declared. "Anyway – how did you escape from the cellar?"

He listened with admiration as Lily narrated her version of things, laughing when she told him about how Donnie had broken a Death Eater's jaw… He sobered up when she talked about blowing the door open, and how she'd nearly been hit with the Killing Curse before managing to get the others out. "You arrived just in time," she finished, echoing what she'd said the night before. "Though I can't for the life of me figure out what Voldemort wanted with me – more than one Death Eater said that they were under orders not to kill me."

"It's obvious, isn't it?" said James impatiently. "He even asked us – he wanted to recruit us to his cause!"

"Wow – I didn't realise that," said Lily sarcastically, smacking him gently on his head. "I suppose I was sleeping when he asked him to join us –"

"On your feet? Horse-like?" James deadpanned.

She rolled her eyes. "Prat," she said, "You know damn well that's not what I meant. I'm a Muggleborn – and he's shown us how much he hates people like me. Why would he want to recruit me, then?"

"Us," corrected James. "And to answer your question – he said that he was aware of your talent with Potions, didn't he? Plus – that was why he was prepared to overlook the fact that you're a Muggleborn –"

"Oh, for Heavens' sake, I was there, James," Lily said impatiently. "Perhaps," she added, "I didn't do a good enough job of asking the real question. If he hates Muggleborns so much, yet he was prepared to recruit me – doesn't that make him a clear hypocrite? Does he really care about 'purifying' the Wizarding world?"

"I told you years ago," said James, shaking his head. "The only thing he wants is – power. It's just like Grindelwald, y'know…" He paused, then continued, "You see, books written on Grindelwald generally emphasize what an evil wizard he was, the crimes he committed, and how Dumbledore finally defeated him… But they tend to leave out the part regarding his motivations. Dad has researched the subject – it was fascinating for him, see? He told me that Grindelwald was somewhat of a fanatical idealist, wanting to create a benevolent global hierarchy led by witches and wizards, with Muggles being subjugated – for the Muggles' own good, apparently." He shook his head with disgust. "He was prepared to achieve his end by any means, however – and lead a revolution to establish this global order. And how would he do that? By achieving – power." He gazed deeply into her eyes. "Power corrupts, Lily… There are very few people who haven't been corrupted by it, but more often than not, it'll make you lose yourself. It's why the Dark Arts are such an attractive prospect for a majority of witches and wizards," he added sombrely. "The Jinxes, Hexes and Curses we've learnt are only a small portion of the extent of what the Dark Arts can do… In reality, the sheer rush of power that comes from the Dark Arts is what leads witches and wizards to temptation, and ultimately their own doom."

There was a silence as Lily mulled over his words. Finally, she said, "So – you're saying that this entire narrative crafted by Voldemort – is fake? Just for power?"

"It's not – inconceivable," said James thoughtfully. "I mean, it must have started that way… He must have had a good reason to hate Muggles and Muggleborns, see? As you know from our History of Magic class, most of the purebloods hate them because of all that magical folk have had to suffer at the hands of Muggles during the ancient and medieval ages. Ever heard of Joan of Arc?"

"Of course!" exclaimed Lily. "She's considered a heroine in France – she single-handedly turned the tide of the Hundred Years' War between the French and British Empires!"

"You remember how she died, then?" asked James, and Lily nodded. "The British accused her of a lot of things – one of them was witchcraft – and burned her at the stake. If only she'd had her wand…"

"She was a witch, then?" exclaimed Lily, shocked.

"Yep," said James. "I dunno if she ever went to Beauxbatons – the school has always remained neutral, regardless of the wars that have taken place on the Continent between the constituent countries – but she was a witch, and a religious one, at that. Whether or not she actually received messages from a deity – the point is, Muggles have been responsible for several terrible things against magical folk like us. Voldemort's hatred may have its origins there…"

"Maybe Dumbledore will be able to shed some light on the matter," said Lily, wrinkling her forehead. "D'you think he's back yet?"

"He should be," said James, "The Minister's in St Mungo's, so there's really nothing more he can do for him…"

Another silence fell between them, and James stroked Lily's hair gently. He was itching to know what had happened to the others… No one had come to visit them yet, though it was still early – it wasn't even nine o'clock yet. Perhaps the others were sleeping… It had been an intense, tiring day, after all.

"Where d'you think Emily's body is?" asked Lily softly, breaking into his thoughts.

"Somewhere in the school," said James sombrely. "And before you ask, yes – bodies can be preserved magically. You just have to place an Anti-Decay Charm on them – it's similar to the Charms placed on food to prevent it from spoiling – and the body will remain preserved for days."

"Right," said Lily, looking up at him. "Her poor son…" She looked away. "She didn't even get a chance to tell them that she was cured! She had her whole life ahead of her, after being a dying woman for months – and to think that it all just vanished, in a single instant!" Tears fell onto her cheeks, but her hand was balled into a fist. "Bellatrix Lestrange," she whispered savagely. "Oh, I'm itching to have a crack at her –"

"You did do a number on her nose last night," said James, with a slight smile. "I reckon it'll always be a little crooked now!"

Lily gave a little giggle despite her tears. "I dunno what came over me," she said honestly. "I've never been one for physical violence – maybe it was because I'd just seen Donnie knock out a bloke nearly twice his size with a single punch."

"Maybe," said James, as Lily chuckled wetly. "That wasn't even the most ridiculous that happened last night," she said, her tone bordering between teasing and astounded. "I mean, Tim Riddle? Really?"

"My turn to say – I dunno what came over me," said James, echoing her. "I think it was because I'd resigned myself to the worst… But I wanted to go out on my own terms, see? Defiance until the end is what I'd planned – and if Fawkes hadn't arrived, we were both goners!"

"Yeah – how did that happen?" asked Lily curiously.

"No idea," said James, shaking his head. "Another thing we'll have to ask Dumbledore…"

"Ask me what, James?"

Startled, Lily and James looked in the direction of the familiar voice simultaneously. The Headmaster was standing next to their bed, having arrived just seconds before, unbeknownst to them. "Forgive me for intruding on your recovery process, but I must ask you a few questions about last night – while it's still fresh in your minds," he said without preamble. "I know that it was a terrible ordeal," he added, more gently, "But – it will help you to talk about it with a fresh set of ears, someone who is here only to listen. Or, if you prefer, you may share with me your memories of last night." He conjured two empty jars out of thin air.

"Er – if you don't mind, Professor – I'd like to use that option," said Lily softly. "James and I were just talking about last night, and I don't think I have it in me to discuss that again, right now…"

"I understand, Lily," said Dumbledore, smiling at her delicately. He conjured a fluffy armchair for himself, and sat down. "If you will…" he said, extending one of the jars towards Lily, who put her wand to her forehead and extracted her memories of the night before. "These are just copies of my memories, right, Professor?" she said, handing the half-full jar back to Dumbledore, who nodded. "Yes – but they do push the real memories to the back of your mind, making them harder for someone performing Legilimency on you to extract," he explained. Turning to James, he asked, "And you, James?"

"Same as her," said James, and imitated Lily. Handing the jar back to Dumbledore, he asked, "Er – if you don't mind, Professor – do you know how Fawkes arrived at exactly the right time to rescue us?"

"That is quite easy to explain," said Dumbledore. "You both must have shown me true loyalty last night – which called Fawkes to you. Phoenixes make highly faithful pets, and they have the ability to sense when the people loyal to their master are in mortal danger. They have their own form of Apparition, too – which is how he arrived at Carrow Manor to save you."

"We're very grateful," said James feelingly, and Lily nodded.

"I must also apologise to you, Miss Evans, that I could not personally come to your aid," said Dumbledore contritely, turning towards Lily. "I did my best to ensure that highly capable people would take my place –"

"That's quite all right, Professor," said Lily quickly. "We read the Daily Prophet – we know what happened…"

"Can you tell us a bit about it, Professor?" asked James eagerly.

Dumbledore sighed. "I'm afraid I cannot, James," he said, shaking his head. "Some of the events of last night – let's just say that it's better that only the people involved know exactly what transpired. I shall, however, tell you this: I assisted the Aurors who were specifically searching for the Minister, for this was a critical matter which required my presence and assistance. I assume you're aware of the Minister's – condition –" he glanced at the crumpled copy of the Daily Prophet near Lily's bed wryly, and Lily had the grace to blush, "—and while the Prophet makes it sound exceedingly grim, I have a more recent update from St Mungo's itself… The Minister has a better chance of pulling through than he did last night. The next forty-eight hours are crucial, of course."

"That's a relief!" exclaimed Lily, and James let out a breath he'd been unaware of holding. "Thank you for informing us, Professor."

Dumbledore nodded solemnly, and gave them both a tired sort of smile. "I must commend you for the courage you both showed last night," he said. "I have had a chance to interact with Alastor Moody, who assured me that Emily Walcott has trained you wonderfully."

The mood changed perceptibly at the mention of Emily, and Lily lowered her gaze. James squeezed her hand gently, and Lily took a deep breath before asking softly, "Did – did you inform her family, Professor?"

"I'm afraid not – not yet," said Dumbledore sadly. "The Floo network is ill-equipped for international travel – only certain fireplaces have international access, and none of them operate from midnight to six o'clock in the morning. Once I piece together the events of last night, I shall make that trip – to be the bearer of unfortunate news is a heavy burden, indeed."

"And just when she'd been cured!" Lily exclaimed softly, her eyes brimming with tears again.

"Indeed," said Dumbledore solemnly. "Life can indeed be cruel at times. But – even after life deals you a bad hand, there is always a way forward. All one needs to do – is find it."

He stood up. "I shall take my leave now," he said, "I wish to speak to Miss Bond." He shook his head. "I can only hope that she can find the strength to return to some semblance of normalcy… I'm afraid her face is damaged beyond repair – not even the most powerful magic I know can fix it."

"So – nothing can be done, then?" asked Lily quietly.

Dumbledore shook his head again. "I'm afraid not," he said, "At the very least, it may be possible to clean her wound and ensure that it never gets infected – but that may be too little to compensate for the damage and trauma she has suffered."

He nodded to them both before going to Ashley's bed and gently going beyond the drawn curtains. "I wonder what happened with the Minister," said James. "Dumbledore was certainly being evasive…"

"Maybe he isn't at liberty to share that information," said Lily thoughtfully. "It must be some top-secret stuff…"

"By the way," James said, as something suddenly occurred to him, "How in the world did you end up in that horrible place? Did someone kidnap you from the stadium? Nah, that can't be – the security was too tight," he added, shaking his head.

"I'm not entirely sure myself," said Lily. "But – I have a theory…" She briefly narrated an encounter with Mulciber, and James's hands were balled into fists by the time she finished. "That – that –" he was momentarily rendered incoherent with rage, and Lily quickly squeezed his hand. "Hey – I'm here, aren't I?" she said gently. James took in several deep, steadying breaths, before saying, "So – you think he planted something nondescript on you?"

"That's my working theory," said Lily, nodding. "I had a word with Melissa, too – she said that the same thing happened to her, but with Avery. I'm quite sure Dumbledore will examine my memory thoroughly – he has my memories of everything that happened since I left his office yesterday afternoon, right up to the time we made it back to Hogwarts. If he finds evidence of Mulciber slipping something in my robes – that's enough proof."

James shook his head. "It'll only prove that Mulciber dropped something on you," he said softly. "There's no way to prove that the object is a portkey – unless it's visible when you disappeared from the stadium, 'coz portkeys glow blue when they activate, see? If it was in your pocket, though – well, it may be hard to tell."

Lily's face was black a thundercloud by the time he'd finished speaking. "So – you're telling me – there's no way we can make a legal case against him?" she asked, her voice low and deadly.

"Legal case?" mimicked James, raising his eyebrows. "If you mean something on the lines of trying him in front of the Wizengamot – that's the Wizarding world's court of law – it's going to be nearly impossible to get a conviction. As evidence, memories are sketchy at best – so long as clear and substantial proof is not presented, it'll be difficult. Remember – the burden of proof lies with the accuser, or the Head of the DMLE – whoever is presiding over the trial, essentially. Besides – Mulciber's family has a lot of pull, and they are quite capable of swinging the Wizengamot vote their way. In short, to reiterate what I said earlier – it's nearly impossible to get a conviction."

"Your system is messed up," said Lily, shaking her head.

"Our system," corrected James. "You're a witch too, remember?" he added, grinning.

She shook her head, but didn't say anything. She put her head on his shoulder, and snuggled closer to him. He caressed her hair gently, and gave her a quick kiss on her forehead. He was so thankful that they'd both made it out of that terrible place alive…

The door to the Hospital Wing opened, and several people came in: Sirius, Liz, Remus, Peter, Marlene, and Mary. Noticing that Lily and James were awake and sitting upright, they made a beeline towards the former's bed. "How're you feeling?" asked Liz immediately, sitting down on Lily's bed, her sea-green eyes full of worry. "Madam Pomfrey wanted to keep you overnight – she let us go within an hour 'coz we were just mostly tired but had no injuries as such – but she said that the two of you had suffered substantial injuries which needed longer to heal! What the hell happened to you two?"

"I'd like to know that, too," said Sirius, conjuring several chairs and motioning for the others to sit down. "You were supposed to follow us through the fireplace – but you never made it!"

"How is Fab?" James asked immediately, as that part of the night came back to him. "Did you take him to St Mungo's, then?"

Sirius shook his head. "By the time I arrived, Claire had managed to contact St Mungo's – I think Tom the barman did it for her. Healers had already arrived, and they said they'd take it from there. They asked us a couple of questions before assuring us that Fab would be all right before leaving – there was nothing else we could do, so I sent a Patronus to McGonagall, updating her on the situation – she responded that all those who disappeared had returned, except Evans –" he glanced at Lily, "—and asked us if we knew where you were, Evans. We were already concerned since you were supposed to follow us – but you never did. Claire and I returned to the stadium, and McGonagall told us that aside from you both, Emily hadn't returned, either. Alastor Moody – he was in charge – he quickly deduced that Emily and you two were still trapped inside the Manor. This time, however, he decided to return there with Order members only – he said we'd fought well enough for one night, and that we should rest up –"

"Naturally, we protested," said Liz, rather indignantly. "We'd just proven that we could handle ourselves, hadn't we?"

"But he was having none of it," chimed in Remus. "Pete and Gavin were down, plus Ashley was severely injured – Gideon had taken her to St Mungo's. He said that he expected the more vicious Death Eaters to join in at the Manor, now that they weren't out there attacking places all around Britain and Ireland… He didn't want to put us in any more danger than we'd faced already, so he put his foot down – asked Professor McGonagall to take us all back to Hogwarts with her final portkey. Protesting was futile – so we came back, hoping that the two of you – and Emily, too – would be all right. So – where is she?" he added, looking around. "Only Ashley seems to be here… Madam Pomfrey just patched us up a bit when we came back to Hogwarts before sending us off to the common room, but she did mention that Ashley would be shifted to the Hospital Wing during the early hours of this morning…"

"Before I answer that," started James, stealing a quick look towards Lily, who appeared composed, albeit with slightly trembling lips. "Pete – you're all right, aren't you, mate?"

"Yeah, no harm done," said Peter reassuringly. "I dunno what Spell that bloke used on me, but it felt like someone had hit a hammer on my head – I went out quickly, and only woke up in the Hospital Wing, but Madam Pomfrey said I could leave if I wanted to, that I was basically all right – and I didn't need to be told twice."

"Yeah – Gavin ran to help you, Pete, and held on against two of their lot before Ashley arrived," supplied Marlene. "The he went down, too – Ashley beat one of them, and I'd just managed to overpower my opponent, too – so I went to help her, but I was too late." She lowered her eyes. "I was too late to stop Ashley from getting injured – I Stunned the goon who did that, and ran over to her at once. She was badly hurt, and I quickly took her to safety and tried to put out the fire on her face – it was burning, see? Anyway," she continued softly, pausing to take a breath, "She was barely conscious, and before I could do anything else, I heard Moody shout out that the goons fighting us had been beaten, and that we were free to enter the Manor to help you. But at that very moment, Fabian's Patronus arrived – it told us that the captive students had escaped, and that we should skedaddle, too. I hailed Gideon over – he took one look at Ashley and said that he was taking her to St Mungo's, and that I should join Moody and go back to the stadium, so I obeyed…" She looked up at James and Lily. "Have you had a chance to see her?" she whispered, with a glance at the still-drawn curtains around Ashley's bed. "Any idea how she is?"

"She's – well, she seems to be taking it in stride," said James quietly. "She's being really brave about the entire thing – Dumbledore's having a word with her now," he added. "Wonder what they're talking about."

At that very moment, Dumbledore appeared from beyond the curtains before drawing them again. "Ahh, you're all here," he said. "Good, good…"

"Can we see Ashley, Professor?" Marlene asked quickly. Dumbledore shook his head. "Miss Bond is about to sleep – however, she told me to relay to you that if you'd like to see her, you could do so after lunch, since she would like to rest for a little while."

"Of course," said Marlene, nodding in understanding.

"Well – your exploits last night have reached my ears," said Dumbledore, surveying them all with his penetrating blue gaze. "I would like to commend each and every one of you for a job well done."

"Professor – what happened to the Minister?" Sirius asked immediately, disregarding Dumbledore's compliment.

"As I said to Mr Potter and Miss Evans here – I'm afraid I can't provide any details to you, Mr Black," said Dumbledore, with a touch of firmness. "If you will, I would like to view all of your memories from last night, so that I may piece it together. Mr Potter and Miss Evans have already complied," he added reassuringly.

"Er – sure, Professor," said Liz, and conjured a jar into her hand; she passed it to Marlene, who was sitting next to her, before repeating the process until everyone except James and Lily had a jar of their own. "Show-off," muttered James, and Liz smirked and winked at him before touching the tip of her wand to her forehead and withdrawing her memories of the night before. Everyone else followed suit.

"Er – my memories will be disconnected from the others', Professor," said Mary tentatively as she added Dumbledore her jar. "Professor McGonagall sent me back with Brenda Hastings, Roger Hathaway and Karen Norton to search for Lily and the others in the castle – to ensure that they hadn't accidentally left the stadium without anyone else noticing."

"That's quite all right, Miss MacDonald," said Dumbledore, smiling at her. "I shall be speaking to your other friends involved in last night's events, of course…" He stood up. "Thank you all," he said, and his blue eyes were filled with… Pride? "You have made me a proud man," he confirmed, "It's been shown to me that at the start of this year, I chose wisely, indeed…" He looked around at them all once again before saying, "I shall take my leave now – I have other matters to attend to. Well done, all of you." With a swish of his purple robes, he was gone.

"Well – that was nice to hear," said Sirius, grinning. "Only a few more days – and he'll be welcoming us into the Order with open arms!"

"Emily, James," reminded Remus firmly. "What happened to her?"

James stole another glance at Lily, and she gave him a tiny nod, as though steeling herself. "Well," he began, "The Death Eaters blew up the fireplace just as Lily and I were trying to escape – I was pretty badly injured, and we'd have died if Emily hadn't been performing a final sweep of the Manor – she held several Death Eaters at bay and with Lily's help, she defeated them before healing me. Well, Lily can tell this part better," he added, with a sideways glance at her, and she gave him a faint smile before narrating how Emily had beaten six Death Eaters single-handedly. Sirius and the others were filled with wonder, and Lily continued, "She healed James, and we were just about to leave when we ran into Bellatrix and a few more goons – it seemed like their reinforcements had arrived, and they were aware that some of us were still in the Manor – I think one of the Death Eaters battling Emily must've retreated and returned with the rest."

"Quite likely," mused Sirius.

Lily described their battle with Yaxley, before coming to the cataclysmic duel between Emily and Bellatrix – before choking up. James stroked her hair and relayed the news of Emily's death to his shocked audience, who reacted quite predictably, with Marlene and Mary dissolving into silent tears. Liz's lip trembled as she asked softly, "So – Bellatrix killed her with an Avada Kedavra?" She quickly hugged Lily, who buried her face in her best friend's shoulder.

"Dunno," said James dully. "But I don't think she suffered, if that's what you're asking…"

Liz gave him a tiny nod, and Sirius squeezed James's shoulder as he asked, "What happened next?" His voice was filled with fury, and James supposed that he was taking the news of his first cousin being a proven murderer about as well as being asked to lick a toilet seat clean. "Well – we managed to overpower her," he replied, and briefly narrated Lily's use of the Furorem Spell (details of which Lily had glossed over earlier while describing their battle with Yaxley) as a counter to Bellatrix's Fiendfyre. "She was down – and we were just about to leave when we were thrown back against the wall – again."

"More Death Eaters?" asked Peter, his voice fearful.

"Nah – much worse," said James, unable to suppress an involuntary shudder. "We saw Voldemort himself…" He described their brief interaction with the most feared wizard in Britain in the twentieth century to an audience that was enthralled and apprehensive at the same time. They all gasped when James told them of Fawkes's timely arrival, and their return to Hogwarts with Emily's body…

"Wicked," said Sirius softly. "Unbelievable, mate… Just unbelievable." He clapped James on the back.

"Seconded," said Remus, clapping James on the back himself. "That you both remained calm and unafraid whilst Voldemort was just twenty feet away from you… Remarkable."

"I didn't really do much," said Lily, giving him a rather wet smile as she drew back from Liz. "I just stood there, hoping against hope that I'd gather enough energy to fight – Neither of us would've gone down without a fight, see?"

"Obviously," said Marlene admiringly. "But to hold your nerve against him – it's insane!"

"Would you have used that Furorem Spell on him, Lily?" Peter asked eagerly.

"I don't think so, Pete," said Lily, with a little chuckle. "It's a dangerous Spell, honestly – I could've even died of exhaustion if I'd used it for a third time last night!"

"WHAT?" exclaimed James, and Lily held up her hands in a placating way. "Calm down, calm down! I wouldn't have used it!" she said quickly.

"Died?" repeated Mary, her eyes wide. "Of exhaustion?"

"Yup," said Lily solemnly. "It's that sort of Spell…"

"Where did you find it?" asked Remus, frowning. "What book?"

"Yeah, I've been wondering that myself, actually," said James, still breathing a little hard. He was still shocked that she'd used a Spell from which she could've – no, he didn't want to think about that. What sort of a Spell was this, anyway, that would cause the caster to die? It had to be incredibly powerful one, obviously… It had slipped his mind to ask her about it earlier. He'd been awestruck with its strength as they'd duelled Yaxley and Bellatrix the night before; his own Air Wave had seemed like a gentle breeze in comparison, although it had assisted her in overpowering Bellatrix's Fiendfyre.

"I found it in a really old book from the Restricted Section," began Lily. "I was researching the Elemental Waves in the library while you were off flying eight hours a day," she added to James with poorly-disguised smugness. James rolled his eyes as she continued, "I came across a reference to a rather obscure book titled 'Elemental Wave – Triumph or Tragedy?'… Naturally, I was intrigued, so I got Professor Slughorn to sign a permission slip for me –"

"Helps to have a Professor eating out of your hands, doesn't it?" said Liz, snickering.

"Definitely," said Lily, nodding, much to James's surprise – this was the first time that Lily had openly acknowledged just how much sway she held with Slughorn. They'd teased her about it several times, but she'd refused to accept that – until today, that is. What had brought on the change?

"Once I got the book," continued Lily, "I spent a couple days reading it. The most important bit of information it provided was the Spells one could use to increase the strength of one's Elemental Wave – up to about five times." There was a collective intake of breath from everyone present, and James leaned forward, interested. "Is it the same incantation for each Wave?" he asked.

"No," said Lily, shaking her head. "Each Wave requires a different incantation to power it up – a Spell extension, of sorts. For instance, the Spell I used – Flammunda Furorem – the incantation here is Furorem, which transforms the Fire Wave into a blazing inferno."

"Wicked!" exclaimed Sirius again.

"What sort of forms do the other Waves take?" asked Liz, raising her eyebrows. "For Water, my guess would be – hmm, the torrent transforming into some sort of a Giant Wave?"

"That's right," said Lily, grinning at her best friend. "It's called a Tidal Wave, and in its full-strength form, it can rise up to thirty feet and sweep away entire buildings – including this castle."

"Wow!" exclaimed Liz.

"What happens to the others?" asked Remus. "Earth, Light, Air?"

"Well – for Earth, the earthquake is powered up," said Lily. "In its base form, the Earth Wave can make your opponent lose their footing – but when powered up, it can create deep cracks in the ground or cause landslides – and in its strongest form, rocks will be hurled at your opponents."

Remus let out a low whistle as Lily continued, "For Air, the effect is that of a tempestuous hurricane – at its strongest, it can blow down buildings and destroy pretty much everything in its path. In fact, that's true for all of them," she added. "They're sort of – unstoppable forces."

"And Light?" asked Peter.

"Light is an unusual one," said Lily. "The Light Wave – or the Darkness Wave – it can blind opponents, yes, but powering it up increases its area of effect. Light is based primarily on speed – it's the fastest thing in the universe, see? The other Waves are strong, but with limited areas of effect. No such restriction for Light, however – according to the book, based on how strongly it's performed, it can blind everyone within three hundred feet of the caster. Oh, and one more thing – it enhances the caster's sight for a few seconds, too. If you cast it strongly enough, you'll be the only one in the battlefield who can see for about thirty seconds, which may just be enough to turn a losing battle into a winning one."

"Amazing," said James softly. "But – if these Spells are so strong, why weren't they taught to us? And why isn't their use widespread?"

"Ahh," said Lily, "That brings us to the second half of the book's title – tragedy." She drew in a deep breath. "You see," she said, "These Spells are every witch or wizard's dream – power, area of effect, the time for which they last – all enhanced, see? Plus – if paired up with the Spell which powers up your offensive Spells for a few seconds, as I did last night, they can be – lethal."

"Exactly!" exclaimed Sirius. "Wow, all that power!"

"That's precisely the reason they should be used with caution," said Lily. "Like Emily –" she paused suddenly, looking upset, and Liz made to hug her once again, but she shook her head.
"I'm all right," she said firmly, though her eyes were moist. "As I was saying – like Emily taught us, all Spells are blips of energy. The stronger a Spell, the more energy is used by the caster. Therefore, casting a Spell of that much power – well, let's just say that fainting due to exhaustion after using these Spell extensions is quite common, with a remote chance of death if you use too much energy."

A stunned silence followed these words, and James grabbed Lily's army rather hard. "That was reckless, Lily!" he nearly shouted. "Why would you use a Spell like that?"

"Ouch," she exclaimed, and he quickly relaxed his grip – he hadn't realised he'd hurt her. She gently patted his hand as she said, "Relax, James – I knew I could control it… And come on – people dying after casting it, that happens only in extreme cases. If you channelise too much of your energy to keep it up for, say – ten minutes, maybe. If you faint, you won't die – your magical core activates its sense of self-preservation and causes you to faint, see? But if you defy that, and keep going – well, let's just say, that can be calamitous."

"So – you weren't in –" said James slowly.

"Nope," said Lily, shaking her head. "I mean, when I used it to find Yaxley, I'd only kept it up for ten seconds – I'd have probably fainted in another ten, but I simply replenished my energy by draining his, see? These Spells also synergise beautifully with the Energy Drain Curse," she added to the rest.

"Good thinking, Lily," said Liz, sounding impressed. "To have that sort of composure in a situation like that… Honestly, it's pretty incredible."

"It was just instinct," said Lily, blushing as she spoke. "I wanted to keep fighting, so I did the first thing that came to my head. Besides, I had some residual anger… I could swear that this Yaxley bloke was the same one who had defeated me three years ago during the Tilbury Stadium attack." She shuddered. "I broke my ankle because of him – so he had it coming to him."

"You could've burned him to a crisp," said Peter, a little nervously. "Couldn't he have died, then?"

"It's possible," said Lily, looking away. "I mean, I know that it was reckless, and I do regret it a little – and I'm glad he didn't die."

There was a rather heavy silence that followed Lily's statement – a silence that was broken by approaching footsteps. "I tolerated your presence and excitement for as long as I could," said Madam Pomfrey, glaring at them all, "But – if these two are to be out of here by this evening, they need their rest. Off you all go – you can visit them in the afternoon, they need to sleep now."

"But it's morning!" protested James.

"The potions you were administered last night work best when you're asleep, Potter," said Madam Pomfrey, with narrowed eyes. "Now – I'm moving your bed and table to their original places, and I'll be giving you a bit of Dreamless Sleep Potion, too. No – there's no use protesting –" she added quickly as James opened his mouth, "—you will do as I say, no questions asked. You too, Miss Evans."

James exchanged a gloomy glance with Lily as the others stood up. "We'll be back in the afternoon," promised Liz, giving Lily a final hug and grasping James's shoulder comfortingly. "We'll bring you the latest news, too."

"Thanks, Liz," said James, smiling at her as the others began to troop outside the Hospital Wing with brief smiles and waves of goodbye. "See you later!"

A few minutes later, James was settling down beneath his comfortable blankets, feeling comfortably drowsy. The Dreamless Sleep Potion was working, and he could feel his brain fogging up as his mental speculation of how the Minister for Magic was recovering died down and sleep overcame him…

Madam Pomfrey woke James and Lily up a few hours later for a late lunch of some more porridge, and examined them thoroughly before stating that their recovery was proceeding smoothly, and that they'd be free to leave by dinnertime. She refused to allow them to walk around, though, so they wheedled her again to move their beds together – to their delight and relief, she relented after a few minutes of persuasion, and Lily quickly settled herself next to James. "D'you think Dumbledore's briefed the school on what happened last night yet?" she asked.

"Well, we'll find out soon enough," smiled James, as the door to the Hospital Wing opened, and several people entered: their visitors from the morning, accompanied by Brenda Hastings and Felicity Osbourne, who James knew were the best friends of Ashley Bond. With a brief nod towards Lily and James, the two Slytherins made straight for Ashley's bed and disappeared behind the drawn curtains around it.

"I should join them," said Marlene, "They'll want to know what happened –"

James nodded in understanding; he was sure that Marlene was feeling a little guilty that she'd only been able to help Ashley when it was too late, although it wasn't her fault at all. It's like survivor's guilt, he thought as Sirius Transfigured the chairs around their beds into fluffy armchairs, too. "May as well be comfortable," he said, grinning as he sat down, and withdrew an entire box of chocolate éclairs from his pocket. "I'm trying to save you by not letting Hospital Wing food grow on you," he said dryly as James immediately took an éclair.

"You do know that the house-elves make the Hospital Wing food, right?" said Lily, rolling her eyes even as she accepted an éclair from Sirius.

"It's not a question of the maker – it's a question of the food itself," said Sirius dismissively. "Tell me what you had for lunch – porridge?" he added mischievously, and Lily sighed. "Touché, Black," she said, biting into her éclair gratefully.

"So," said Liz, as they all settled themselves in their armchairs, "Here's some interesting news – from what Brenda and Felicity told us, Slytherin's in bit of an uproar right now, because –" her sea-green eyes were lit up in uncharacteristic excitement, "—Mulciber, Avery, Wilkes and Rosier are missing. Gone, poof – vanished into thin air!"

"What d'you mean, gone?" Lily asked, astonished.

"They're nowhere to be found!" Sirius exclaimed. "Nowhere in the common room, or the dorms, or –" he lowered his voice, causing James to lean in, "—anywhere in the castle or in Hogsmeade, according to the map!"

"What map?" Mary whispered curiously.

Sirius's eyes widened as he glanced at James, who shrugged; they had nearly graduated from Hogwarts, so it didn't really matter if more people knew about the existence of the Map. Besides, Mary was one of theirs, wasn't she?

"Er – I'll explain later, Mary," said Sirius quickly. "Point is – they're nowhere to be found, we confirmed that. Where could they be? D'you think they just – left?"

"Not much of a point to hang around anyway, was there?" responded Remus. "As I was saying earlier – they probably couldn't wait to join their Master any longer!"

"Fair point – especially since you're considered as provisionally graduated from Hogwarts if you write your NEWTs – as long as you pass them, that is," said James, nodding. "Otherwise, you have to rewrite the ones you fail late in the summer – last week of August, basically. And if you fail them again – you have to attend those lessons with your juniors and write them again by the end of that year."

"And what if you fail them that time, too?" Peter asked seriously.

"Don't worry, you're going to pass them with us, Pete," said James, giving his friend a comforting sort of grin. "But if you fail even one –" he sighed dramatically, "—we'll take your name off the map. We can't have our most brilliant creation associated with someone who can't even pass their NEWTs!"

"Cor blimey!" exclaimed Peter, dismayed. "Don't you think you should've told me this before we wrote 'em? I'd have studied harder –"

But that was as far as he got, for James and Sirius had dissolved into helpless laughter. Even Liz and Mary chuckled, and Lily smacked James lightly on his back before saying, "Really?"

"Stop giving him heart failure, you two," said Remus, a little exasperatedly.

"Oh, come on!" Peter nearly shouted as he sat down in frustration. "You're not supposed to wind me up like that when it comes to exams – you know that!"

"That's why we did it!" James responded dryly, still chortling. Peter shook his head, still breathing a little faster than usual, and James continued, "Anyway, jokes apart – after you write the NEWTs, you theoretically don't have a reason to stay at Hogwarts. You can just go home and wait for your results, see?"

"Why do you know all this – in such detail?" Sirius asked, frowning slightly.

James grinned. "I found out about it when Lily and I were negotiating a changed NEWT timetable earlier this month with the examiners," he said, "They were – let's just say, they were chatty."

Lily snorted but didn't argue, and Remus said, "Well – there you go, then! They must've gone home – it isn't much of a stretch to assume that their parents might be mixed up in this affair, is it?"

"They probably are," Lily said heavily. "I'm pretty sure Mulciber – and even Avery – were responsible for getting us to that Manor." With hushed tones, she described her run-in with Mulciber, and of Melissa Knight's similar encounter with Avery. "I'm willing to bet ten Galleons that Wilkes, Rosier, and –" she shut her eyes tight, "—Snape are involved, too. Five of us, and five of them, so one each – the maths is obvious, isn't it?"

A tense silence followed her words, and Remus said softly, "Er, Lily – d'you really think Snape's involved? 'Coz he's still in the castle – he hasn't left with the others. I don't think he's thick enough to hang around after the deed if he were mixed up in this."

"Yeah, I don't think he's involved, either," said Liz thoughtfully. "He was with us throughout, crossing off names as people took portkeys back to Hogwarts, before taking one himself – he didn't really speak to anyone."

"Well – that's fair, but it wouldn't have surprised me if he was mixed up in this," said Lily bitterly. "I tried to warn him, but it didn't work…" She sighed and looked away, and James put an arm around her shoulders immediately. He knew exactly what she was thinking… But this wasn't a conversation to have in front of the others, so he tactfully changed the subject. "Any word on the Minister?"

"Nope," said Sirius promptly, shaking his head. "Maybe there'll be something in the Evening Prophet, though…"

Madam Pomfrey bustled over at that moment, and Remus pushed back his chair to let her through. After a quick yet thorough examination of James and Lily, she said, "Well – the two of you are just fine, you're free to go –"

"Great!" exclaimed James, spring up quickly before grimacing in pain and putting a hand on his lower back immediately. "Agh…"

"—provided you take it easy for a few days," Madam Pomfrey finished, and made a tutting noise. "You should really let people finish their sentences, Potter." She sighed and added, "You'll probably feel a little pain in your back for about a day or two – come to me immediately if it gets too much, understand?"

"Yes – thank you, Madam Pomfrey," said James, and the Matron nodded before turning to Lily. "Miss Evans – no strenuous activities for a week, and you should be all right. Repeated use of powerful Spells followed by quick re-energising also puts the body under strain, you know…"

"I understand – thank you, Madam Pomfrey," Lily said gratefully. Madam Pomfrey nodded at them and said, "I'd ask you lot to refrain from situations like those, but it wouldn't work, now, would it? Besides – I know that you'd rather be out there, fighting…" She gave them all a wan smile. "Well, good luck – and be careful out there."

"Thank you," they all chorused, and with a final nod, Madam Pomfrey returned to her office, replacing James's bed in its former position as she walked.

"I need my robes," declared Lily, and flicked her wand; ten seconds later, a fresh set of clothes and robes appeared before her. She changed into them quickly behind the curtains around her bed, as James Summoned his own clothes and robes. A few minutes later, they were all ready to depart the Hospital Wing.

"You go ahead – I'm going to check in on Ashley," said Lily, as they all turned to the door of the Hospital Wing.

"Ooh, good point," said Liz, "I'll come with you."

Everyone decided to follow suit and began to troop towards Ashley's bed, but James stopped them. "Before we do that," he said quietly, "When you look at her, do not show surprise – or shock. Her face is in a bad way – but no making her conscious of it, understand? It's tough enough as it is."

The others nodded solemnly, and the little group joined Ashley Bond's friends and Marlene around her bed. Ashley seemed to be in much better spirits – the four girls were currently engaged in a game of Exploding Snap – and after checking in with her, Lily thanked her for coming to her rescue. They took their leave soon after, and Marlene joined them.

"Well – it's almost dinnertime," said Peter, looking at his watch. Sirius grinned and said, "Blimey, why d'you need your watch to tell you that? I thought your stomach was sufficient!"

The others chuckled, and Peter grinned, too. "Be that as it may – it is dinnertime, so let's go!"

"Maybe Dumbledore will address the school tonight," said Liz thoughtfully. "Loads of things happened in the past twenty-four hours…"

"Nah – I don't think so," said Marlene, "The Leaving Feast is tomorrow night – I think Dumbledore will just address the school at that time."

"Quite likely," said Remus, and James nodded, deciding not to share that Dumbledore probably would've gone to Australia, as he'd indicated that morning…

As Marlene had predicted, there were no announcements at dinner. In fact, Dumbledore wasn't even there, and James and the others talked in hushed whispers as they ate; there was no hint of the usual cheer that accompanied the end of a school year in the Great Hall. Instead, the atmosphere was tense, no doubt dampened by the previous day's events and the Evening Prophet, which stated that there had been no change in the Minister's condition since that morning, and that the next twenty-four hours would be crucial.

A few hours later, James was settling into bed with Lily. So much had changed since the last time he'd slept in his bed, that he could hardly believe that it had only been forty-eight hours… He sighed as Lily lay down next to him and threw his blankets over them both. She's been rather quiet throughout dinner, and James sighed inwardly; he knew what was bothering her… He wasn't sure if that was the right time to discuss it, but then again, what was?

"You didn't fail him," he whispered, and she looked up at him, slightly nonplussed. "Snape," he continued, "You didn't fail him, Lily…"

"How did you –?"

"'Coz I know you," he responded, grinning slightly at her somewhat astonished face. Then his tone became more serious. "Look, Lil – you did everything you could, but ultimately, people choose their own way – and so did he. I highly doubt that anything you could've done would've kept him from going down that path."

"Maybe I was too harsh," said Lily, tears filling her eyes. "I mean, sometimes I feel I should've given him a second chance… Like that night when I severed ties with him after he called me a Mudblood. I could've forgiven him, couldn't I?"

"Yes," said James heavily. "Yes, you could've… But tell me, with his filthy friends around him, what d'you think would've happened? How sure are you that he would've changed?"

There was no answer, but James remained silent, for he knew that she was thinking hard, and it was important that she saw it herself. "I'm not sure," she said at last, sighing. "I mean, I know that he was playing a dangerous game – pretending to be friends or at least cordial with that lot so as to not be ostracised in his own House, and keeping them happy, see? I understand that he remained friends with me for a long time despite what his friends used to say about me. I understand how difficult it was for him – but he managed it anyway. But I turned a blind eye to his chsnging perspective… I know for a fact that Mulciber and those other creeps routinely called referred to Muggleborns as Mudbloods, and I doubt that Severus ever corrected them. I tried to show him what sort of people they were, but he always compared them to – to you lot," she added, after a slight pause.

"What d'you mean?" James asked curiously.

"Oh – he was interested in where Remus went every full moon," said Lily. "He didn't connect the dots until Black's stupid stunt –" James winced at the memory, "—but he kept hinting it to me, see? He knew I was friends with Remus, and he kept trying to imply that Remus couldn't be trusted…" She sighed. "D'you remember that lot attacking Mary with that horrible Curse?"

"The Voiding Curse? Yes," James responded, gritting his teeth.

"Severus said that it had been for a laugh." He could hear the anger in her voice, and he pulled her closer to him, patting her head comfortingly. "I should've known then that he was too far gone – but I didn't catch on until it was too late."

"Why, though?" James whispered as he caressed her hair. "I mean, don't get me wrong – but I'm quite sure that Snape's a Half-Blood, at least. He's definitely not a pureblood…"

"Yes – his Dad's a Muggle," supplied Lily. "What d'you mean, 'why'?"

"Well – if his Dad's a Muggle, then it doesn't make sense for him to want to align with a madman who hates Muggles and wants to exterminate them eventually," James pointed out.

"It does – considering that his Dad was a drunk who was hard on him and his Mum," Lily said with a sigh. "Severus told me a couple times that his Dad had been quite nice a few years ago – until he'd lost his job and started drinking. His Mum, he said, loved his Dad too much – he may even have abused her at one point, but she still stayed with him. Severus implied that her magic grew weaker with time – not sure why that was."

"It can happen," said James softly. "An emotional upheaval… Even the simplest Spells can become tough if your heart isn't in it."

"Well, I hope for his sake that he did something about that last summer," she said softly. "Y'know, when we could use magic outside of school…"

"Yeah, I hope so too," said James, surprising even himself. He loathed Snape with all his heart, but understanding the backstory had ignited feelings of sympathy within him towards the other boy… He was from a broken home, and we bullied him, he thought regretfully. I should've just left him alone…

A gentle snore told him that Lily had fallen asleep, and he smiled as he continued to pat her head gently. Poor thing, she's exhausted, he thought… But we did it. It was our first test of what awaits us outside the castle, and we got through it… We lost Emily, though, he thought, closing his eyes in respect. She was one of our best, and we lost her… His hand balled into a fist. We'll avenge you, Emily, he thought fiercely. We promised you that we'd join the fight, and you helped us do that. Bellatrix Lestrange will pay for what she did…

He sighed inwardly. Things are getting worse, he thought… Voldemort and his goons are becoming more and more aggressive, and if we keep being called into battles like these, who knows what will happen? He shook his head slightly. Emily thought she had time, he thought, with a pang of sadness. She wanted to surprise her family with the news that she was cured – but she never got the chance…

His thoughts went to the ring his Mum had given him during Easter, that lay safely inside the top drawer in the chest of drawers beside his bed. A smile came to his face… Well – now that we're stepping up to fight, we don't know how long we have, he thought. Might as well make the best of the time we have… His grin widened. Soon – soon, I'll ask her to marry me, and we'll face what the future holds – together. Together…

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Author's Note:

A bit of clarification – I am going to write this entire story in three parts. Part Two has one more chapter remaining – this was supposed to be the last one, but it was becoming too long, so I decided to split it into two parts, hence the delay in posting this. Part Three will cover James and Lily's lives after Hogwarts, all the way up to their deaths ( ).

Wherever you are, wear a mask, and get vaccinated. Stay safe!

Cheers,

FlashOfFlame

PS: I noticed that I've referred to Moody as 'Mad-Eye' in the previous chapter, but based on the timeline, he didn't become Mad-Eye until later. That has now been rectified.