"I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!" Bagman shouted into the tumultuous cries of the crowd. "KRUM CATCHES THE SNITCH, BUT IRELAND WINS, 580-470!"

"Are you alright, Lily?" Hermione asked.

Lily shook her head, closing her eyes shut tight to block out the noise of the crowd, as well as the nervous emotions welling up within her.

"You've hardly said a word all game," Hermione continued.

"I'm fine," Lily snapped, clenching her jaw right after. She took a deep breath and opened her eyes back up, purposefully ignoring the look Hermione was giving her.

"I can't believe it!" Ron said, still standing and gripping the rail, a huge smile on his face. "Did you see that dive?"

Lily shook her head. Fred and George were hugging and cheering nearby, running off afterwards towards the back of the Box, and Minister Fudge was shaking hands with the Bulgarian Minister, a disgruntled look on his face.

"We have to practice that when we get home," Ron continued.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, your World Champions!" Bagman said as the Irish team entered the Top Box. The Beaters were still carrying their dazed Seeker between them, his face bloodied but smiling (he took quite a few bludgers during the course of the match).

"And let's gave a round of applause to the gracious losers, Bulgaria!" Bagman said. "Better luck next time, chaps!"

"Come on, Lily," Sirius said, helping her up from her seat. "Let's go say 'hello,' shall we?"

Lily nodded her silent agreement as the maroon clad players entered the Box. Most of them looked thoroughly displeased with their loss, Viktor Krum especially (his scowl was only enhanced by his bleeding, broken nose).

The "Greatest Seeker to Ever Live" was a lot less impressive when he was standing in front of you. He was shorter than Lily was, his face just a tad too small for his head, and he stood as if he completely lacked confidence off his broom, his eyes kept low to the ground and a scowl permanently attached to his lips. Lily thought he looked rather like she was currently feeling, as a matter of fact. When he looked up, briefly meeting her eyes, they simply nodded their acknowledgement of each other.

It was only after he looked back down that she remembered the outfit she was wearing. At least the Irish players seemed to enjoy it.

Lily hardly paid attention as the Minister introduced her one by one to the Quidditch players, making sure to have her shake their hands and pose for photos. She went through the motions, trying very hard not to give any indication that she was dying inside. She shook Krum's hand last, the Minister insisting to get a special photo of the three of them for the papers. Krum looked just as uncomfortable as she felt and she chose not to say anything at all to not make it worse, even though she could feel Ron silently begging her to get an autograph.

"They seemed like a nice sort, didn't they?" Sirius asked as they started descending down the stairs. Lily shrugged and Sirius continued: "Fancy giving Durmstrang a shot? I reckon I could swing it for you, Karkaroff still owes the Minister a few favours."

Lily shook her head. "They don't let Muggleborns go."

"Lily-"

"I'm not going without Hermione."

"Suit yourself," Sirius said with a sigh.

Lily tried to settle back into silence as they continued heading, ever slowly, back down to the earth, but Sirius seemed intent on getting her to speak, what with his constant barrage of questions.

"Are you feeling alright?"

"Do you want to grab a bite to eat? I saw a few carts on the way in, we could find some chips somewhere, surely."

"I could apparate to our usual chippie, if that's what's bothering you."

"Want me to run home and grab your broom? Bet we could find a few blokes to get a game going."

"Listen," he said when they finally touched real, solid ground, "we need to talk."

"Can it wait?" Lily asked quietly.

"Probably not," Sirius said awkwardly. "I was going to wait for later- didn't want to bring down the room- but since you seem to have brought it down yourself, it might be better to just get it over with."

"I'm fine," Lily said, trying to plaster a smile back on her face. "Really, I just- I don't know."

"Lily-"

"I'm fine."

Sirius sighed, one hand going to scratch at his nose. "Alright. Later, then."

Lily felt like she managed to do a fairly convincing façade of normalcy as they made their way back towards their tents (they had two of them, as it turned out). She managed to do a fair bit of joking around with Fred and George (although she worried her laugh was a little too fake), she bought a little Krum figure for an ecstatic Ron as they passed by more stalls, she listened to Hermione go on and on about Winky (who, as it turned out, was owned by Crouch, who failed to arrive to his seat during the entirety of the game), and she completely avoided both Charlie and Ginny, even though both Weasleys kept trying to grab her attention.

She even managed to bring herself to dance arm-in-arm with Fred and George, singing the Irish team's theme with them in raised voices (how else were they going to hear themselves over the massive din of nearby parties?).

"Oi, look who it is," Fred said cheekily, elbowing Lily and pointing to a not-so-distant figure. Cedric raised his hand in an excited wave, his legs carrying him into a faster jog as he approached.

Lily felt herself pull away from Fred and George, that sinking feeling appearing in her stomach again. She saw Charlie staring at her, wondering what she'd do, even giving her an encouraging nod, and she just felt like running. She took a step backwards as she prepared to bolt. It'd break Cedric's heart, and it'd earn her a fair deal of concern from- well, everybody - but the urge to run away, to hide, was almost overwhelming. She was sure Cedric must have seen something on her face, as he slowed his pace, a worried expression just starting to dawn on him, and she held her ground, her mind scrambling and pressuring her into making a choice.

After a suspicious, knowing glance from Ginny, Lily made her decision. She plastered a huge smile on her face, ran forward excitedly, threw her arms around Cedric's neck, and then locked their lips into a very enthusiastic kiss. She heard the twins wolf whistling behind them, but she didn't care. This wasn't for them. Cedric certainly seemed to enjoy it, if the way he wrapped her arms around her back was any indication, pulling their bodies closer and fully embracing the snog.

"Was worried I did something wrong," Cedric said as they broke apart, arms still wrapped around each other, a stupid smile on his face.

"Just didn't recognize you," Lily said, burying her face into his shoulder to hide the lie she was certain would show in her eyes. "With all the lights flickering around, you looked different."

"Who would scare you that bad?"

"I wasn't scared!" Lily said, breaking fully and giving him a light punch on the arm. "It's not my fault you look like a troll."

"Hey, now," Cedric said, a hand placed over his heart, "I'm told trolls happen to be very handsome."

"I think I'd know better, seeing as how I've killed one."

"Wait, that was real?"

"Oh, shut up," Lily said, forcing herself to wrap around Cedric for another kiss.

"That's enough of that, thank you very much," Sirius said, prying the two of them forcefully apart. Lily tried to make herself look as happy and embarrassed as Cedric did.

"Want to go for a walk?" Cedric asked, taking her hand in his, that smile etched on his face as if into stone.

"I don't think so," Sirius said in a warning tone.

Lily rolled her eyes at him and then pulled Cedric off towards the crowds.

"I'll be fine, Sirius," she said, adding a wink and hoping that'd be enough to convince him that she was feeling normal again.

In the end, the two of them did sneak off together, but since Sirius insisted they weren't allowed to go alone, they were joined by Hermione, Ron, and Neville. Ron and Neville, true friends as always, did manage to distract Hermione long enough for them to break off for a quick snog (which Cedric seemed to enjoy far more than Lily did), but she was dragging them back out of the darkness of the nearby forest just as soon as she found them. Cedric had the lot of them stay back while he visited a stall alone, and when he returned, he carried with him a wide assortment of beverages, some of which they definitely were not supposed to drink without a parental figure supervising them.

"Wicked," Lily and Ron said together as they downed a shot of Firewhiskey, Hermione sniffing impudently behind them.

The following celebration was the largest collaboration of lights and colour Lily had ever seen in her life, the noises reaching high enough levels to shake the ground beneath their feet. The leprechauns occasionally soared overhead, showering the crowds with even more false gold. Lily ate, drank (although limited purely to Butterbeer once they returned to camp), and danced far past the point that was sensible, but she just couldn't help herself. Every time she thought to rest, to sit, somebody else was pulling her away. She even managed to sneak off with Cedric again, their hands (mostly his) roaming far enough for Sirius to send the boy packing just as soon as he caught them.

"Can't take my eyes off you for a bloody second, can I?" Sirius said as he hauled her back to the tent.

"Let go, Sirius," Lily said, trying to yank her arm out of his grasp.

"No," Sirius said, instead stopping short right at the edge of the forest and turning to hold her by both shoulders. "Listen. We should talk."

"I don't want to," Lily said, forcefully removing his hands.

"This is important, Lily," Sirius insisted. "I've put it off too long as it is, and if you're going to keep trying to sneak off with Cedric, then, well- we should have it now."

"I've already had the talk, Sirius."

"No, Merlin, not that," Sirius said. "Thank Merlin I missed that particular bit of fun. No, we need to talk about you. You shouldn't-"

"I'm fine, Sirius," Lily said, slapping his hand away when he tried to place it back on her shoulder.

Sirius laughed, the sound cutting off almost immediately after he realized how bad of an idea it was. Lily could feel herself smoldering as the anger began building.

"Sorry," he said awkwardly. "It's just- well- to be honest, I thought you were interested in girls for a bit, there."

"What?" Lily said, the anger immediately replaced by shame and horror.

Sirius rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "Well, before the lad asked you out, you never really seemed interested, even when I kept teasing you about it. Thought you just saw the poor bloke as a friend, but then the Weasleys went and told me that you-"

"I'm not gay!" Lily said far too quickly. Sirius's mouth was hanging open in mid-thought.

"I know?" he said at last. "I'm just saying that I thought you were- well- to be honest, I thought you were seeing that friend of yours- Hermione, right?"

"No!" Lily said in false outrage. "I'm not- I wouldn't- I don't like girls!"

"That's the point I'm trying to make!" Sirius said. "Merlin, Lily, calm down. I'm just worried about what else you might be getting up to."

"You don't need to worry about me," Lily said, hating the scoff she made on instinct, hating the look of hurt Sirius gave her anymore when she pulled away far too harshly.

"Don't I?" Sirius said. "Lily, I mean no offense by this, so please don't take it the wrong way, but you don't exactly have the best track record."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Just that you keep putting yourself in danger," Sirius said, holding his hands up. "You can't go sneaking off with a boy you just met, Lily, no matter how handsome you find him."

Lily felt her face burn red, but she wasn't sure if it was embarrassment or anger.

"I didn't just meet Cedric," she managed to say. "And I wasn't sneaking off."

"Well, Blimey, Lily, it sure seemed that way to me, what with his hands on your-"

"We were just having a bit of fun!" Lily said a bit too defensively. "Honest, Sirius, we weren't doing anything stupid."

"Well, we'll have agree to disagree on that one, then," Sirius said, his voice sounding weary. "Listen, Lily, I'm just worried that you're rushing into something you're not really ready for, and you definitely shouldn't be trusting boys just because you find them handsome, which is the point I was trying to make earlier. Why are you even leading him on, anyway? You know you're going to Beauxbatons, you won't be able to-"

"I like him," Lily lied. "I do not like girls."

"That is not the point I am trying to make. You can't just-"

"And what's it matter if I'm going to Beauxbatons?" Lily continued. "I have to go back to Hogwarts anyway, don't I? And I happen to live right near him, don't I? I don't see that changing anytime soon, do you?"

Sirius sighed and then brushed some hair out of his face, his eyes staring at her sadly as she worried she gave too much up.

"Lily, this isn't how I wanted this to go."

"Well, I didn't want to talk at all. So, there's that."

"How much did you overhear?" Sirius asked after a pause, his expression grim.

"Enough," Lily said. "I'm not leaving."

"Lily," Sirius said with a sigh.

"I'm not."

"You're not safe," Sirius said. "I know you like it there, Lily, I know, but you aren't. The Ministry knows you're there, and with Lucius Malfoy whispering in Fudge's ear, he does, too. You have to go."

"I'm not going," Lily said, a fury shaking deep inside of her.

"Lily-"

"And that isn't what you said then," Lily said. "You said I need a firm hand."

"Because you do!" Sirius said. "Lily, I'm not going to hurt you, you know that, but you spent half of last year lashing out at people. Perhaps firm was the wrong word. I just want to help you! I want to guide you!"

"With what?" Lily said with a disbelieving laugh.

"Well, for starters," Sirius said, matching her tone, "most straight people don't get so angry and defensive about it, Lily."

"Don't," Lily said angrily, perhaps even proving his point.

"Lily-"

"What do you know about it, anyway?" Lily said. "I mean, what, you think you can just come into my life and- and- you think you just know everything, don't you?"

"Lily, I'm just trying to-"

"Well, I can figure things out for myself, thanks. I don't need you telling me what I am or what to do."
"You sure about that?" Sirius asked. "Have you forgotten what you almost did last year?"

Lily clenched her jaw, and Sirius rubbed the bridge of his nose between two fingers.

"I'm sorry," he said. "This isn't how I wanted this to go. You were right, we should talk about this later."

"I don't want to," Lily said.

"Lily-"

"You're the one who started this," Lily said. "You wanted to talk, so talk."

"Fine," Sirius said. "I want you to come live with me."

"No."

"Lily-"

"I'm not doing it."

"It's already settled, Lily," Sirius said. "The Weasleys agreed with me, I'm sure you heard that, too. You have the rest of the summer to-"

"You can't just keep me locked up!" Lily shouted.

"I'm not locking you up, Lily!" Sirius shouted back. "I'm trying to keep you safe! The Weasleys aren't a good influence on you!"

Lily sputtered unsurely on that one, completely lost for words as her brain scrambled to defend the only family she'd ever known.

"I like them!" she finally managed.

"I know you do, Lily, but it's true," Sirius said. "Every time you've snuck off with Ron, or the twins, you've gotten yourself into stupid situations, and you know it."

"Like you're one to talk."

"Sure, we did stupid things," Sirius said, "I won't deny that. But we never put our lives in danger, not to the degree you have."

"We've been fine!"

"You tried to fight a Basilisk together!"

"I did fight a Basilisk, thank you," Lily said. "And I did a bloody good job of it, too, even without Ron's help. In case you didn't notice, I was given an Order of Merlin for it."

"Lily-"

"I'm fine," Lily said. "The only reason I had a hard time at all last year was because of you."

"Lily," Sirius said in a warning tone.

"Without the dementors, I'd have been fine."

"No, you wouldn't have-"

"I can handle myself, Sirius," Lily said, her legs starting to pace, desperately needing something calming. "I don't need you making decisions for me, I'm more than capable of handling myself."

"Lily-"

"I don't need anybody," Lily said, running a shaking hand through her hair, her anger almost uncontainable. "I've never needed anybody."

"Lily, you know that's not-"

"I'm not leaving," Lily said, giving up and turning to face Sirius. "And if you think you can make me, then you really have gone mad."

"I am your godfather!" Sirius said loudly. "James and Lily left me in charge of your safety, and I'm only trying to-"

"Then where were you?" Lily said, gesturing with her arms.

"You know perfectly well where I was," Sirius said darkly.

"Yeah," Lily said, "in prison, because you were too stupid to do what they asked of you."

"Don't," Sirius said. "James would have wanted-"

"My dad," Lily said hysterically, "would have wanted you to do the right thing by me."

"I had to-"

"All you had to do was nothing," Lily spat. "All you had to do was sit there and wait for Dumbledore to come. He would have heard you out, he would have gotten to the bottom of it. All you had to do was wait."

"Lily, I'm warning you."

"But, no," Lily said, her hands in the air, "you had to go be a hero, didn't you? You had to go after Pettigrew, because you were too stupid to do the right thing for a little girl that needed you."

"That's enough!" Sirius said, his hands balled in fists.

"No, I don't think it is," Lily said, shoving hard into Sirius's chest, even though it hardly moved him. "I needed you then, but you weren't there. If you had been, then, I- I would have- I don't need you now."

"I said that's enough," Sirius said coldly. "You are fourteen. You don't get a say in any of this."

"You're not my dad."

"No, but he would have agreed with me."

"You really think so? I think he'd be livid that his friend was being like this."

"You didn't know him."

"No, I didn't," Lily said, crossing her arms. "And whose fault is that? Pettigrew's, for being the rat you knew he was? Or yours, for suggesting him in the first place? For getting them killed?"

The two of them fell into silence, their eyes locked together. Lily's body was shaking in her anger, and she could sense the tension in Sirius's clenched jaw, practically hear his teeth straining together threatening to crack under the pressure.

"I'm not going," Lily said at last.

"If I have to force you, I will, Lily," Sirius said. "Your parents left custody with me. Not even Dumbledore can stop me."

"I'm not going."

"You are."

"I'm not-"

"That's enough!" Sirius snapped. "You've more than said your piece. If you're going to act like a child, then this is how it goes. You're going. End of discussion."

"Just try and make me," Lily said, turning away from him.

"Lily-"

"Piss off," Lily said as she stormed back towards the campgrounds.

She felt like she might be sick, the pain in her head was so bad, but after stopping and leaning against a quiet, empty stall, she managed to calm herself. With her palms pressed tightly over her eyes, and some deep breathing, she managed to clear the emotions from her head, using what Occlumency she knew to push the pain out, just as Dumbledore asked her to do months ago, even if it wasn't quite the reasons he wanted.

She sat there for a long time, back pressed against the cool wood, as she debated what to do. She hadn't meant to get that angry, she didn't want to say any of the things she did. Now that Sirius wasn't there, now that she was allowed to be alone for just a few bloody minutes, she felt even worse than she had during the Quidditch match. She didn't know how much longer she could keep going on like this, especially since Charlie and Ginny saw. How long until they told somebody else, until Sirius was back to give her another talk?

She needed to do something about it, but she didn't know what.

When she made finally made it back to their tents, sans Sirius and Cedric, she had every intention of apologizing to Sirius and asking him to deliver a message to Remus; she desperately needed to talk it out before she exploded or did something even worse. She was well and truly feeling sick, even stopping to throw up into a bush on her lonely wandering (she spent an hour walking and thinking), disgusted by what she said to Sirius and how she tried to shove him away just for caring. Sure, he took it a bit too far, too, but she was the one who started it.

Unfortunately, Arthur informed her that he'd left for the night, and she'd see him again tomorrow for their usual routine. He gave her a worried look, no doubt assuming her obvious distress was from their conversation. She didn't bother confirming it. She was too worried he'd ask what it was about, assuming Sirius didn't already tell him.

She took an offered Butterbeer from Ron, pressed the cool glass to her still burning forehead, plastered a smile on her face, and went about assuring everybody that she was fine. It was just a row, they'd both get over it, and she was just feeling a bit unwell, and there was nothing at all to worry about. She could pretend for just a little while longer.

Eventually, the time to party came to end, and it came when Ginny nearly fell asleep standing up, her cup dropping to the ground and shattering as her legs gave out from beneath her. Once that happened, Arthur forced them all into their tents. Lily carried Ginny into the girl's tent herself (Hermione had long since gone to sleep), even though she felt the tired deep in her bones. As soon as Ginny was tucked into her bed, Lily flopped face down onto her own, not even bothering to remove her boots or change into pyjamas. She just let her feet dangle off the edge and, within seconds, she was snoring away.

And then she was very rudely interrupted by shouting and screaming, with somebody shaking her anxiously, her scar pounding and causing her vision to blur.

"Get up, Lily," Hermione's voice said. "Mr. Weasley says we need to go."

"Wus happen?" Lily managed, the pain in her head not allowing her eyes to focus.

"Get up, Lily!" Hermione whined, both her and Ginny tugging on Lily's body with all their might to move her.

"Comin'," Lily mumbled. She almost fell out of her bed, her legs feeling like jelly, but Hermione and Ginny worked together to lift her over their shoulders.

"What's wrong with her?" Charlie's voice said from nearby, his hands touching her face, one opening her eye so he could get a good look.

"Head hurts," Lily managed.

"Your scar!" Hermione said suddenly on Lily's left. "Is it-"

Lily answered that question by buckling over and losing her (second) supper all over the nice carpet. Her entire body felt like it was on fire. Her scar in particular felt like her heart was placed directly underneath it, it was pulsating so badly, every little beat sending a wave of throbbing pain through her skull.

"Sorry," she said as she wiped her mouth. She closed her eyes again, trying to shut out the painful, bright lights, and made a promise to not keep this rubbish a secret ever again, if the pain would just end.

"Help me lift her," Charlie said, and then she felt two much stronger pairs of arms help lift her.

"Come on, Lily," Bill grunted from her right. He was already breathing hard from her weight.

"Wus happen?" Lily said again, trying to look around as they left to tent, only to squint around in immense pain.

"Don't right know," Charlie said. He didn't sound like he was exerting any effort at all. "Thought it was the Bulgarians, at first, but then Crouch swung by and told dad it might be Death Eaters, so he ran off to go help them."

"Death Eaters?" Hermione said from behind, sounding absolutely terrified.

Right, Lily thought, closing her eyes again. I don't think this is what I thought, then.

She could feel a familiar sensation pushing from the back of her mind. She could hear the voices. She briefly tried to push back against it, but that side of things felt far more peaceful than the pain of her reality.

"He's close, Quirrell," she hissed from the back of Quirrell's head. "I can feel him."

"I'm moving as quickly as I dare, master," he said. As they stepped over the fallen body of an unconscious body, she wondered if that was Lucius's doing. She thought her instructions were very clear; only the Muggles were to be tormented, to distract the Ministry long enough for them to do what was needed.

"We are so close," she said. "Soon, this long nightmare will be all over."

"Lily?"

She heard screams coming from nearby, from behind them, and Quirrell picked up his pace, pulling his hood a little further down over his face, trapping her further in the darkness. She took a deep breath and then pushed back against the cage of her mind, trying to will the pain away.

"He's heading into the forest," she said. "They are taking him away, Quirrell. You are moving too slow."
"We will find the boy, master."

"For your sake, I certainly hope we do," she said. There were more screams from behind, but they were falling into the distance, moving away from them. Lucius was doing well in leading them away.

"Lily? Can you hear me?"

I'm trying, hold on.

"Hurry, Quirrell," she said. "I can keep the door open no longer. It appears the boy is more capable than I thought."

And then she was back in her own body, breathing hard, the pain in her mind blinding her, a terrified Hermione and Ginny doing their best to stay close as Charlie and Bill carried her through dense foliage.

"What's going on, anyway?" Ron asked. She could tell by the nervous energy in his voice that he was trying not to show how scared he was, even though she couldn't see him from her position.

"We don't know," Charlie said with a grunt as he helped Bill get her over a large tree root. "Woke up to screaming, and now Lily's gone."

"'m not," she mumbled.

"Lily!" Hermione said, her fingers finally leaving her teeth, an expression of relief coming over her face.

"Can you walk?" Bill asked, taking the brief rest to wipe some sweat from his forehead.

Lily closed her eyes again and took another deep breath, letting the cool sensation in her lungs spread to the rest of her body, focusing on the sensation and willing it to slow down her racing mind.

Calm down. Keep him out. You could do it to Snape, you can do it to him. If he can use this, then you can, too.

"Yes," she said, taking a shaky step of her own volition. The pain was much less, although it'd take a bit longer before she had it fully gone.

"Stay with them, Charlie," Bill said as he gave him full control over her weight. "I'm going to go help-"

"No," Lily said, grabbing onto him. "Get me out of here."

"I can't," Bill said, shaking his head. "It's alright, it's just a bit of trouble, there's no reason to be scared. I'll be right back with dad, once we-"

"Voldemort's coming," Lily said, squeezing harder, ignoring the gasps around her. "He's coming for me. I need to leave."

Bill stared at her, his mouth hanging open. "How did you- how do you know that?"

"I can see him," Lily said, squeezing her eyes shut to the images of thinner foliage, bright light still streaming through the trunks of trees. "He's in the forest now."

"Right," Bill said, exchanging a look with Charlie and then nodding. "Well. In that case, Fred and George are going to carry you, Charlie's going to guard, and I'm going to go get help."

"We can't," Lily said, "if you just-"

"I can't apparate you out," Bill said. "Ministry's put up wards, only they can come in and out. Only dad can get you out of here."

"But Sirius just-"

"He had to walk to an approved point," Bill cut her off. "Same as we came in. Bagman's the one what brought him to the camp."

Lily clenched her jaw, scrambling for another argument.

"Go," Charlie said to Bill, who ran off seconds later, handing her over fully to the twins, both of them deathly pale and terrified. "I want wands out, all of you."

Neville swore loudly as he checked his pockets, the group beginning to move again. "It's gone!"

"What's gone?" Ron asked.

"My wand!" Neville said, his voice high. "It's gone!"

"Stay close to the center, then," Charlie said, moving him forward.

"Gran's going to kill me," Neville mumbled as he came into Lily's view.

"Take mine," she said, wiggling her arm towards him so he could grab it from her sleeve.

"Keep your wand," Charlie said from behind.

"But-"

"Keep it!" Charlie snapped. "You're getting stronger, I can tell by the way you're walking. Ron keeps telling us that you're good. We'll need your help if You-Know-Who catches up to us."

"It's me he wants," Lily said, using her own body to support more of her weight, to get it off the panting twins. "I could-"

"You are not going anywhere," Charlie said.

"But-"

"You're staying right where you are," Charlie said in a tone that brokered no argument. "Ron, take Neville and the girls, and get them out of here."

"But-"

"Do as I said!" Charlie shouted. Lily could hear him shoving his brother forward, and then Ron stumbled into view, his jaw clenched and quivering.

"We're staying to fight!" Ginny said.

"No, you're bloody well not," Charlie said.

"He's only coming for me," Lily said, squeezing her eyes shut again. Use it. Just don't slip too far.

"Why do they get to go, then?"

"Because they're almost of age," Charlie said. "And because I can't protect all of you and fight."

"Where is he, Lily?" Hermione asked from nearby.

"Shut up, and I can tell you," Lily said, trying to make sense of what she was seeing. "He's passing by others. I think he's close. When did we pass a group of French girls?"

"Don't know what you're talking about," Charlie said, immediately followed by a loud swear. "Go, Ron! Now!"

"Right," Ron said, finally moving into action and moving Hermione and Ginny in front of him. "Right. Let's go."

"Luck," Lily called after them, as their sprinting forms disappeared into the darkness.

"Where is he coming from, Lily?" Charlie asked.

"He's close," Lily said. She didn't even need her eyes closed to sense that much. Not anymore. She shook the twins off and drew her wand, taking a deep breath and focusing harder on the ticking clock, using it to keep him fully out of her mind. If she could do that, maybe he'd miss them, move right past. Fred, George, and Charlie backed up into her, so all of them were touching and watching a different direction.

"I don't like this," George whispered as the forest went quiet around them. Fred kept muttering swears under his breath.

"If things go south," Charlie whispered back, "I want the three of you to run for it, understand?"

"Charlie, we're not-"

"I mean it, George," Charlie said. "I'll hold him off as long as I can. Bill should be near dad, by now. He's got to be. We only need to-"

"He's here," Lily whispered, her eyes whipping back and forth. She could feel him, but she couldn't-

A flash of red came from the left, and Lily shoved Fred aside just in time for the spell to miss him. She aimed her wand towards it, but there was green moving towards them now, and Lily could hear both Charlie and George swear, their bodies still moving to face the right direction.

Time slowed down around her, as the green raced forward. Quirrell was moving, almost impossibly fast, his ghastly face lit up by the pale green light, his wand flicking another spell already, even as they were failing to respond to his first two. Lily wasn't even sure if Charlie had noticed the killing curse yet. Fred was still falling from Lily's shove, George was grabbing her from behind, and Fred's eyes were widening as he watched the green, watched it arc towards him. Beneath Quirrell's hood, behind his head, Lily could just make out two bright, red eyes, could just sense the mirth they felt at finding their prey, could just make out the thing's small, gnarled hands clutching tightly around Quirrell's neck.

"Duro!" Lily shouted, flicking upwards. Stone came to life, burst from the ground, and then shattered against the killing curse, just as George finished pushing her away. Lily turned with the force, rolling against the ground, watching Charlie silently deflect a second spell from Quirrell, the two locked into a battle of lights and sounds.

Quirrell's wand moved so quickly, Charlie barely able to keep up, that Lily could hardly process what she was even seeing. There was fire, but then it turned to water, then to steel, then to a burst of leaves. Then, Quirrell tried another killing curse, only this one Charlie moved a tree in front of, and then Lily finally managed to get back to her feet.

"Ebublio!" Lily whispered, crouched behind Charlie, wand steadily aimed forward.

Liquid bubble enclosed around Quirrell, but with a wave of his wand, it popped, hardly leaving a trace. But it was enough time for Charlie to send a stunner his way, and even though Quirrell merely batted it away, his wand tracing a sharp path in the air, Lily was already moving, casting her next spell with a quick slash of her wrist.

"Orbis!"

Quirrell sank into the ground, up to his knees, but that only served to stop his movement. Charlie sent a couple more curses his way, but he kept casting his own, transfiguring them into harmless objects, a porcelain doll flying one direction, a banana's peel the other. Then, flicking his wand, he soared upwards, landing lightly in the branches of a tree. Lily expected it, and before his feet could touch wood, she moved again, her wand seeming to track Quirrell's arc through the air of its own volition.

"Incarcerous!"

Thick ropes leapt from Lily's wand, fully incasing Quirrell just as he made his landing. Charlie sent another curse his way, and for a brief moment, Lily thought they'd done it, that they had him. She could see Quirrell's eyes widen, see him struggling to get out of the way, she could feel the brief flicker of fury in her skull at the same time she saw them in those eyes.

Then, he lost his balance, lost his seat, and tumbled through the air. As he twisted and turned, her ropes came undone, and he landed gracefully on his feet, and with a sick grin, sent another killing curse Charlie's way, towards the both of them.

Lily moved on instinct. In a clearer moment, with time to think, time to process, she was sure Charlie could have blocked it. He already had, she'd even seen it. But she wasn't thinking. She only moved.

She shoved Charlie out of the way, standing fully in the path of the curse, the only remaining target. She held her wand in front of her as time seemed to slow again. She could hear the screams of all the boys, she could see Quirrell's expression widen in fear as he realized he'd failed, that he'd killed the person he'd come here to steal away, and she could feel Voldemort's great wrath and loss.

Her mind stopped working. The only thing she knew for sure was that she'd messed up, that she was dead. The seconds turned into hours, her mind raced for a spell, any spell, and it came up with nothing. She couldn't even bring herself to move. She could hear Fred and George doing just that behind her. If she moved, if she dodged, it would hit one of them, instead.

And then a few things happened all at once.

The first was that a tree sprang into life in front of her, growing strong and straight out of the ground, only to wither away and die as it took the killing curse meant for another.

The second, was that the twins grabbed her from behind, pulling her towards the ground. As she fell, she could make out several figures appearing from the trees around them, one of them with a wand aimed precisely from where the tree sprang, her bright, blonde hair tied behind her head, the girls behind her wearing the same blue uniforms, Ron, Neville, Hermione, and Ginny standing well behind.

The third was a cry from Quirrell as he turned towards the newcomers, his face contorted in fury as a scream that was not his own emanated from his direction, the pain nearly splitting Lily's head in half. She fought hard to fight against slipping away, to stay in her own body. She still needed to help. Her bad knee was hitting the ground, now, with Fred and George pressing her further into the ground.

The fourth was a blinding explosion as several spells collided in midair, just as time went back to normal. Lily rubbed at her eyes and tried to stand, but George forced her back down while his twin stood.

"I've got you," he said, his wand raised in a trembling hand.

"Get off, I can fight!"

"He's after you, stay down. Expelliarmus!"

"Get off, George!" Lily shouted, trying to shove him off. George only had one arm on her, but her struggles were completely useless. He was just too strong, even though she was the same size as him. When she tried to hit him, it felt like she was doing more damage to herself than to him.

The newcomers were helping, but two of them were already incapacitated, either stunned or tied up or, Lily prayed it wasn't so, perhaps even dead. The lead girl was moving quickly, standing side by side with Charlie, as they tried to drive Quirrell back into the woods. With each step he was forced to take, the pain in Lily's head increased, and his chosen spells became faster and group oriented.

He used fumos to create a cloud of fog around himself to hide his movements, and then sent a bombarda, the explosion ricocheting off the woman's shield, taking out two of her friends on accident. Then he cast aranetio, the spider's web sticking all nearby to the ground, all except Charlie and the woman who jumped at the same time, both conjuring a stone to stand on. Another set of flashes and stunners knocked out the rest of the blue girls, just as George started dragging Lily back to the trees, towards the rest of his family and her friends. Hermione and Ron were waving them forward. Lily kept struggling, her heart nearly stopping when Fred joined back into the fray, just tilting in time to avoid a killing curse.

She couldn't just sit by and watch. She pushed her wand into George's chest, trying to ignore the look of betrayal her gave her.

"Flipendo," she said, the force of her spell sending him sprawling and flying towards the safety of the tree line. Then she was running, ignoring the shouts and screams of those behind her. She took a great leap over the edge of the web and landed on the rock shared by the stranger.

When the woman cast spells, her movements were graceful and deliberate. When she ducked to avoid a curse, her legs would dip beneath her just as her arm swept in an arc to cast a counter of her won. When she stepped to the side, it was with a flourish, as if the battle were all just an elaborate act to her, as if she knew the steps and what event would follow next. She hardly reacted at all to Lily's intrusion and clumsy movements, as if her involvement was all a part of the plan. The only sign she gave at all was a slight frown for every spell Lily shouted.

It was as if she was dancing with death itself.

When a killing curse came their way, Lily scrambled and slipped to avoid it. The woman stood right in its path fearlessly, sending a yellow blast along its path, and then spun and bowed before it could hit her, her arm moving in a long slashing movement as it sent another attack towards Quirrell.

Only, it wasn't an attack like Lily initially thought. Just as the light reached the wall of fog, it stopped in midair and began spinning, creating a vortex of wind that whipped the cover away, revealing their foe and his pale, sickly face, as well as the glowing eyes behind him.

"He is going to destroy our foothold," the woman said in French, not sparing a glance towards her. "Be ready to move."

Lily hardly had time to finish translating her words in her head before Quirrell did exactly as predicted, his next bombarda striking the center of their platform just as the woman leapt to the left.

Lily was not so lucky and was sent flying by the blast, landing hard on a bundle of rocks and twigs, her limbs getting caught and stuck in the spider's web. She heard swearing from nearby, and then Fred was at her side, whispering hurriedly to sever her bindings. Lily just managed to get off a Shield Charm to block a stunner sent by Quirrell, but that was immediately followed by an expelliarmus, and she lost sight of her wand as it flew away into the darkness. She'd also lost sight of the woman and Charlie, although she could still see spells flying towards the Dark Lord.

Quirrell only took his eyes off her for brief moments, to deflect or transfigure whatever spell the remaining combatants were sending at him. Lily felt a stinging across her chest when one of Fred's spells dug too deeply, but then she was free, just in time for Quirrell to send another spell their way, his hand waving in a sharp slashing movement, as if swinging a blade.

Nothing came out of his wand, at least not that she could see, but there was a strange ripple moving through the air, moving faster than she could think. She had no idea what it was, and yet she did. She knew it was meant for Fred, and she knew that it would kill him, that it would sever his head from his shoulders, and that he had no hope of moving out of the way, not with his eyes still focused down on her.

So, she moved. It was all she could do. For the second time that night, she shoved Fred out of the way and towards the ground, his face lit up in surprise. She tried to twist with him, to get out of the way herself, but then there was a sharp pain across her chest, and her back hit the ground hard, knocking every ounce of air out of her chest.

"Lily!" Fred shouted, scrambling to get back to her. Lily closed her eyes as she coughed, blood bubbling at her lips.

"Quirrell! Act now, or we will be too late!"

"Yes, Master."

Her vision was hazy, and she knew she was looking through his eyes again. Quirrell stayed where he was, flicking his wand lazily in the direction of the two teenagers. The two combatants were trying to move closer to them, but Quirrell transfigured the ground, wrapping the two of them in walls of stone, and then ran towards the boy- no, to her.

His- her- blood was already lifting into the air, seeping through the fingers of the other, his hands pressed against the wound as if that would stop it. It flowed towards his wand tip, where Quirrell directed it into a prepared vial. It wasn't the original plan, but he never acted without a backup.

The boy is dead, she thought, and Lord Voldemort has returned.

There was a bright flash of light, and then Quirrell screamed, his mangled hand clutched tightly to his chest. The two turned as one, spying a terrified girl standing near the edge of the web, her wand held in a shaking hand, her bushy hair blowing in a strong gust of wind as the two combatants finally managed to break free of their prison.

"Master," Quirrell said wearily, taking a step back.

"We flee, Quirrell," she said, her voice full of fury. They had no choice, though. The Ministry was finally arriving, apparating at the edge of the battlefield, wands raised, a few even daring to fire stunners.

"Yes, Master," Quirrell said, batting away what few spells managed to reach them, before raising his own wand to the sky.

"Morsmordre."

They were soaring along the path of the spell, her shout of rage drowned at by the screams from the forest below, their great flight hidden by the great green above.

And then Lily was back in her own body, coughing as she drowned in her own blood, each desperate breath the greatest pain she'd ever experienced. Her vision was swimming as her eyes filled with tears, but she was too weak to raise a hand to wipe them away. She could hear screams and crying from nearby, she thought she could hear her name, but all she could see was a great skull in the sky, a serpent twisting and uncurling from its mouth.

She blinked, but when her eyes opened again, everything was even more unfocused. There were more hands on her body, their warmth scalding her skin. She was so cold. She could see this one's face, at least, her beautiful eyes filled with fear as she pressed a wand to Lily's chest and began whispering words Lily couldn't hear. There was nothing graceful about the woman, this time. Only a sense of desperation and urgency. Lily closed her eyes, not wanting to see.

She never knew angels would be so pretty.