A/N: I don't know why but it feels like ages since I last posted. I can't believe we're almost at 30 followers. Thank you so much!

And with that, I'll leave you with the next chapter!

Chapter Eighteen

'I've ordered food for us.' Roland told the two girls unnecessarily. 'I hope you like fish and chips.'

Marlene did not.

'That sounds great.' Lily said, wringing her hands slightly as she forced a smile. 'I'm Lily by the way.'

'Ah, yes. Marlene wrote that you'd be eating with us too.' He nodded jovially and indicated a table at the back of the pub. The girls obliged and he followed, his mead in hand, waving at a few people as he went, who waved back.

'You're very popular.' Lily observed and Roland grinned.

'Oh, the amount of Aurors and ex-Aurors that inhabit these places, you get to know everyone.' he replied casually as they weaved through the clutter of tables.

'Are you an Auror then?' Lily asked interestedly.

'Yes, I am. I'm running for Head Auror actually, now that Fleamont's retiring. I'm up against Alastor Moody but I imagine they'd rather not choose a cripple. He can't go too far on that wooden leg of his.' Roland laughed. Lily didn't know who Moody was and so just nodded vaguely, feeling a little uncomfortable.

Eventually, they reached the table and sat down, Rosemerta appearing out of nowhere to give them their food. Lily ordered a butterbeer for herself and Marlene before turning her attention to their plates. She glanced sideways at Marlene, whose blank face was focused on her battered cod, making her nose wrinkle the smallest of millimetres so that Roland, who was already tucking in to his own meal, noticed nothing.

'You can swap your fish for my chips if you want.' Lily whispered, barely moving her lips. Marlene shook her head, prodding one of the chips on her plate with her fork. 'If you're sure…'

'So, Marlene,' Roland began, looking up from his food, 'what subjects are you taking?'

He directed his gaze at his daughter, who in turn looked at Lily, who nodded hastily.

'She's taking Potions, Transfiguration, Care of Magical Creatures and Charms.' she told him quickly and watched as Roland coughed, his eyebrows raising themselves slightly.

'Only four subjects?' he checked. Lily frowned. 'I took six myself.'

'Marlene's taking one more than the required number.' Lily said coolly. 'And isn't it, as Muggles say, quality over quantity?'

'Muggles say that, do they?' Roland turned his eyes on her. 'Well, I suppose doing four is fine – but it's quite average really. You want to stand out to your future employers.'

'Better to do well in four subjects than to fail six.' Lily said mildly, having noticed Marlene's tight grip on the arms of her chair. 'And Marlene's top of her class in Care of Magical Creatures, aren't you, Marlie?'

Marlene nodded slowly, keeping her gaze on her plate.

'Well, these days it's all about the connections you have. You used to get in on pure talent alone but now it's all about the people you know.'

Lily was tempted to say something nasty about how she imagined the only way Roland had ever achieved anything was through his connections. She bit her tongue, however. This meeting was about Marlene after all, not her and her temper.

'I wouldn't know.' Lily relented and her answer seemed to satisfy Roland.

'Any idea what kind of job you want, Marlene?' Roland asked, returning his full attention to his daughter. As before, Marlene looked to Lily to reply for her.

'She wants to work with unicorns. There's a unicorn sanctuary in the New Forest.'

'Then I might be able to help you get in.' Roland replied, directing his words at Marlene, who didn't acknowledge him. 'I know a few people in the Ministry who specialise in unicorns. I'll write to them tonight.'

Marlene stood up and mumbled something that Lily heard but Roland didn't before leaving the table.

'Toilet.' Lily explained as Roland watched Marlene disappear into the crowd of fellow pub dwellers.

'Ah, right.' Roland took a sip of mead. 'Er, Lily, was it?'

'That's right.'

'Well, I can see you and Marlene are good friends…' he said, putting down his tankard and scratching the back of his head. 'Is she always like this? I mean, she hasn't said a word to me at all.'

'She doesn't like speaking if that's what you mean.' Lily answered, leaning back in her chair to see Roland's entirety much easier. 'And especially in front of people she doesn't know.'

'I – er… I was thinking it might be best if you left us alone for a bit, so that we can get to know each other a little easier.'

'Marlene asked me to come with her.' Lily said firmly, her eyes narrowing.

'And you've come with her – you've done your part. I imagine she was just a little nervous about actually meeting me. Now that she's met me, she'll be fine.'

'She asked me to stay with her.'

'Yes, well, be that as it may, I think your presence is putting her off actually speaking to me. This is a private family matter, so maybe it should be left to the family members only.' Roland had a smile playing about his cheeks that irked Lily; it was a smug smile on a face that looked all too similar to Marlene's. It unnerved her.

'Or maybe,' a voice from behind them suggested, 'it's the fact you brought a Daily Prophet photographer with you that's putting her off.'

Marlene appeared behind Roland, her eyes flashing, groping behind her and thrusting a man with a large camera at her father.

'Next time you want to play happy families to get you further in your career, pester your own family.' Marlene collected her things from her seat at the table and Lily took this as her cue to get up.

'We are family. I'm your father!'

When Marlene next spoke, her voice was so loud that everyone in the pub turned to look.

'Shagging my mum doesn't make you my dad.' She spat on Roland's plate. 'It makes you the bastard who knocked her up and left.'

Marlene grabbed Lily by the hand and pulled her in the direction of the exit. She strode so fast that Lily was forced to jog, not that she minded. Her friend had every right to leave. As Marlene wrenched open the door and the two of them piled out into the February air, a small smile graced Lily's lip. Professor Slughorn really ought to work on new lines to charm his students; Marlene and Roland did not speak similarly at all.

A hacking gasp quickly eclipsed Lily's smile as she turned to see Marlene sobbing and shivering by her side. She bundled her friend over to a nearby bench and hugged her tightly.

'You were amazing, Marlie.' she soothed, watching Mary and Ollie Harris across the street looking at the window display of Madam Puddifoot's. 'I think the whole pub wanted to cheer you as we left.'

Marlene shook her head, still crying.

'I shouldn't – I shouldn't have said anything! I should've kept my mouth shut. I – I –'

'Oh, Marlie, don't think about that now.' Lily said softly, noticing the Marauders up ahead. 'You should be proud of what you did.'

'I'm scared, Lily…' Marlene whispered, and Lily held her closer. 'What if – remember what he said… Remember what – what –'

'What can I do to make you smile, Marlie?' she asked, interrupting as Marlene started to shiver, pulling away to smile at her. 'Hm?'

Marlene turned her head, resting it on Lily's shoulder, closing her eyes.

'Obliviate me.'

'Why don't we go to Madam Puddifoot's? We can stuff our faces with cake and forget all about all of this.' Lily suggested, her own eyes watering slightly at Marlene's words. Her friend's words resonated with her deeply. 'I think Mary went there with Ollie, but we won't bother them. They'll be too busy gazing at each other, I'm sure.'

Marlene nodded slowly and Lily smiled again. They got up and started to make their way across the street. As soon as they were on the move, the Marauders spotted them, and Sirius began bounding over.

'Are you okay, Marlie?' Lily murmured, glancing sideways at Marlene. 'I can make them go away if you want.'

Marlene shook her head and Lily nodded in understanding. She waved at the boys and they sped up their way over to them.

'Hello, ladies.' Sirius bowed. 'Fancy joining us for lunch.'

'We're going to Madam Puddifoot's.' Lily told him, chuckling at the way Sirius clutched at his heart. 'I hear they do very good cakes.'

'Cakes?' Sirius choked. 'Evans, that's beside the point. The real issue here is that it's Madam Puddifoot's. It's a bit too pink, isn't it?'

He looked around, appealing for someone to agree with him. Remus, who stood beside him, looked at the floor.

'I'm up for it.' Peter piped up. 'Cake is cake.'

'Hear, hear.' James called, clapping him on the back. 'Especially if it means seeing you drowning in pink confetti.'

Lily laughed. Everyone did.

Dorcas wandered onto the high street, her eyes darting about. Spotting Lily, she hurried over and grabbed onto Lily's hands, just as the group were nearing Madam Puddifoot's. Despite how slowly she had entered the village, Dorcas was hyperventilating as she clutched Lily's hands.

'Dorcas?' Lily asked, watching her friend. The only time she had ever seen Dorcas run anywhere it had been when she had been late for Mary's birthday celebration in the Room of Requirement. 'If you're looking for Mary, she's in Madam Puddi–'

'N-not just Mary.' she gasped, doubling over. 'I saw – I saw a – a Death Eater! I saw…'

There was a sudden stillness in the air. They all could sense it; Lily could see it in the way the group seemed to stiffen. Those around them hadn't. The students wandering about the shops were all still laughing and chatting. Only their group was affected. Lily wondered if the others felt as suddenly sick as she did.

Then, a tremor ran down the whole street.

'LILY, GET DOWN!'

And James dived on top of her, just as Madam Puddifoot's exploded.

…

There was a ringing in Lily's head, right at the back, echoing through the foggy darkness. All she knew was pain, pain that focused itself in her right leg, searing angrily. She coughed. Her lungs were filled with dust. Her eyes flickered, trying to discern her surroundings.

Red. Orange. Grey.

Another cough left her, her lungs heavy as they worked to clean themselves. Their contents seemed to push Lily down as she made to move lightly. They resisted her attempt to sit up. But no… That weight came from outside of her body. It was warm. With a great effort, Lily made to feel what was on top of her.

'James!' she croaked, her hand finding another's. 'James, is that you?'

There was no response.

Lily blinked, bringing her gaze into focus. This did little to improve her outlook. There was rubble, debris and gigantic chunks of buildings everywhere. Smoke hung low and thick in the air, so that Lily's lungs regurgitated several more hacking coughs. But it was the flames that really turned Lily's stomach.

Flames licked their way up the remaining structures, illuminating the frail bones of the tea shop in a vivid and malicious red. The fired serpents let out hissing cracks and pops, throwing down smouldering beams and floor boards, sending sparks out into the surrounding area.

Taking a deep, smoke-filled, breath, Lily rolled out from beneath the weight atop her that was indeed James. He was unconscious. Seeing this, Lily moved beside him, noting how her right leg flared furiously whenever she put a little weight on it.

'James!' she cried, coughing and spluttering, shaking him in some kind of vain hope that this might be enough to wake him. 'Oh, Jesus Christ… James, wake up!'

His head lolled hopelessly. Her mind grew panicked. If Dorcas had seen a Death Eater on her way into the village, then they were certainly behind this and there was a huge chance they were still here. And as such, she had to get out of here, with James, and find the others, who would be somewhere in the rubble.

Muggles tried to find a pulse when verifying if a person was alive or not, so Lily tried the same. Her heart sank when she found nothing on his wrist, but she moved onto his neck where she did indeed find a faint thump. She let out a slow breath of air. At least James wasn't dead. Now to revive him…

'Rennervate.' Lily murmured, her wand arm shaking. Nothing. She tried again, 'rennervate.'

James' eyes flickered open.

'What's going on?' he muttered blearily, pushing himself up into a sitting position. The lenses of his glasses were completely smashed. 'Lily?'

'James!' Lily flung her arms around him but pulled back quickly as he grunted, and her own right leg cried at this shift in weight. 'Sorry…'

'It's okay.' he reassured her. 'You just knocked against my head.'

It was then that Lily noticed the gash on his forehead. He must have hit something on his way down.

'Does it hurt?' she asked, biting her lip as she took in how much it was bleeding.

'Only when someone knocks into it.' James teased, reaching up to touch his cut and wincing at the blood that came off on his fingers.

'Hang on, I can heal it,' Lily said, moving her wand to point at his forehead. 'Episkey's for minor injuries so it should work.'

'I can do it myself you know.' James told her, smiling slightly, moving her hand out of the way with his own. 'I've healed enough Quidditch injuries.'

A second later and the gash was completely gone, save for the traces of blood that had already dripped down his forehead. James vanished those and got to his feet, holding his hand out for Lily and pulling her up beside him. He smiled reassuringly at her, mending his smashed glasses with a flick of his wand.

'Right,' Lily said, clenching her fist around her wand as her leg flared up again. 'Let's go find the o–'

She broke off as something green and glowing burst into the sky. Her grip on James' hand tightened considerably.

It was a skull, huge and glittering, as if thousands of emeralds had been woven together. The skull rose higher and higher in the sky until it hung directly above the alight, crumbling Madam Puddifoot's. Despite it being just after midday, the greenish light from the skull seemed to out burn the sun, casting the whole remnants of the explosion in its eerie glow.

Lily staggered sideways into James, her right leg giving way to another flash of pain. She felt sick. From the gaping mouth of the skull came a serpent, that protruded from its mouth as if it was a tongue. As the eyes of the 'tongue' glittered, it looked almost alive.

'James, what is that?' Lily whispered, her eyes widening unnaturally. 'What the hell is that?'

'I don't know.' James' face had paled considerably, and his corresponding grip on her hand was just as tight as her own. 'I don't know…'

Something in Lily seemed to change. Perhaps it was the building pain in her leg.

'We've got to find the others. They can't be far…' She glanced around them, peering at the debris for anything that appeared human-like. 'The boys should be together – that's good – and Marlie shouldn't be too far from Dorcas. If we split up, we'll find them – them…'

'Lily?' James nudged her.

Her gaze had been drawn back to the burning, breaking remnants of the tea parlour. The adjacent buildings were in a similar state, the fires kindled by the explosion growing larger and hungrier.

'Oh, God…' Lily brought a hand up to her mouth.

'Lily, what is it? What's wrong?'

'It's – it's Mary,' she choked, staring at Madam Puddifoot's as though she had never seen it before. 'Mary's in there.'

Oh boy, it's a cliffhanger! I'm just so cruel!

Anyway, let me know what you thought of this chapter!