"Expelliarmus!" rang out a clear, familiar voice and voldemort's wand was thrown from his hand. Lily turned and saw mcgonagall, wand aimed, flanked by dumbledore and a half dozen other professors. Lily looked back at voldemort and thought for a moment that he actually looked afraid.

"Get back!" commanded mcgonagall with the most force lily had ever heard come out of someone's mouth. If lily had been on the receiving end of it she probably would have shriveled up out of fear.

"Minerva," dumbledore said, stepping in front of her and raising his own wand "get the students back to the castle and take them to my office. I'll meet you there." and with that dumbledore sent off a number of spells so fast that within a few seconds the death eaters that had been holding her and james were out cold on the floor. Lily was forced to put weight on her ankle and nearly collapsed again. But she picked herself up and james was there in half a second to help her anyway. Lily leaned into him.

Dumbledore swept in front of them, his robe snapping with the movement. The usual kindness and twinkle in his eyes was gone. Replaced with such fierceness lily wondered if it had ever been there in the first place.

"ah, dumbledore," voldemort said, trying to mask his fear and drawing his attention away from lily and james "how nice to see you again."

"afraid i can't say the same to you." dumbledore stepped closer, his voice dark.

"Come on, let's go." james said and put his arm around her waist to help her walk. Around them what death eaters were left battled hogwarts professors viciously. James helped lily hobble over to where professor mcgonagall was standing, a group of students around her.

"Is this everyone?" she asked tightly as lily and james walked up

"Yes." lily said coarsely, through a scratchy throat, and nodded.

"Alright then." mcgonagall nodded back "is everyone here capable of apparating back to the road right outside the castle?" the group nodded and automatically found their apparating partners again. Lily grabbed onto james's arm and before she knew it the unpleasant feeling of being wrung out like an old sponge was upon her again. It was even worse on her ankle.

The street outside hogwarts materialized in front of them and lily cried out when they landed. It was fast and rough and before she knew it her feet were suddenly slammed into the ground and she thought she felt her ankle crack again. She lost her footing and felt the pavement bite her hand when she tried to catch herself from falling. All she succeeded in doing was fucking up her wrist. wonderful.

"You alright?" james knelt down next to her and helped her up

"Yeah." she gave a dry chuckle "i'm great."

"Sorry." he said as she put an arm around his shoulder for support and tried to stay off her ankle

"Not your fault." she assured him. It was true. She was the one who had insisted on going. It just came out sounding a little harsher than she had intended.

"Alright. With me then." mcgonagall apparated and began the walk to the castle. Lily wanted to complain she couldn't make it that far on her ankle but she didn't want to be that bitch. So she kept her mouth closed. Every pain-staking stair up to dumbledore's office.

The group of them sat there, mcgonagall standing by the door as if she was guarding it. She had just called for madam pomfrey to come and tend to the various injuries they had all sustained. What a sorry bunch they had been playing hero.

Madam pomfrey arrived, muttering to herself about how now was not the time to try and be heroes, as if she was reading lily's mind. Even though lily had just literally fought for her life her stomach still acted as if she was afraid she might get in trouble from a bloody school teacher. She was just hardwired that way.

Madam pomfrey eventually came around to her and asked if she had any injuries. Lily told her about her ankle and her wrist. Madam pomfrey set her ankle with a spell, wrapped it up, told her to keep it that way and conjured a crutch for her to use to get around hogwarts.

"All those stairs!" she had muttered to herself as she prodded at lily's wrist.

"Not broken." she decided as she wrapped it in a thinner, tighter cloth.

"Keep that on for a few days, dear." and with that she bustled over to molly, whose hands had been glued together using an epoximise curse.

"Ah, children," all heads turned with relief as dumbledore walked into the room. He looked a little beaten up but, altogether, fine.

"Thank you, professor mcgonagall for bringing them all here safely."

"I cannot believe such antics." she said sternly as her answer, even though she had already scolded them thoroughly when they had arrived in dumbledore's office.

"Now, minerva, i believe what these children today was quite brave, if i do say so myself." mcgonagall straightened a little.

"Poppy," he said, turning to madam pomfrey "will you leave us, please?" madam pomfrey nodded curtley and went off talking to herself about how they had even sustained such injuries.

"Now," dumbledore said clasping his hands together as the door shut "i do believe what you all did today was quite foolish." lily's fears of getting in trouble were confirmed even more so than when mcgonagall had scolded them "however, i believe something can also be said for the bravery you all showed." so they weren't in trouble?

"I have not brought you here to tell you that you are all expelled or write you up for a detention, but rather to make you all an… offer." not in trouble. Got it.

"An offer for what, professor?" hestia asked from a chair across the room

"An organization i would like to start. As you are all of age i would like to know if you have any interest in something i plan to call the order of the phoenix."