A/N: Firstly, just as a warning, this one's quite a bit darker than the others. I think it still fits the T rating, but it is much darker than the others.

Hogwarts Writing Club Competition – prompt: deter

The Restricted Collection Challenge – prompt: no using the word 'because'

If You Dare Challenge – prompt: Death's Doorstep

Also, thank you to my wonderful big brother for beta reading this for me. You managed to be a great help despite thoroughly creeping me out, so here's a metaphorical gold star for you. (I can get you a real one if you'd like me to.)

Word count: 1025

They all knew it was going to happen eventually. Despite the relentless training sessions and the numerous precautions they had carefully put in place, there was no way the Order would get through the war without having a few members killed or tortured. Mortality was the unspoken risk that everybody took when they joined the fight, after all, and that threat was heightened for those who chose to champion the side of the light. Given that their opponents were more inclined to use lethal force than they were, Order members were aware that they were likely to meet an early end. Nevertheless, the group had decided to ignore that unfortunate fact as much as possible. No amount of debate would deter them from fighting, so they saw no need to put themselves through the emotional turmoil of pointlessly ruminating on the issue.

Unfortunately, the ledge of self-deception was a narrow one; compartmentalisation could only take them so far. It let them forget the pits of deadly vipers that lay mere metres below their feet as they inched their way along it, but it did nothing to protect them from the threat of an errant step or gust of wind.

It was a misjudgement that toppled Lily and James over. They had been in the middle of what seemed like simple reconnaissance, observing potential Death Eaters at an innocuous pureblood function, when the newlyweds had been jumped, immobilised, and swiftly abducted.

When Lily came to, she was in a dim room. It seemed small, but the inadequate lighting made it hard to know for certain. All she truly knew was that it was dingy and, even though she felt the weight of a body that she hoped was James at her side, utterly isolating. Her hands were, to her surprise, unsecured, so she felt around for her wand just in case they had somehow forgotten about it.

Empty. The pocket where she always kept her wand was empty.

Instead, she leaned over to peer at the body beside her. A familiar shock of messy black hair covered the back of his head, so she pressed her fingertips into the fleshy skin of his neck to check for a pulse. Part of her wished, for his sake, that she wouldn't find one; it would certainly have been easier for him that way. Still, a larger, utterly selfish, part of her was incredibly grateful when she felt a steady beat pulsate against her fingers. James Potter had become her partner in every way and, while she would have loved to spare him the pain of what she was sure was awaiting them, there was no one else she would have preferred to be stuck there with.

"James?" she whispered, not wanting to alert their captors to the fact that she had regained consciousness. The chance of a murmur stirring him was slim, but her loneliness pushed her to try.

Unsurprisingly, it failed to rouse him, so she instead decided to take stock of their situation. Fumbling around in her myriad pockets, she took inventory of what their captors had taken and what they had overlooked or missed. Most of them had been cleared of their contents, but the hidden ones remained largely untouched.

When her hand brushed against the little vial that she'd stashed away in her most concealed of pockets, she sucked in a quick breath. Shivers ran across her spine as she realised exactly what that meant.

But at least she still had it.

A low groan cut through her thoughts, and she looked over to see James stirring. "Lily?"

"I'm here," she murmured, reaching out to help him manoeuvre himself into a sitting position.

"Do you know where 'here' is?"

"The cellar, I think." She hesitated. "It looks like this branch of the Burkes are Death Eaters too."

He swore under his breath. "I was so sure they were clean."

"We all were." Cutting off the inevitable guilt at its twisted roots, she continued, "James, we still would have come anyway. The opportunity was too good to pass up."

"Yeah." He made to stand up, but she held out a hand to keep him there.

"In a minute. Firstly," she said, keeping her voice low and devoid of any emotion, "I've still got my potion. Do you have yours?"

He reached into the recesses of his coat and, after a few minutes of feeling around, gave her a slow nod. She wasn't able to make out his expression through the gloom, but his face was as ashen as she had ever seen it. "Yeah. I do."

"Good. Just in case."

"Only as a last resort."

They fell into a knowing silence. Moody would have wanted them to take it immediately so as not to risk losing the opportunity, but Lily's whole body seemed to rail against the idea. She knew that time would eventually, inevitably, slip through their fingers like sand through an hourglass, and that neither of them would be able to predict exactly when their store of sand would run out, but she wanted to delay that act until the last possible moment.

"I love you," he eventually said.

"Right back at you. I just wish…" She trailed off, not having the words to encompass all of the wishes she had in that moment. Not even a sky full of stars would have been able to fulfil everything she coveted for them.

The weight of tears, unseen and unshed but still so very there, coloured his reply. "Me too." After a pause, he asked, "Ready to scope this place out?"

Lily's fingers brushed over the vial once more. When – if – they ran out of options, she'd drink it; anything, even death, would be better than the torture they'd be forced to endure at Death Eater hands. Although she was sure that neither she nor James would break, they would respect the pact they'd made with Moody so many months prior.

But, until there was no other option, she would do everything in her power to render it unnecessary.

"Let's get out of here," she said with as much bravado as she could muster.