Disclaimer: Same old stuff.
Chapter Thirteen
Voldemort turned to Mary, and she gasped. All the fires off hell seemed to burn in his eyes. "Stupefy!" Mary went down in a heap on the floor. Voldemort turned to the fireplace, and pulled a lever on the side of the mantle. A piece of the wall beside the fireplace slid aside, and opened up a doorway with stairs leading down. He began his descent to the room below, followed closely by Andrew. The Death Eaters were already beginning to apperate there.
The room was the size of a high school gymnasium, except circular in dimension, with a large pit with a raised lip around it in the center. The Death Eaters, who had all arrived by now, took their places along the outside of the pit. Voldemort climbed a small staircase to a platform level with the edge of the pit. He raised both of his arms, and shouted to the ceiling, "Emotreh Woks!" A green light filled the room. A bright green orb shot straight up from the center of the pit, hit the ceiling, and divided in two. The two orbs fell back into the pit, and hung suspended as if by strings. The two orbs again shot up, in unison, and began to circle the room, spinning faster and faster, chasing on another until no one could tell where one ended and the other began. They circled closer and closer, lower and lower, until it appeared that the rim of the pit was painted bright green. In the center of the ring, the green light smoothed out like the surface of a placid lake. An image began to form. The image of a young girl.
* * * * * * * * * * *
The sky was beginning to lighten, marking the start of a new day. Although the sun had not yet touched the horizon, four dark objects could be seen racing across the blue-gray sky. Sirius's stomach began to rumble. Looking down, he could see a small inn. He waved to his companions, "Oi! Breakfast!" He pointed towards the inn below. They nodded and all four began to slowly descend towards a wooded area not far from the inn.
"Lils," James held out his invisibility cloak. "You had better put this on. We don't know how many people in there might be looking for you. They won't know who helped you escape, so we're safe to go in." Lily slipped the cloak over her shoulders and brought the hood up to cover her head.
The four walked into the inn and sat down at the table. A muggle waitress walked up to them. She gave them a strange look when they ordered four plates of ham and eggs. "We'll take those to go, on second thought," said James. The waitress nodded and went to box their order. As they waited, their eyes darted warily about the inn. As far as they could tell, there were no other wizards or witches there.
After getting their breakfast, they went back to where they left their broomsticks. They sat down and began to plan their strategy for the rest of their journey home. The full moon was tomorrow night, and if they made good time, they should be in Hogsmeade tomorrow morning. But they wouldn't be able to sleep all night. This would be especially difficult for Lily, as she was still dropping off to sleep at a moment's notice. The decided that they would each take turns flying next to her, making sure that she stayed on her broom.
* * * * * * * * * * *
The girl who appeared in the pit had abnormally long brown hair. Her eyes burned hot with fury. "Who are you?" Demanded Voldemort. "You're not Lily Evans!"
"No, and neither will you see Lily Evans through any way of Dark Magic. With my death, I have protected her from you. Who am I you ask? I am the girl whose parents' lives you mercilessly took trying to reach me. Reach me! To betray my friend! The girl who gave her life to save the world, and her friend. You will be vanquished, Voldemort! I am Christina Eastman!" Voldemort's eyes widened in recognition. Christina glared back at him defiantly. "So, you remember me. That's surprising. After all, you kill without remorse, killing whoever and whatever gets in your way."
"I remember your parents, you foolish girl." Voldemort laughed. "They could've been valuable allies, not dying, cursing your name, and screaming for mercy like dogs."
"You lie!" Christina cried. "My parents would never curse me! Just as I would never betray Lily!"
Voldemort motioned for Andrew and two of his other Death Eaters as Christina's tirade went on. "Go to the forests outside of Hogsmeade, and await Miss Evans and her friends there." Voldemort instructed. "Once there, shoot them out of the sky, kill the others, and return Miss Evans to me." The three Death Eaters disapperated with a wave of Voldemort's hand, and he turned back to Christina.
* * * * * * * * * * *
They had been flying for hours. The sun had risen, burned hot, and set. It was now late in the night. They were exhausted. They were also within miles of Hogsmeade. "Look, James!" cried Lily. "I can see Hogsmeade just beyond those trees!" No sooner had the words come out of her mouth, there was a loud bang, and Sirius fell off his broomstick, screaming. James and Remus raced after him, trying desperately to get to him before he landed. Lily, followed suit, and landed soon after them.
By the time she had landed, Sirius was face up on the ground, with Remus's head on his chest. "Oh, God, Lily, James, He's dead!" Remus said in shock. Neither James nor Lily listened to him; however, their concentration was aimed at the three Death Eaters standing nearby.
"Expelliarmus!" Shouted Andrew. Lily's, Remus's, and James's wands flew through the air, and into Andrew's hands. "Crucio!" Remus and James slumped to the ground, screaming in pain.
"Stop it!" Whimpered Lily. "Leave them alone!"
"Leave them alone?" Andrew laughed. "If I leave them alone, I will have to kill them. I just thought that I'd have a little fun with them first." The other Death Eaters laughed gleefully at James and Remus's cries of torture.
A sharp wind blew, and Lily's hair flew wild in all directions around her face. Her pupil dilated, so that they appeared black instead of the beautiful green that they normally were. She held her arms straight above her head, hands together, fingers outstretched to the sky. She rose a complete foot off of the ground. Beside her, James and Remus passed out from pain. Andrew and the other Death Eaters' laughter died as a great white ball of light began to form between Lily's outstretched palms. She began to speak in an unutterable tone, "I TOLD YOU TO LEAVE THEM ALONE!!!" She pointed at Andrew, and his eyes grew wide in horror. He opened his mouth for a scream, that wouldn't come. His pale white skin began to split as the white light broke through. Two beams of light shot out from his chest, where his heart would be, and struck the two other Death Eaters beside him. With one last blast of light from Lily's fingertips, the three minions of Voldemort disintegrated.
Lily floated to the ground. Her hair and eyes were back to normal, but the glowing white light was still burning in her hands. She reached out a hand, and touched James's cheek. He began to stir. She took her hand, and touched Remus's cheek. He also went through the movements of waking up from a very deep sleep. Lily then lay her hands on Sirius; one hand over his heart, and one on his forehead. James and Remus awoke to the sight of Sirius, floating three feet from the ground, glowing intensely with a white light, seemingly suspended by Lily's hands above him. He began to breathe. He opened his eyes, and he floated to the ground as if on strings. Lily's eyes rolled back into her head, and James caught her, just before her head hit the ground.
* * * * * * * * * * *
"Your efforts are in vain, Voldemort," Christina laughed. "Even as we speak, Lily and her friends are alive and on Hogwarts's grounds. Your Death Eaters have failed, and are dead! You can't touch her now!" Christina's image faded, and Lily's image could be seen being carried by James along the passageway from the Shrieking Shack towards Hogwarts.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Sirius and James (supporting a still unconscious Lily) trudged up the passageway. They could see the roots of the Whomping Willow ahead. Sirius looked around, but couldn't find a branch long enough to prod the knot. Suddenly, they could see a white rat clamber down and push the knot, freezing the tree. "Peter?" Sirius whispered. The three climbed up the hole where a very anxious Ana and a recently transformed Peter waited to take them to the Hospital Wing.
A/N Sorry it took so long to get this part up, but it took me a while to write it too. ;) If you would like to see the picture that inspired Voldemort's hidden room, please see the pic on my author's profile!
Chapter Thirteen
Voldemort turned to Mary, and she gasped. All the fires off hell seemed to burn in his eyes. "Stupefy!" Mary went down in a heap on the floor. Voldemort turned to the fireplace, and pulled a lever on the side of the mantle. A piece of the wall beside the fireplace slid aside, and opened up a doorway with stairs leading down. He began his descent to the room below, followed closely by Andrew. The Death Eaters were already beginning to apperate there.
The room was the size of a high school gymnasium, except circular in dimension, with a large pit with a raised lip around it in the center. The Death Eaters, who had all arrived by now, took their places along the outside of the pit. Voldemort climbed a small staircase to a platform level with the edge of the pit. He raised both of his arms, and shouted to the ceiling, "Emotreh Woks!" A green light filled the room. A bright green orb shot straight up from the center of the pit, hit the ceiling, and divided in two. The two orbs fell back into the pit, and hung suspended as if by strings. The two orbs again shot up, in unison, and began to circle the room, spinning faster and faster, chasing on another until no one could tell where one ended and the other began. They circled closer and closer, lower and lower, until it appeared that the rim of the pit was painted bright green. In the center of the ring, the green light smoothed out like the surface of a placid lake. An image began to form. The image of a young girl.
* * * * * * * * * * *
The sky was beginning to lighten, marking the start of a new day. Although the sun had not yet touched the horizon, four dark objects could be seen racing across the blue-gray sky. Sirius's stomach began to rumble. Looking down, he could see a small inn. He waved to his companions, "Oi! Breakfast!" He pointed towards the inn below. They nodded and all four began to slowly descend towards a wooded area not far from the inn.
"Lils," James held out his invisibility cloak. "You had better put this on. We don't know how many people in there might be looking for you. They won't know who helped you escape, so we're safe to go in." Lily slipped the cloak over her shoulders and brought the hood up to cover her head.
The four walked into the inn and sat down at the table. A muggle waitress walked up to them. She gave them a strange look when they ordered four plates of ham and eggs. "We'll take those to go, on second thought," said James. The waitress nodded and went to box their order. As they waited, their eyes darted warily about the inn. As far as they could tell, there were no other wizards or witches there.
After getting their breakfast, they went back to where they left their broomsticks. They sat down and began to plan their strategy for the rest of their journey home. The full moon was tomorrow night, and if they made good time, they should be in Hogsmeade tomorrow morning. But they wouldn't be able to sleep all night. This would be especially difficult for Lily, as she was still dropping off to sleep at a moment's notice. The decided that they would each take turns flying next to her, making sure that she stayed on her broom.
* * * * * * * * * * *
The girl who appeared in the pit had abnormally long brown hair. Her eyes burned hot with fury. "Who are you?" Demanded Voldemort. "You're not Lily Evans!"
"No, and neither will you see Lily Evans through any way of Dark Magic. With my death, I have protected her from you. Who am I you ask? I am the girl whose parents' lives you mercilessly took trying to reach me. Reach me! To betray my friend! The girl who gave her life to save the world, and her friend. You will be vanquished, Voldemort! I am Christina Eastman!" Voldemort's eyes widened in recognition. Christina glared back at him defiantly. "So, you remember me. That's surprising. After all, you kill without remorse, killing whoever and whatever gets in your way."
"I remember your parents, you foolish girl." Voldemort laughed. "They could've been valuable allies, not dying, cursing your name, and screaming for mercy like dogs."
"You lie!" Christina cried. "My parents would never curse me! Just as I would never betray Lily!"
Voldemort motioned for Andrew and two of his other Death Eaters as Christina's tirade went on. "Go to the forests outside of Hogsmeade, and await Miss Evans and her friends there." Voldemort instructed. "Once there, shoot them out of the sky, kill the others, and return Miss Evans to me." The three Death Eaters disapperated with a wave of Voldemort's hand, and he turned back to Christina.
* * * * * * * * * * *
They had been flying for hours. The sun had risen, burned hot, and set. It was now late in the night. They were exhausted. They were also within miles of Hogsmeade. "Look, James!" cried Lily. "I can see Hogsmeade just beyond those trees!" No sooner had the words come out of her mouth, there was a loud bang, and Sirius fell off his broomstick, screaming. James and Remus raced after him, trying desperately to get to him before he landed. Lily, followed suit, and landed soon after them.
By the time she had landed, Sirius was face up on the ground, with Remus's head on his chest. "Oh, God, Lily, James, He's dead!" Remus said in shock. Neither James nor Lily listened to him; however, their concentration was aimed at the three Death Eaters standing nearby.
"Expelliarmus!" Shouted Andrew. Lily's, Remus's, and James's wands flew through the air, and into Andrew's hands. "Crucio!" Remus and James slumped to the ground, screaming in pain.
"Stop it!" Whimpered Lily. "Leave them alone!"
"Leave them alone?" Andrew laughed. "If I leave them alone, I will have to kill them. I just thought that I'd have a little fun with them first." The other Death Eaters laughed gleefully at James and Remus's cries of torture.
A sharp wind blew, and Lily's hair flew wild in all directions around her face. Her pupil dilated, so that they appeared black instead of the beautiful green that they normally were. She held her arms straight above her head, hands together, fingers outstretched to the sky. She rose a complete foot off of the ground. Beside her, James and Remus passed out from pain. Andrew and the other Death Eaters' laughter died as a great white ball of light began to form between Lily's outstretched palms. She began to speak in an unutterable tone, "I TOLD YOU TO LEAVE THEM ALONE!!!" She pointed at Andrew, and his eyes grew wide in horror. He opened his mouth for a scream, that wouldn't come. His pale white skin began to split as the white light broke through. Two beams of light shot out from his chest, where his heart would be, and struck the two other Death Eaters beside him. With one last blast of light from Lily's fingertips, the three minions of Voldemort disintegrated.
Lily floated to the ground. Her hair and eyes were back to normal, but the glowing white light was still burning in her hands. She reached out a hand, and touched James's cheek. He began to stir. She took her hand, and touched Remus's cheek. He also went through the movements of waking up from a very deep sleep. Lily then lay her hands on Sirius; one hand over his heart, and one on his forehead. James and Remus awoke to the sight of Sirius, floating three feet from the ground, glowing intensely with a white light, seemingly suspended by Lily's hands above him. He began to breathe. He opened his eyes, and he floated to the ground as if on strings. Lily's eyes rolled back into her head, and James caught her, just before her head hit the ground.
* * * * * * * * * * *
"Your efforts are in vain, Voldemort," Christina laughed. "Even as we speak, Lily and her friends are alive and on Hogwarts's grounds. Your Death Eaters have failed, and are dead! You can't touch her now!" Christina's image faded, and Lily's image could be seen being carried by James along the passageway from the Shrieking Shack towards Hogwarts.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Sirius and James (supporting a still unconscious Lily) trudged up the passageway. They could see the roots of the Whomping Willow ahead. Sirius looked around, but couldn't find a branch long enough to prod the knot. Suddenly, they could see a white rat clamber down and push the knot, freezing the tree. "Peter?" Sirius whispered. The three climbed up the hole where a very anxious Ana and a recently transformed Peter waited to take them to the Hospital Wing.
A/N Sorry it took so long to get this part up, but it took me a while to write it too. ;) If you would like to see the picture that inspired Voldemort's hidden room, please see the pic on my author's profile!