A/N: Here you go- another chapter for you! Please excuse the shortness; I will write more soon- that's a promise. Hehe- and sorry for not getting back to Lily and James right away, but I feel like being annoying...
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Chapter 33- Confrontation
Chloe and Remus tumbled out of The Three Broomsticks, positive that another sip of butterbeer would not be smart. They glanced around, surprised to see that the sun was setting and casting shadows across the ground.
"Where is everyone?" Chloe asked softly, grabbing Remus' arm and shivering. Something was wrong. Something.
"I dunno..." he paused, frowning. "Let's start walking and see if we catch up to them. They must be around here somewhere."
"Uh-huh." she replied awkwardly.
So they walked. It was strange; so silent and motionless. But they clung to each other, until spotting Jennifer and Sirius laughing together off to the side of the street. While they shuffled over, a peculiar breeze filled the air. It was unnatural, for some nameless reason.
"Where have you guys been?" Remus asked.
Chloe added, "We've been looking forever."
"We've been…er, enjoying ourselves a little bit?" Sirius grinned and winked at Jennifer, who shook her head good-naturedly, forgiving him of his inane attitude.
"Stop there- I don't feel like finding out what you mean by that." Remus sighed.
Chloe had been looking around apprehensively. "I don't know why, but I don't think we should be out here now. Let's go back to the castle."
"Where are Lily and James?" Jennifer wondered aloud.
"We haven't seen them in a couple hours…"
"Well let's look around a bit. They're bound to be around here someplace."
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"Lily," James whispered. "Run. I'll be alright. Just go."
She turned to him and replied quietly, furiously, "Do you really think I'm going to leave you here alone, again? Like you can take care of yourself!" she snorted, joking only so that she wouldn't scare herself. It wasn't working. "James…"
They watched together as the eyes became larger, closer. And then through the dusk, a man's figure appeared. They knew that man. They knew him well. Both Lily and James turned together and tried to flee, but Voldemort had already charmed them, without them noticing. They were rooted to the spot.
"What the hell!" James turned back towards Voldemort defiantly. "Go ahead and kill me then." he yelled.
"James, no. Be careful." Lily whispered, aware that he was a little too far away to reach from where she was.
"But save her." He added a little more quietly.
Voldemort simply looked at him, watching him, refusing to blink or cease. He walked in circles around them. James thought his heart might jump out of his throat any second. What good was being a Gryffindor if courage didn't come with it?
"What's your plan this time?" Voldemort laughed shrilly. "You have no precious girlfriend to save you now. You have no Dumbledore. In fact, I don't believe you're even supposed to be out here at all." Another laugh. James felt a compulsion to cover his ears, to close his eyes. But it wasn't a dream, and he couldn't force it to be one.
"What do you want from us?" Lily's voice was steady, and her speech surprised all three of them.
"What do I want, mudblood? What do I want?" he rubbed his chin. "Does this sound good to you? I want to see your boyfriend dead, and I want you to watch. And then, of course, we can have no witnesses, so you would be next." He said it as simply as if stating weekend plans.
Lily swallowed loudly. Where was help when you really needed it?
"I won't listen to you. I won't do what you want." James sneered violently. "You can kill me, but I'll never listen to you."
"And I would want you to?" Voldemort feigned surprise. "What good is a Gryffindor to me?" he derided. "I have one already, and he is almost worthless anyway."
"You have a-a Gryffindor?" James wasn't thinking.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" Voldemort's attitude changed again. "Enough of this nonsense! I'm sick of fooling around with you two." He released their root curse, but reinstated it with another one, so that they floated along behind him against their will. He may as well lock us behind bars, in a cage.
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Sirius, humming jolly tunes and looking stupid, as usual. Jennifer, sighing in comic defeat. Remus, quiet and thoughtful, smiling at Chloe. And Chloe, looking around fearfully.
They were the only four to be seen along the street. Who else was stupid enough to be shopping after dark? It was chilly; a night to stay inside.
"Where are they?" Chloe was getting impatient, afraid. Remus shrugged, grabbing her hand and smiling again to himself. Chloe looked at her friends and normally would have laughed, knowing how odd of a bunch they were, but right then...it wasn't the moment. "What's going on with you guys?! Lily and James are missing and all three of you are in your own little worlds!"
They had all stopped, and turned to face Chloe, reflecting upon what she had said.
Sirius raised his eyebrows in the humorous way that only he could. Jennifer sighed for the millionth time. "Sorry, Chlo." she mumbled. "But they've probably gone off for a little fun or something..."
But Remus, who had been quiet, realized Chloe's point. "You guys, she's right. Something doesn't seem right to me. I say we take a look around. And not just on the street. If something has gone wrong, they won't be out where everyone can see them..." his eyes were beginning to mirror Chloe's.
Nothing else was said, but they gradually headed in the direction of the forest, knowing that it was the closest place around where people could be...hid.
They could all feel the fearful atmosphere- coming even from Sirius. And when Sirius wasn't joking, something was surely wrong.
And then, voices. They stopped as one and stretched their hearing.
A cackle. "I know you, James. Better than you think." they tensed at this, their eyes wordlessly searching for where the voice was coming from. It was pitch black by then, under the trees a ways inside the forest. And it was quiet, deathly quiet...except for that one voice. "And you, Lily. I know your type. I know what you're thinking. And you're just too stupid to run away and save yourself, even when you know it's hopeless. I would be compelled to call you a coward."
Sirius clenched his fists. And then he heard Lily's voice ring out, unmoved. "I would say that you are more of a coward, Voldemort." she said the name slowly, flowing with hatred. "Are you so much of one that you cannot kill us where people will see? You have to come up on us, when we have no defense, and take us then?"
He seemed to be thinking about this, or just angry; there was no response. Remus decided to take this chance, which might be the only one to take. He jumped towards where he supposed the voices were coming from, having no godly idea what he was doing, and saw Voldemort standing in front of Lily and James, who were standing before him, their arms and legs bound by magic.
Voldemort turned around slowly, surprised that someone else was around. But before he could completely see Remus, the dark-haired boy shot a curse at him furiously. Voldemort was ill prepared, non-expecting, and he had no time to guard himself. But he did manage to grunt out a spell in James' direction. James collapsed.
Voldemort's arms and legs had turned to mush and his wand had fallen. He couldn't reach it like this. Outmatched by a spell learned by first years in their spare time- he cursed himself and the others. But seeing his weakness, he disapparated with a 'pop'.
"James!" Lily rushed over to him, putting a hand lightly to his face. "He's cold." she said softly.
"Let's get him back to Hogwarts." Sirius said, peering around with uneasy eyes.
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A/N: As usual- please review!! I'll update again ASAP!
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Kase- Thanks again! They are rather creepy...
-_- - Hehe, I'm glad you think they're cute together ;) Thanks for reviewing!
SilverTears13- Thanks again =) I'm soo happy you're been reviewing all this time!
MarauderChic-Lily- Hehe, I know, sorry about that. I have to write the chapters quickly in order to get them out, which makes them short =( But hopefully I can get another short one out quickly!
Alex- Thanks so much! I like Sirius and Jennifer too...then again I like all of them ;)
AnotherKoolKitty- Lol, no need to be sorry, I did the same with your stories...hopefully I'll not do that anymore ;) Thanks for reviewing, of course.
~`Sugar`~- Lol, sorry....but at least I should be able to write more often this week, with a three day week ;) But of course, they'll probably give us endless homework, just because of an extra day.
dreamcatcher- I think it's sweet too, lol. Thanks for reviewing- again!