Chapter 1

With a sigh, Lily Potter fell onto the empty double bed and stared at the silver river of moonlight that shone across the room from the French windows. The bed had that newly made, clean-sheeted feel from them against the bare skin of her arms, and besides for the steady, rhythmic ticking of a small clock in the corner, for the moment the world was at peace.

As she looked at the opposite side of the bed, a wave of guilt washed over her. She'd been so absorbed in her work lately that she barely ever had time to sit ad talk with her husband. If she had, maybe she'd know where he was at three in the morning instead of lying, peaceful and yet alone, in this final piece of free time.

It wasn't that she didn't want to spend time with James, but current circumstances made it nearly impossible. He was rushing about in the apocethary, while she was out in all weathers and times tracking down death eaters. As she'd been warned on the first day of her training – The job is a lonely one, and you have to be willing to sacrifice everything you hold dear if they find out who you are.

"Lily," said a voice in her ear, sounding tinny and not quite focused. "Lily, can you hear me?"

Lily groaned and hit her ear, as if she hoped the charm surrounding her ear and transmitting the sound would end if she did. This was the first bit of free time she'd had for so long, why do I get called out now?

"Sirius," she whined childishly, "not now. I just got back!"

"Sorry, but we need all the back-up we can get. We've uncovered an actual meeting, Lily! Not just some dark magic signatures, a real meeting! We're recording all that's being said on a muggle tape recorder… once the meeting ends we're going to grab as many as possible…." His voice said pleadingly. Lily grumbled and, without moving her body, fumbled or her robes on the bed, and whipping out her wand.

"All right… I'm coming, I'm coming. Hold your blooming horses… git." She murmured, adding the last bit silently. There was a sudden, sharp pain in her ear.

"I heard that! Apparate as soon as you can, we're at a village called Little Hangleton," Sirius's voice faded out as she ruffled her red hair through long fingers, and placed oval glasses over her sparkling green eyes. The life of an auror was never dull, but never safe. She knew that if a war situation hadn't been declared that she would have been fired by now. However…

*

Five minutes later she found herself tearing through a wood, her ankles nipped by brambles on the forest floor, and the dying screams of some poor soul behind her. She could barely see anything through the darkness of the wood, she could barely see her own hands in front of her, but she could hear the coarse breathing and not-so-light footsteps of the death eater she'd been tracking near enough ahead. She gave little accord as a gorse bush ripped part of her robes, and less accord as a branch scratched her face. She simply put her arm to the cut, and wiped the crimson mixture from her face. Although it didn't quell the staunch, it did give her a chance to see just how badly she'd been scratched. She was vaguely aware of a trickle of the same crimson blood seeping from her forehead, mingling with her hair to form a knot, but she had no time to think how she'd gotten hurt… there was quite a scramble, but before she'd broken away from the crowd she was pleased to note that Sirius had tackled Malfoy.

She began to grow angry. Whoever she was chasing just didn't seem to run out of breath. Was he some kind of super human monster? She was exhausted as it is, but though her feet cried out for rest, she ignored them. She wouldn't loose another seep from the flock. She whirled her wand through the air, and shouted;'expelliarmus!'

Another swishing sound ahead of her told her that it had been counter cursed before it had struck its target. She was so close, but so far away. Blood was now trickling down her neck, a warm liquid that made her feel dizzy. Her ankles began to show the damage of the nips from the brambles, and in final desperation, she stretched her legs and tried in vain to run faster.

Her foot caught in a tree root, sending her tumbling to the ground. There was a yelping sound ahead of her, but as she fell in the darkness, she surprised to hit not a ground littered with years of autumn leaves, but another warm body beneath her.

She had tripped the death eater! She had accidentally caught him!

She grabbed the back of his robes, and pulled him to his feet, still with a firm grip on him.

"Lumos," she whispered softly, as dim, shimmering light filled the thicket that surrounded them. He did not turn, so she couldn't see his face.

"Ok, I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt –" she always did this, but didn't know why. She gave them a chance to renounce their wicked ways, in exchange that they told her their name and weren't found to be dabbling in the dark artsor torturing innocents again. "-If you renounce Voldemort and all his ideas," the question hung in the air. She gave a fierce tug on the back of his robes, her teeth gritted.

"SAY IT!" she shouted angrily.

A sullen voice replied to her. "I renounce Voldemort and all his ideas," it mumbled, definitely a male voice. It filled her with something like remorse. It was the voice of a father, of a husband, a kind voice hidden beneath a sulk. She hardly imagined this as a death eater's voice. Usually they were filled with sarcasm, anger, or sobbing and pleading to be set free

"What is your name/?" she asked, in a now stern, teacherly voice. Her eyes sparkled in the wand light, as curiosity got the better o her. There was no reply, but he seemed to tremble a bit. Under the touch of her hand to his robes.

She rolled her eyes, grabbed his shoulder and turned to face him. She nearly screamed at who was facing her. Finally, he replied.

"James Potter."