A/N I am sooo happy with all the reviews I've got so far! Thankyou sooo much! Anyway, this chapter is different to my other ones so far, deeper in parts and much fluffier in other parts. It's… well, I'm thinking this begins the PG-13 rating, mainly for themes. I know when people say themes they mean other things, but this really is themes. Um… so yeah. Please review, and seriously, tell me what you think. I really want to know.
~Stef
"As far as I know, and I have made a study on this kind of thing, there's only one way to secure magic without using magic."
"The double circle," Lily supplied. She had been just as interested as James in magical theory when they were taking the lessons.
"Yes. It needs a circle of seven and a circle of eight. As far as I can see, that's the only way one of us can do magic."
"We only have eight people," Lily told him. "We'd need another eight!"
James's face was blank, devoid of all emotion as he said, "I know."
Lily looked at him, and James didn't look away. His face might have been blank, but his eyes weren't. They were full of fear, despair, and sadness, coupled with resignation. "Are you saying…?" Lily asked softly, unsure but dreading his answer.
"That's what I'm saying. Perhaps… maybe… look, it's not my decision at all. I'm probably the least qualified here to decide. But, well, we need to sort out any possible escape plans. I know we've only been here a day, but I know that my theory is correct. And I know that the only way to get away is the double circle. You need to know my idea, and then you can talk to Rebecca, Amanda, and Christine about it."
"I'm not misunderstanding, James, am I?" Lily asked softly.
"You're not. The spell doesn't care about the age or the experience of the wizards or witches in the circle, as long as they're holding hands. To get off this island, we would need eight more wizards. There is only one way to do that."
"But," Lily stammered, trying to think of an alternative, "The ministry! The ministry will send out a search party!" As soon as she said it, Lily knew she was wrong. Ministry policy on something this big and potentially dangerous was to wait a century, try again, and then give up. "Our families! They'll come searching!" Again, she knew it wouldn't happen. The ministry had told their families nothing about this trip, only that they were going away for at least a week, and that it was dangerous. Nothing more. "Well… there must… there's got to be a way! No! We can't! No!"
"I know. Forget it. We'll stay here. Maybe there will be a search party." James's voice held no hope.
"We can't just stay here! There won't be a search party! You know the policy!" Lily was getting hysterical, and for once in her life, she didn't care. She was completely torn.
"We don't have any choice!" James said harshly. "To do it, we need eight more people. It isn't fair on you witches, not to mention the children! Forget it. We'll find another way."
Lily smiled humourlessly. "The only other way is the saltwater circle. It requires magic to activate it. You're right. I… overreacted." It was hard to say, but Lily knew that it was necessary.
"Let's sleep on it. We can discuss it in the morning."
They went to their separate beds, both trying desperately to think of other solutions. There were none, and they both knew it.
The next morning, Lily woke up at six-thirty. She cursed, and reached for her wand to cancel the spell she had cast to wake her up each day. Then she swore again, remembering. Lily got up, planning to have a shower, and saw James on his way to the bathroom.
"Spell wake you up?" he asked her. "Me too, damnit."
"Yeah," Lily admitted. "D'you want first shower?"
"No, that's okay, you have it. Toast and coffee good for breakfast?"
"Yes, thanks." James smiled at her, and went off to the kitchen area. Lily went to take her shower.
She thought about James's idea. It would work. It would probably take at least two years, more if the children were squibs and less if someone had twins, but they would get off the island. That wasn't the problem, it would work. The problem was the emotional issues. Was she ready to have children? Of course she wasn't, and she doubted that she would be for a long time. Physically, of course, she could, but emotionally and mentally… that was another cauldron of frog guts. Then there was the others to think about. Would the other women be prepared to have children for the sake of getting off the island? They could be persuaded, of course, but how would they really feel about it? And what about the kids they had? How would the children feel, knowing that the only reason they had been born was to help their parents get off an island? It would be hard on them, very hard. It would definitely get out, their story would be in newspapers.
Despite all of it, Lily knew that James was right. Ultimately, they would end up carrying out his plan. It was the only way. That didn't mean Lily had to feel good about it, but she realised that when James had the job of telling the group his escape plan, Lily would be right there beside him. He would need the support, for his own peace of mind if nothing else.
Lily got out of the shower and dressed. Breakfast was calling her. James offered her a plate of toast and a coffee, which she accepted with a smile. Then another thought hit Lily. If she was to have children, it would have to be with either Henry, Sirius, or James. That thought didn't sit well on her stomach. James looked at her, concerned, and Lily smiled at him weakly.
"It's just your idea," she told him. Then, with a sudden resolve, she added, "I know it has to be done. I'm just trying to convince myself."
James nodded and smiled tightly. "I'll have a shower now," he told her. As he passed her, he gripped her shoulder for a moment in unspoken sympathy/reassurance.
Lily finished her breakfast deep in thought. James came back ten minutes later.
"You okay?" he asked her.
"Fine. You know, I think we should do a survey of this island anyway. If we'll be here for a while, it would be good to know what we're facing. Then at the end of however long it takes, we'll tell the group your idea. We'll give them time, and then decide. Does that sound okay to you?"
"It sounds good," James told her.
"What do we tell everyone else?" Lily asked. "We can't just not say anything."
"Tell them the theory. But let's not tell them my idea, just that we have one."
"Right. Okay."
They left the tent to talk to the group together.
~*~*~
The next week wasn't as bad as Lily had anticipated. The Plains were warm and sunny, and had no animals larger than rabbits. The woods were cool, and they also seemed devoid of both dangerous and magical animals. The desert was dry and sandy, as all good deserts were. The group went through that quickly, seeing nothing moving larger than lizards and mice. Next came the tundra. It was as Lily had expected, cold. They didn't stay there to search for wildlife any longer than they had to.
The Department of Magical Discoveries had estimated that it would take one week to conduct a thorough investigation of the island, using Apparation. Even without it, it only took a week until they were back on the Plains, having made a complete circuit.
After the second day of that week, Lily had been the first to don muggle clothes. Wizarding robes were all very well for paperwork and potions, and they had plenty of handy pockets for different things. However, they weren't made for trekking across these types of terrain, because they were designed ultimately for Apparition or broomstick transport. Because of this, it wasn't long before the others put on muggle clothes too, muggle- and magical- born alike.
The other thing Lily had begun to notice, was James. At Hogwarts, they had become good friends. Out of school, working in the same department had strengthened their friendship. Lily couldn't imagine life without James, one of her closest friends. Now though, she was starting to notice other things about him, things that she had never really taken note of before.
Things like how when he smiled his eyes crinkled up. How they danced when he teased her, and how she believed him when he teased her much more readily than she did anyone else. She noticed the way he stood tall when he walked, the way that strand of hair always came over his forehead, and the way he laughed.
Christine told Lily that James as flirting with her. Lily denied it, or replied that James flirted with everyone. But still, Lily secretly hoped that Christine was right. It was unlikely, of course, but it was a dream. Somehow, her friend for the last few years had somehow become more than that. Sometimes, she found herself wondering what it would be like to kiss James. Occasionally, she thought back to James's solution for getting off the island, and wondered whether it wouldn't be so bad if it was with him. When that happened, she slapped herself smartly on her face. It worked, too, until James asked her why she kept hitting herself, and she had to stop.
As to Christine, Lily was rapidly developing a friendship towards the girl. Christine was only a little older than Lily herself (she had graduated two years before Lily did), and she was very friendly. Rebecca was nice enough, but she was quiet and she just didn't have Christine's bubbly, out-going personality. Sirius was Sirius, and that was enough said about him. Henry was a mystery, and one that Lily had yet to solve. He was shy, didn't talk much around her or around Christine or Rebecca. He did talk readily enough to all of the men and Amanda, though. Lily would have plenty of time to get to know him in the next two years. Amanda and her husband were friendly enough, too, but they were a lot older than the rest of the group. Lily, James, Sirius, Christine, and Rebecca were all in their twenties, while Amanda and Michael were both in their thirties.
Once they all reached the Plains, everyone's spirits dropped again. It had been a week, and they were scheduled to go back to the ministry today. They wouldn't be able to go back, though. Not for a long time. Lily, in the hopes that it would cheer everyone up, suggested a beach holiday. The others liked the idea, and so they all left for the beach.
As they walked, Lily smiled ironically. They were stuck on a magical island forever or until they had eight children, and they were going on a beach holiday? The idea was laughable, and she told James so. He laughed too, and the sound made Lily's heart flip. Damn it all! She swore mentally. That's the second time his laugh has done that to me today! Next thing you'll know, I'll be giggling and blushing whenever he comes near.
It was evening by the time they set up camp. James asked for a meeting in an hour, before going into the tent. As Lily followed him inside, she was Rebecca slipping off down the beach in the direction that Sirius had taken. She grinned to herself.
Suddenly, something was gripping her waist and her feet weren't touching the floor. She let out a yelp and twisted around furiously. Then she realised that it was James holding her up, and not some force of Dark Magic. Working with the Magical Intelligence Agency (the MIA) next door to her for the last year, some of their paranoia had rubbed off.
"Let me down!" she cried, struggling.
"Oh, I don't know…" James said, his voice giving Lily the shivers. "Unless you tell me what has you grinning."
"Okay, I'll tell you! Let me down!" She landed, and spun on James. "Don't do that again! What made you think I wouldn't tell you, anyway?" The scolding would have been more effective if she was scowling, but her smile had just intensified. Damn him, she thought again. Not for the last time.
"Oh, I don't know. But it's fun annoying you! So what's with the grin?"
"I saw Rebecca sneaking off after Sirius tonight. It looks like he's finally succeeded."
"Ah, I see," James replied, with mock solemnity. He sat on the sofa, and gestured for Lily to sit next to him. She sat, ignoring the funny fluttering feeling she suddenly had.
"This outfit will be complete once Christine and Henry get together," James said, yawning and nonchalantly putting his arm around Lily's shoulders, drawing her closer.
"Oh? Lily said lightly. "What if I wanted Henry?" She decided to be brave and rested her head on his shoulder, instead of wriggling away like she would have done two weeks before.
"Yeah right," James told her softly, tracing a finger down her jaw-line, over her lips and across her cheek. Lily's heart was pounding, and she was finding it hard to breathe.
She managed to say, "Yeah?" but it lacked her usual vigour.
James twisted until he was looking her straight in the face. "Yeah!" he told her emphatically, and reinforced it by kissing her. Lily was speechless.
"Oh," she said weakly, when he drew back. "Um."
"Still want Henry?" James asked her wickedly. "Because I'm sure it could be arranged…"
Lily rolled her eyes and grinned. "I would whack you with a pillow," she informed him, "but this is more fun." Lily kissed James again. And again. And again….
After what felt like ten seconds but was probably a lot longer, Lily stopped James.
"As much as I'd love to, we've got some people to talk to out there," Lily reminded James.
"Damn it!" he moaned. "Bloody wonderful. They're all going to think I'm cold-hearted and calculating, and…"
"Shh! Look, we'll tell them together. And we won't be forcing them into anything! We'll tell the truth- that it's the only way."
"I guess. We should go, I suppose."