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Again, a great thanks to my wonderful beta reader, Emily. She rocks!
CHAPTER 3
THE PLEA
Lily stood, looking shaken, just outside Hogsmeade. Her heart pounded, and she hoped nobody would see what she was up to. They would never understand. She looked at the mountains in the distance, the beautiful sky, and wished she could feel safe. But she knew she wasn't. She knew as long as she was with James, she would never be safe. A moment later a greasy black haired 7th year Slytherin met her.
"Severus, thank you for meeting me," she said, softly, pleadingly.
"I'm not sure how long I can stay." He said, urgently.
"I need to ask you a favor," she said, hoping his grudge wouldn't hinder this.
"Anything, Lily, you know that." He said.
"Please tell Voldemort not to harm James."
Severus' eyes narrowed and he looked angry. Angrier then Lily had ever seen him
"What makes you think I'm in touch with Voldemort?"
"Severus, please. I don't know that you are in touch with him," she lowered her voice, "but I know that you know people who are." She looked at him, the familiar black eyes looking at her. "I still care about you, I always will. And I don't see how you getting mixed up in that lot are going to help you. When will you see that it's not you Voldemort cares about? I won't stand by and watch you get hurt, but I'm not going to turn my back on James to protect you. Please don't do anything stupid."
"We are choosing different paths. You chose Potter. There is some power in that. He has the money. He has the popularity. How is that different then Voldemort?"
"James doesn't destroy lives," Lily said.
"That's debatable," he said looking at Lily.
"You were going along a path I couldn't follow, Severus. You know that's why I ended it. It was two years ago; you need to let it go. I'm in love with James now," she was talking quietly, hoping to ease the blow.
"I can't believe you'd ask me to protect him."
"For me, Severus, please." Lily looked pleadingly at him.
Snape was trapped in an internal battle. He still loved Lily, obviously she knew that. She could see the struggle going on inside him. Throwing caution to the wind, she continued, "I'm going to help him, whether you help me or not. The safer James is, the safer I am."
"Do you know what that means, Lily?" Snape asked, softly.
"Yes, I do. I know that puts me at tremendous risk. What would you do, if it were me?" She looked into his dark eyes.
"I can't promise anything. The Dark Lord is determined. But I will help you as much as I can."
Lily swallowed. It was really more then she'd deserved from him. "Thank you."
There were only four more days left at Hogwarts. Remus sat on his bed looking at his belongings. He felt hollow. The past seven years had been the best of his life. Now he had to return to his parents' house and live his life once again as an outcast. Nobody would hire him. Nobody would understand. It seemed all the other Gryffindors were excited to move on. James and Sirius would be helping Dumbledore and the Ministry. Peter even had plans. He was going to into training to be an apothecary. Everyone seemed to have some great ambition. Lily and James were getting married that summer. Alexander Newton was going to become a Medi-wizard. But Remus was a werewolf. And there was no place for him in the wizarding world. He wondered about Sirius. Would this mean their relationship was over? He was brought out of his thoughts by the door opening and Sirius beaming at him.
"Hello," Remus said, trying to force a smile.
"What is it?" Sirius asked, crossing the room and sitting down next to Remus.
"I guess I'm just a little sad to be leaving. I can't believe it's been seven years already."
"The time did fly didn't it?" Sirius picked up a picture of him, Remus and James in their first year. He laughed, then remembered why he wanted to talk to Remus. "Moony, I'm going to Rome next week. A sort of after school holiday before I begin work. James was supposed to come with me but felt he had better see his family before he starts at the ministry," Sirius swallowed. He knew what he was asking meant taking a big step in the relationship.
"I want you to come with me." Sirius looked into Remus' brown eyes.
"You want me to go on holiday with you?" Remus asked, touched and a little surprised.
"Yes." Sirius reached out his hand and put it on top of Remus'.
"I'd love to," Remus replied. He leaned in and met Sirius' lips.
At Hogsmeade station four days later the whole gang met one last time on the Hogwarts Express. Lily and James sat hand in hand next to the window; Remus sat next to Sirius, his cloak covering the spot Sirius' hand had wandered to. And Peter was next to James, by the door. But this final journey was different from all the others they'd taken. There was a kind of reverence as they left. The train rattled and tears fell but nobody spoke for nearly twenty minutes.
"Be a bit strange won't it? Not coming back?" Peter asked, not able to take much more of the silence.
"We've got a lot ahead of us. It won't be easy stopping Voldemort. But we have to do it," James said, looking out the window. The truth was he was scared. They were all scared. James tried to convince himself and Lily that he would get out of this battle alive, but he wasn't so sure he would.
"You don't have to, James," Sirius said. "You can go into hiding too. You shouldn't put yourself in so much danger."
"My family needs me to do this for them. They need me to fight and win. My father is fighting Voldemort, why shouldn't I?"
Lily's eyes pleaded with him. She knew there was not talking him out of fighting Voldemort. They had been over this argument a dozen times. But she couldn't imagine her life without James. And he was putting himself in enormous risk by going head to head with Voldemort. "You have your life ahead of you," she said softly.
"What kind of life would it be with Voldemort in power? And as long as he is around I will always be in danger. I can't just hide and wait for him to find me. I have to fight."
"Don't worry, Lily. James is the smartest in our class. There isn't a curse he can't figure out," Remus said, hoping to cheer her up. It didn't seem to work. She hoped that Severus would help her. But she was doubtful. Severus was her wild card, her ace in the hole. He was the way she could help James. But his cooperation seemed impossible.
Nobody said much more until the train reached Kings Cross. It was dark outside and a bit colder then usual for mid June. Mr. Potter and Mr. Black stood inside the barrier, obviously to make sure James got off the train safely. Their usual casual demeanor was plagued with concern and fear.
"Everything alright?" James asked, fearful as they reached the pair of men.
Mr. Potter's eyes darted downward, and James could have sworn he saw a tear in them. A moment later Sirius was at his side.
"They got Aunt Eleanor and her whole family. While they were sleeping," Mr. Black said stoically. "Eleanor was hiding out not far from your family and they found her. If the Death Eaters hadn't made such a racket they would have found your mother and Melly as well. They were just 100 yards away. It only took one call by Floo to alert the Ministry. A couple of them were caught, but most of them got away."
James swallowed hard. He looked at his father who was leaning on Mr. Black now. "Mum and Melly have been moved then?" James asked, his voice shaking.
"Yes. And they are waiting for you. We will bring you to them, but you must come alone. I'm sorry," Mr. Black said, looking at Sirius knowing he would want to come as well.
James turned to his friends. "Have fun in Rome," he said to Sirius.
"I can't possibly go away now," Sirius said.
"No, go. You'll need the holiday. Who knows when you'll get another one?" Sirius looked uncertain, but James knew he was going to go. He also knew Remus was going with him. He knew they would have a wonderful time, and James wanted them to. His eyes scanned Lily next. She had tears running down her cheeks. "I won't be away long," he whispered to her as he embraced her. "I promise. You go with Sirius and move into our flat, I'll be there soon." He kissed her cheek. Then he glanced at Peter and Remus with a sort of seriousness. "Keep yourselves safe," he said. And then turned to his father.
Mr. Black ushered James and Mr. Potter away. And the other four stood alone staring at the stone barrier that they disappeared through.
The rest of the night was clouded by silence and fear. Lily looked white when she met her parents outside the barrier. Peter looked confused and helpless as his mother met him and took his trunk. Remus had told his parents he would be staying with Sirius tonight in the two bedroom flat he and James had rented just outside of London. They gave each other meaningful glances and then got into a Muggle taxi just outside of Kings Cross.
"What are you thinking?" Remus asked when Sirius hadn't spoken in nearly ten minutes.
"How are we supposed to enjoy Rome? My family is involved in this too. We will fight to the death for the Potters."
"Then you know they are in good hands. There is nothing you can do right now, is there?" Remus asked.
"No." Sirius looked glum. "I'm not sure there is anything I can do ever. I can't just be having fun in Rome while James is trying to save his family from Voldemort."
"James wants you to go. He wants you to have a break. Then you can come back and be better equipped to help." Remus put his hand on Sirius's shoulder.
"I know," Sirius said. The rest of the evening was spent in silence. When they arrived at their new flat, Sirius fell asleep almost immediately, much to the disappointment of Remus.
Green flames rose in the fireplace in a small two bedroom flat and moments later Remus popped out of the fire, brushing himself off and picking up his rucksack. He had just stepped out of the fire when Sirius appeared. He was in much better spirits. Mostly due to an owl he received two days into his holiday. It was from James and said that they had found another place to hide and everyone was safe.
"Prongs," Sirius called dropping his bags on the ground in the living room. There was no answer. "Prongsie?" Sirius called again. A mischievous grin came to his face when he turned to Remus. "I think we're alone." He pressed his lips to Remus and led him down the small hallway to the back of the house where the bedrooms were. "We never really got a chance to check out that bed did we?" Sirius' eyes gleamed. Just as they reached the door to Sirius' bedroom the door to the other room opened.
James appeared his already untidy hair more tousled then usual, wearing only sweatpants.
"You're back," James said out of breath.
Sirius held in a snicker. "Yes we are. Were you sleeping?" He laughed.
James blew off the comment. "How was Rome?" He asked. A second later Lily appeared in the doorway, covered only in a blue satin sheet. She didn't look at all sheepish about being caught in this situation.
"Hi Lily," Sirius said, his smile broadening.
"Sirius, Remus. Was Rome beautiful?" She asked.
"I don't know. We never left the hotel," Sirius smiled at Remus. Remus turned red.
James was looking at Lily and clearly didn't hear what they'd said. "Well, you know where your room is," he trailed off as Lily left his side. Then turned to follow her and closed the door.
Remus and Sirius both broke out into laughter. They looked at each other, then to the room that seemed to be calling them. It was bare. There were no pictures on the walls and the only piece of furniture was a bed. Sirius took Remus by the waist and led him into the bedroom.
Lily
Tonight at midnight an attack is planned on James. Please be aware and cautious. Don't be anywhere near his flat.
Severus
Lily looked at the parchment horrified. She grabbed her wand and went as fast as she could to James house.
Sirius grasped the zipper on Remus' robes in his teeth and moved down his body, exposing more skin as he went. His hands met the bare skin and a moan escaped Remus' mouth. Suddenly, Sirius stopped.
"Shhh," he said and cocked his head as if to hear something. He jumped up and gasped, "James," and ran out of the room, readjusting his own robes as he went. Just behind him he heard Remus zip up his clothes and follow. Sirius used his wand to force James door opened and saw a Death Eater in a mask standing in his room.
"Profundus immobilus," Sirius yelled, and the Death Eater fell to the floor. He ran over to James, who had his own wand out and ready, but looked like he had the wits scared out of him.
"How did he get in here?" Sirius asked.
"He Apparated. We didn't think about that, did we? They can just come into our house and kill us, can't they?" James was shaken.
Remus looked out the window. "Was it just the one?" He asked.
"I think so." Sirius coaxed James to sit down on the bed and put his hand on a shoulder. "You see anymore, Moony?"
"No," he said with a slight concern in his voice. "But they never attack alone," he said under his breath. "Contact the Ministry. Get them out here." Remus held out his wand, "I'll go outside and look around."
"Remus," Sirius began.
"I'll be fine. You stay here with James. Contact the Ministry." He was gone.
Remus cautiously walked down the street, noticing the streetlights had been extinguished. He lit his wand and looked around. At the end of the street he saw four people standing, three apparently had been stunned. He prepared to battle, but no wands were drawn. The three that were stunned had masks on, but one had her wand in her hand. He narrowed his eyes and saw who was standing in front of him. It was Lily, looking pale and scared. "One got away," she said shakily.
Remus walked to her. The three masked Death Eaters stood unnaturally still. He put out a hand to comfort her.
"James?" She asked, still in shock.
"He's fine. Are you alright?"
"I knew they were coming. I had to stop them. I tried to hex all of them, but it didn't work. One gave me this," she turned her face and Remus saw an open wound on her head. "He didn't think to use his wand, he just hit me. Then he Disapparated."
"It's okay. The Ministry is on the way." Remus looked at the other people standing there. He wanted to take off their masks, so see who they were. But he didn't. The Ministry would be there soon enough. He took Lily by the shoulder and led her toward the flat. "Come inside. James will want to see you." Remus walked Lily down the street. What he didn't see was someone he trusted was standing just behind him, wearing a mask. Someone he treated as a brother. Peter Pettigrew.
By the time Remus and Lily had walked back to the flat, five Ministry officials were there. They had the Death Eater bound and were taking him to question him when Remus and Lily walked through the door. Everyone was surprised to see Lily.
"What are you doing here?" James asked trying to control his trembling.
"She stopped the rest of them from coming here." Remus said. He saw the glance exchanged between Lily and James and then wondered if he'd said something wrong.
"How did you know they were coming?" James asked suspiciously.
"I got an owl telling me," Lily said.
"An owl from whom?" James asked narrowing his eyes.
"Mr. Potter. Sorry, but we need to ask you some questions. Would you come with us to the Ministry?" An Auror asked. James took his eyes off Lily and looked at the Auror.
"Frank," a Ministry wizard standing in the doorway said, "We checked out the street and it seems he is the only one." The wizard said to the Auror who was talking to James.
"No," Remus said, "there were three others."
"We didn't see anyone else," the wizard disregarded what Remus had said and closed his notebook. "I think we're done here."
Sirius looked perplexed. "What about James. He's not safe here."
"They won't come back," another wizard said. It was obvious they were anxious to get this over with and return to their homes.
"But what if they do?" Sirius asked, grabbing the Auror by the robes.
"If it would help you feel better, Mr. Black, I will stand guard outside. Just let me tell my wife I won't make it home tonight."
"Thank you," Sirius said. He looked at Remus. "We have to find a better way. We can't have an Auror outside all the time."
"I'll search for something tomorrow," Remus said.
After days of searching and endless nights of easing Sirius' fears that James will be killed if they don't watch over him constantly, Remus finally found a spell that would help James. It involved some very difficult incantations and at least two other people to make it as effective as possible, but it was the only spell he could find.
"It's called the Portus Salus Charm," he told Sirius and James as they sat in the living room of their flat. "It will entail Sirius and I drinking a Salus potion then taking our blood after we've had the potion and putting our blood in the potion you drink. You drink that potion; Sirius and I will say the incantation, Portus Salus ab hinc persona, keeping the emphasis on Salus and persona. The only problem is we have no way of knowing if it worked unless someone tries to attack you. We also have no way of knowing if someone has broken the charm. So it's a bit risky, but it's the best thing I could find so far."
"It's better then nothing," James said. "And maybe Sirius will finally be able to sleep so he can actually be functional at work."
Sirius didn't respond to the remark. "This is the best you could find?" He asked Remus half annoyed, half admiring the work he'd put into this.
"Yes. But if it makes you feel better, it works 85% of the time. As long as we say the incantation right and mix the potion correctly, then it will work.
"I guess there is no other choice." Sirius looked at his hands hopelessly then felt Remus lace his own fingers through his.
"It's just until we find something better," Remus said.
Lily had gotten wind of this charm and was adamant that she too be involved. The more people involved the stronger the potion. Lily had also mentioned they should get Peter to do it also, but something in the pit of Remus' stomach told him they should probably leave Peter out of it.
It had only taken two days to get the potion concocted and the four of them sat quietly in a circle around a single blue bell flame. They all looked at James as each person drank the bitter potion then cut a small gash in their finger. When the last drop of blood had been added to the potion and the potion bubbled, James drank it. He was afraid he wouldn't be able to swallow it. It seemed his gullet had forgotten how to work and the horrid taste of blood and the potion sat in his mouth. He took a deep breath and then swallowed. Immediately the incantation followed so in unison that he couldn't make out any individual voice. "Portus Salus ab hinc persona," they chanted. A sudden sensation of arms wrapping themselves around James came to him. He felt safe. He didn't know if that meant the charm had worked or if it was just his mind playing games. But he liked the feeling. He liked the safety that he hadn't felt in months.