Disclaimer- not mine.

Chapter Twenty: Of Rescue and Levitation

When he heard Lily's muffled screaming, James went into a state of shock. He didn't even realize that he had run out of the room until he arrived at the Portrait Hole. Fortunately, James had brought the Invisibility Cloak back with him. Unfortunately, the Fat Lady had gone off on a midnight visit to one of her friends leaving James stuck outside in his school trousers and a large t-shirt.

James felt like he must have waited for hours, and the hallways were beginning to lighten with the rising sun as the fat lady finally drifted back into her frame. Yawning so hard he could barely speak and eyes swollen with lack of sleep, James mumbled out 'Eenie Meenie Minie Mo' and stumbled into the Common Room. Not noticing that he was not alone, James just staggered up to the dorm, letting the door slam shut behind him. Sirius groaned and rolled over at the sound, but Peter didn't even budge. Remus, of course, was off being a wolf.

"Wassa matta?" Sirius asked thickly. James was silent for a moment, letting the events of the last few hours really sink in, pinching himself to make sure this wasn't just a bad dream. With renewed energy, James leapt over to Sirius and shook him awake.

"Sirius, Sirius you have to wake up! Something really bad just happened and I know who the kidnapper is and Lily's been kidnapped and it's Metus and there was a Death Eater and there's a Badger and and and…." Sirius sat up abruptly and stared at James.

"Okay, repeat what you said, but slower, and in comprehensible sentences."

"Right then. Lily. And. I. Found. Out. Who. The. Kidnapper. Is."

"Are you serious?" Sirius breathed. "I can't believe- hang on a tic. Where's Lil?"

"Well, that's the bad part. She's been-" Just then Remus fell into the room looked ashen and fragile, his sandy hair askew.

"Remus, are you alright?" Peter's squeaky voice piped up from his bed.

"Yeah," he wheezed in a barely audible voice. "I just wish they would keep me further away from Hogsmeade…I could smell the blood all night…" The three boys gave a collective shudder at the thought. After assuring himself that Remus was alright, Sirius returned his attention to James.

"James, are you sure that that wasn't just a dream or something?"

"NO! You have to listen to me. Metus is the kidnapper. Lily was taken by a Death Eater down a secret passage in her office. She might be being tortured right now…or she might even be- she might be-" James couldn't bring himself to say it.

"J-James? What're you talking about?" James could see the fear in little Peter's eyes.

"Yes, this better not be your idea of a joke, James. Because I don't find it in the least bit funny." Remus was looking deadly serious.

"Listen, if you just come with me then I'll show you. But we have to have a plan first or we'll be taken too. Who do we know that's missing?" Still skeptical, the others made a list of all the known missing students.

"Carolina."

"That Oliver kid."

"That hot Ravenclaw…erm…Padma McMillan?"

 "Lily's friend English."

 "The Hufflepuff girl, Jamie…Jamie…Jamie something-or-other."

"Louis Steinbeck. Gryffindor Fifth Year."

"Olivia Beckman. She's Artemis's girlfriend. Didn't have practice after she disappeared."

"That weird Hufflepuff with the funky name…Mundungulus or something…"

"Mauricia Klein."

"Ali Graham…wasn't she that blonde always hanging on Malfoy?"

"Patty Franklin…Gryffindor first year."

"I think that's it. Well, get your wands and let's go."

"James, shouldn't we get a teacher?" whimpered Peter.

"Petey, if we wait for a professor, they'll have probably moved the people since they know that we know where they're hiding everyone."

"Not to mention they wouldn't believe us," Sirius chimed in.

"Then what're we waiting for?" growled Remus. "James get your cloak. Can we all fit under it?" James nodded and flung the cloak about all of them.

"I didn't know you have an Invisibility Cloak!" exclaimed Peter as they walked out the door.

"Peter?" Sirius whispered.

"Yeah?" he whispered back.

"Shut up," James, Sirius, and Remus replied in unison. In twenty minutes they were standing in front of the badger.

"Open please," James commanded. The badger didn't move.

"Jaaaames, it's not ooopeniiiiiing…."

"Sirius shut it. I'm trying to remember what the hell it was that Lily said."

"Right then."

Then Peter whispered, "Would you move please?" The badger slunk back into the wall, revealing the staircase. The boys turned to stare at Peter. "What?" he asked. "Sirius was standing on my foot!" Giving a collective snort of relief and laughter, they all slipped down the stairs. However, the Cloak couldn't quite fit over four twelve-year-old boys moving in single file, so every so often one of James' legs became visible, along with Peter's tail-end.

They entered the warm room one right after the other. James was so preoccupied that he didn't even notice a tall-backed easy chair where there hadn't been a chair before. James stopped short, causing the others to slam into him. Maintaining his balance by grabbing onto the nearest tabletop, James slipped out of the Cloak and walked up to the wall beside the fireplace. The whole wall beside the fireplace. No cracks.

"Damn it," he muttered.

"What?" asked Remus, stepping up beside him.

"The wall. Me and Lily broke it open, and it's not open anymore."

"Braccio Maximo!" shouted Remus loudly. The wall formed a hairline crack.

"Nice one," commented Sirius. "Let's all try it. On three. One…Two…"

"BRACCIO MAXIMO!" The wall crumbled into tiny pieces before there eyes.

"Groovy." They all turned to stare at Peter.

"What? Me sister's a squib, and that's what all the muggles say. She wouldn't stop saying it all Holiday."

"I didn't know your sister was a squib," Remus said.

"Twin sister, actually. But yeah, she is…" James walked forward into the rubble settling around them and started off down the passageway. The others soon followed and gasped at the sight. There were now twelve bodies chained to the walls, but one was alive and kicking. Screaming and kicking, to be precise. Lily was hanging by her chained hands, toes barely scraping the ground and shrieking in pain. A sickening yellow jet of light connected her writhing body to the Death Eater. Suddenly, the curse stopped and Lily ceased screaming, breathing heavily.

"Who was your accomplice this morning, mudblood?" said the Death Eater menacingly.

"I-I-…I told you. I didn't have an accomplice," Lily wheezed out, face scrunched up against the pain. Her wand was lying on the ground in front of her and her hair and robes were singed.

"And I told you that you were a lying, little, worthless, good-for-nothing, mudblood," the Death Eater threatened. "Now tell me who it was. Or would a little more pain do the trick?"

Lily muttered something incoherent.

"What did you say?" her tormentor snarled.

"Do your worst." Lily snipped, bracing herself for an attack. "Bitch." 

"Whoa," the boys breathed as one. As another jet of light shot straight for Lily's chest, the marauders minus two just about lost it. James took a deep breath and stepped off of the edge, landing with a cat's grace (not to mention a couple of bruises). The Death Eater whirled around. The curse broke contact with Lily's body and fixed it's malice on James. He bit his lips until they bled to keep from allowing the creature the pleasure of hearing him scream. White hot knives were piercing his flesh, his skin was being ripped from his body, all while he was drowning in pain. Suddenly, James could breathe again. His limbs were still shaking and he had a hard time standing, but he was alive. The pain was gone.

Sirius was sitting on top of a stunned Cloaked figure, while Remus and Peter were busy unchaining prisoners and lowering them gently to the ground. Most were unconscious, though a precious few were awake enough to realize what was going on. Lily was the first one freed. She sank slowly to her knees after Remus had unlocked her bonds, rubbing her wrists. When James had collected himself, they started setting their minds to the newest problem.

"How the hell're we supposed to get out?" wondered Sirius. Lily got shakily to her feet and pointed her wand at him.

"Wingardium Leviosa," she croaked, her throat raw from screaming. Sirius hovered in the air higher and higher as Lily's wand raised further and further above her head until he was set down gently upon the ledge. Next went the hostages, the unconscious Death Eater, then Peter, Remus, and James. Before she sent James up, however, Lily had something to say to him.

"James…I-er…well…" Lily hesitated a moment, glancing up at the ledge. Assured that Sirius wasn't looking down, she planted a quick kiss on James' cheek. "Thanks." She whispered before casting the charm.

When James reached the top he kept his face perfectly neutral, though he couldn't help but think- "Whoa".

After Lily was safely atop the ledge, they started off, leaving the kidnapped ones hovering in front of them. But before they had gone more than three steps, Lily collapsed and could not be roused. The boys were all panicked, terrified that they would lose her after what they had just been through. Fortunately she had just passed out from the pain and the strain of casting that many powerful charms. Remus cast a quick levitation charm on her, adding her body to the group hovering above him. Walking slowly down the passage with the hostages, the boys remained silent. As they got closer to the light of the fire, Sirius checked his watch.

"It's already ten-thirty!" he told the other boys. "We must've been down here longer than we thought…" As they all contemplated that fact, they finally stepped out into Metus' office.

"Well now laddies," said a harsh voice, "what 'ave we here?" Peter jumped about five feet into the air as the squat professor emerged from behind the tall chair.

"P-Professor Metus?" squeaked Sirius.

"Yes. And were you going somewhere with these students?" she answered in a voice that made their blood run cold.

"Why did you kidnap them?" Remus asked plainly.

"Now really Mr. Lupin," Metus said. "You're one of my brightest students. Are you telling me that you motley second years can work out how to break into my office and where the kidnapped students are, but you can't figure out why I did it?"

"No, they can't, Melissa. But I believe I can." They all swirled around hurriedly to see Albus Dumbledore in all of his radiating power and grace standing on the topmost step leading down to her office.

"Headmaster?" whispered Metus, disbelievingly. Without bothering with goodbyes she flung green powder into the fire and stepped in. With a wave of her wand, the Death Eater that James had control over soared to her and the Professor cried, "Little Hangleton!"

Dumbledore sighed, and walked down the rest of the stairs toward the boys. "Usually it is impossible to Floo into or out of the grounds. Voldemort must have someone placed in the Floo Registration Office. I must have a word with Ronald Grempkin. The Minister of Magic, you know." He added at the blank looks upon the boys faces. "Now, let's take these people up to the Hospital wing, while someone explains to me what exactly happened."

"I think that I'd better explain it, Professor," said a quiet voice a good few feet above everybody's heads. Remus lowered Lily gently to the ground, where she had to clutch his arm for support. "You see, it's really my fault that they're here at all."

"And how is that Ms. Evans?" Dumbledore asked quietly, fixing his penetrating eyes on hers.

"Well, I've suspected Metus since before the Christmas Hols and I never told anyone because I thought they wouldn't believe me. So I kept going about at night looking for anything, a clue or something. Then last night Potter was going out as well, so we went together. He figured out how to get us here and I got us in and we both broke the wall. Then the Death Eater down there," she said, indicating the broken wall, "got me and I sent James back so he wouldn't get caught as well and he brought Sirius and Remus and Peter back with him and they knocked out the Death Eater and freed everyone. They saved my life."

Dumbledore's face remained passive as he nodded acknowledgement. He mutely strode swiftly up the steps. They all followed quietly, Lily still clutching Remus' arm. Halfway up the stairs, Peter tripped and his two charges dropped to the ground. Lily swished her wand to make the closest one, Ali the Slytherin, hover in front of her, waving off Remus' attempt at help. The other fell directly in front of Sirius, so without breaking his hold on the students hovering above his head, he caught the person deftly. It was Carolina. Sirius was shocked to see her face. He hadn't seen her in months and he had almost forgotten it. Gently brushing a stray curly tendril of hair out of Carolina's closed eyes, he started walking back up the stairs, still staring at her, memorizing her features. The delicate little nose and alabaster skin with a light splash of freckles…months of scant food had turned her into little more than a twig.

They arrived in the Hospital Wing (everyone was still in lessons) much to the surprise of Madam Pompfrey.

"Albus, but this is…YOU FOUND THEM!" she shrieked, astonished. Staring at Lily and James (who were both showing the effects of the Cruciatus Curse) and the kidnapped ones, the blustery nurse quickly prescribed chocolate and a good sleep for all. Dumbledore didn't let them fall asleep right off though.

"Listen to me. What you have just done was foolish. You could have gotten yourselves killed. To put yourself in danger where it can be avoided it the one of the most foolhardy things a person can do, especially when there are people who can help you. People more powerful that can protect you if need be." The quintets' faces fell. These words from Dumbledore were worse than being yelled at. "Yet it was also very commendable, because you each did it to save the life of another. In any other circumstance, I would be forced to deduct points from your House, but you have each proven yourselves to be true Gryffindors at heart, and that more than compensates." Though his craggy face was all serious, Dumbledore's eyes twinkled at each of them. "Now," he continued quietly, "I believe I must go, as there are parents to be notified and students to reassure. Good day."

A/N Okay, I felt so bad about messing up chappie 19 that I just went ahead and did 20 too.