What Was :: 2 ::
James felt like he was going to be sick to his stomach, even though he didn't think he had the muscle power anyways. His eyes opened halfway, and blinked a few times. He groaned. Now that he was awake, everything somehow felt worse. He was laying down on cold hard concrete in a small room lit only by a bright light fixture hanging from the celing. It reminded him of an interrogation area at Auror HQ.
He was able to push himself up to a seated position, and rested his elbow on his knee. He rubbed his eyes, trying to coax them into accepting the light.
"James Foster Potter."
James jumped. He thought he was by himself. He looked around wildly. Garrison Wallace was sitting on the edge of a small table on the opposite side of the room.
The room.
It was an interrogation room.
It was at Headquarters.
Garrison Wallace was James' boss. James tried to stand up, but couldn't. Garrison didn't move. Instead, he picked up a file folder that had been beside him on the desk. James recognised it at once. It was his own personal file.
"Six years I've been waiting patiently for you to give me a lead. Were you going to let me wait another six years?"
Garrison slammed down the file on the ground, a few papers scattering over the floor. James had never seen him like this.
"D'you honestly think you could have let this slide past me without me finding out? What the hell do you take me for?" He jumped from the table and walked dangerously fast at James. "We could have had him, Potter. And then, all this time on your vacation, you went - " he seemed to be looking for a proper word, " - FRATERNIZING with an enemy!You're lucky she didn't flee the country, and you're even luckier that we separated you from her. I'm gonna overlook the fact that you broke the nose of Guy Peters, and struggled against your own force. Go get your ass down to administration. I want to see that pile of paperwork done before next Tuesday. If this Evans breaks and spills something halfway decent, maybe she'll get an oceanfront cell."
"Where is she? What did you do with her?" James said, in a bit of a panic.
"That's none of your concern anymore."
"I made it mine a long time ago. You don't have a clue what you're doing! You don't even know the half of it, for christ's sake!"
"Know half of what?" suddenly Garrison's eyes bulged, and he ran to the door. His hand slammed the lock, and he whirled around again.
"You know more than you're letting on, James. Now both our lives are on the line, and you go getting all 'lovey dovey'. What's gotten into you?"
"Only loyalty and morality," James said, suddenly finding himself on his feet. Garrison looked red in the face.
"Just let me see her. It's all I ask right now."
Garrison seemed torn between the decision. James knew full well that he was furious beyond belief at James' un-aurorlike history, but he also didn't want to risk losing his best employee. He stared angrily at James for a minute, and then shook his finger at him.
"Five minutes. And do me a favour, keep all this quiet when you go home today. The last thing I need is for this to go public."
James kept a straight face, but a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. He nodded.
Garrison nodded back, and pulled on his tie. He shook his shoulders like a boxer would before a match, and opened the door. James followed behind him, wordlessly.
*
Lily was awake, even though her eyes were still closed. She knew by the cold hard surface underneath her that she was laying on a stone floor. Painfully, she opened her eyes, afraid of what she'd see.
She had expected a cell like this one, but not this cell itself. The ones she had heard of in Voldemort's lair were far less clean,.dry, and less bright. She sat up, squinting at the hall beyond the barred cell. It was slightly dim, there was an empty cell identical to hers directly across from Lily. She rubbed her eye, and knew that it was bruised, yet not swollen. Her arms were sore as well, with red welts where she had been restrained.
So they couldn't have been Death Eaters. She'd have come out much worse if they had been. A sudden thought of James made her breath catch in her throat. Where did these people take him? Who were they anyways, and how did they know they were in the park?
Lily's head spun with wild possibilities, when she suddenly heard the click of a lock. She tried to jump to her feet, but fell back again. She buried her head in her knees.
Garrison held up his hand, indicating silently that James had 5 minutes. He nodded, and Garrison left, closing the door behind him.
James walked slowly down the hallway, looking intently into each cell. They were all empty, and then he reached one that held a small redhead. He swallowed a lump in his throat.
"Lils?"
Lily raised her head, and looked around, seeing James staring down at her. She got up slowly this time, trying to stop shaking. She felt terrified behind these bars, all alone.
Lily stepped foreward slowly.
James saw her black eye and dissheveled appearance. She looked so confused and hurt. His bottom lip quivered slightly. Lily shot foreward, grasping his hand. She kissed it gently. His fingers were cold. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply.
"I thought I'd lost you," she said in barely more than a whisper.
James rested his head on the bars, and looked straight into her eyes. He was strongly reminded of his last year in Hogwarts, all those days in class, when they'd hated each other - and how it changed. Somehow she was his match through it all. It took him 7 years to see what the rest of the school had seen after a few days.
"I'm so sorry," he said.
Lily didn't say anything, but rested her forehead against his.
"I'll still kiss you before you leave." she said calmly. James squeezed his eyes shut to stop crying. He felt her forehead leave his, and he felt her lips come softly over his. He kept his eyes closed, and the kiss became more passionate. Lily felt a few warm tears spill onto her face, as she tried to force back her own.
They broke away from each other, breathless.
"I love you."
James nodded in return, unable to speak. He couldn't reach through these bars, and even though she was just a foot away, he still ached for her.
*
Garrison peered through a small window in the door to the cells, then looked up at a man almost twice his size.
"Owl Azkaban, would you? There'll be a new occupant on the way tonight, I wouldn't want them to be unprepared. I've had enough of this puppy love. I'll get some sense into that boy yet. I can make him see reason. I just need to fool him first."
The tall man nodded quickly, and headed off down the hall to the owlry.
James felt like he was going to be sick to his stomach, even though he didn't think he had the muscle power anyways. His eyes opened halfway, and blinked a few times. He groaned. Now that he was awake, everything somehow felt worse. He was laying down on cold hard concrete in a small room lit only by a bright light fixture hanging from the celing. It reminded him of an interrogation area at Auror HQ.
He was able to push himself up to a seated position, and rested his elbow on his knee. He rubbed his eyes, trying to coax them into accepting the light.
"James Foster Potter."
James jumped. He thought he was by himself. He looked around wildly. Garrison Wallace was sitting on the edge of a small table on the opposite side of the room.
The room.
It was an interrogation room.
It was at Headquarters.
Garrison Wallace was James' boss. James tried to stand up, but couldn't. Garrison didn't move. Instead, he picked up a file folder that had been beside him on the desk. James recognised it at once. It was his own personal file.
"Six years I've been waiting patiently for you to give me a lead. Were you going to let me wait another six years?"
Garrison slammed down the file on the ground, a few papers scattering over the floor. James had never seen him like this.
"D'you honestly think you could have let this slide past me without me finding out? What the hell do you take me for?" He jumped from the table and walked dangerously fast at James. "We could have had him, Potter. And then, all this time on your vacation, you went - " he seemed to be looking for a proper word, " - FRATERNIZING with an enemy!You're lucky she didn't flee the country, and you're even luckier that we separated you from her. I'm gonna overlook the fact that you broke the nose of Guy Peters, and struggled against your own force. Go get your ass down to administration. I want to see that pile of paperwork done before next Tuesday. If this Evans breaks and spills something halfway decent, maybe she'll get an oceanfront cell."
"Where is she? What did you do with her?" James said, in a bit of a panic.
"That's none of your concern anymore."
"I made it mine a long time ago. You don't have a clue what you're doing! You don't even know the half of it, for christ's sake!"
"Know half of what?" suddenly Garrison's eyes bulged, and he ran to the door. His hand slammed the lock, and he whirled around again.
"You know more than you're letting on, James. Now both our lives are on the line, and you go getting all 'lovey dovey'. What's gotten into you?"
"Only loyalty and morality," James said, suddenly finding himself on his feet. Garrison looked red in the face.
"Just let me see her. It's all I ask right now."
Garrison seemed torn between the decision. James knew full well that he was furious beyond belief at James' un-aurorlike history, but he also didn't want to risk losing his best employee. He stared angrily at James for a minute, and then shook his finger at him.
"Five minutes. And do me a favour, keep all this quiet when you go home today. The last thing I need is for this to go public."
James kept a straight face, but a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. He nodded.
Garrison nodded back, and pulled on his tie. He shook his shoulders like a boxer would before a match, and opened the door. James followed behind him, wordlessly.
*
Lily was awake, even though her eyes were still closed. She knew by the cold hard surface underneath her that she was laying on a stone floor. Painfully, she opened her eyes, afraid of what she'd see.
She had expected a cell like this one, but not this cell itself. The ones she had heard of in Voldemort's lair were far less clean,.dry, and less bright. She sat up, squinting at the hall beyond the barred cell. It was slightly dim, there was an empty cell identical to hers directly across from Lily. She rubbed her eye, and knew that it was bruised, yet not swollen. Her arms were sore as well, with red welts where she had been restrained.
So they couldn't have been Death Eaters. She'd have come out much worse if they had been. A sudden thought of James made her breath catch in her throat. Where did these people take him? Who were they anyways, and how did they know they were in the park?
Lily's head spun with wild possibilities, when she suddenly heard the click of a lock. She tried to jump to her feet, but fell back again. She buried her head in her knees.
Garrison held up his hand, indicating silently that James had 5 minutes. He nodded, and Garrison left, closing the door behind him.
James walked slowly down the hallway, looking intently into each cell. They were all empty, and then he reached one that held a small redhead. He swallowed a lump in his throat.
"Lils?"
Lily raised her head, and looked around, seeing James staring down at her. She got up slowly this time, trying to stop shaking. She felt terrified behind these bars, all alone.
Lily stepped foreward slowly.
James saw her black eye and dissheveled appearance. She looked so confused and hurt. His bottom lip quivered slightly. Lily shot foreward, grasping his hand. She kissed it gently. His fingers were cold. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply.
"I thought I'd lost you," she said in barely more than a whisper.
James rested his head on the bars, and looked straight into her eyes. He was strongly reminded of his last year in Hogwarts, all those days in class, when they'd hated each other - and how it changed. Somehow she was his match through it all. It took him 7 years to see what the rest of the school had seen after a few days.
"I'm so sorry," he said.
Lily didn't say anything, but rested her forehead against his.
"I'll still kiss you before you leave." she said calmly. James squeezed his eyes shut to stop crying. He felt her forehead leave his, and he felt her lips come softly over his. He kept his eyes closed, and the kiss became more passionate. Lily felt a few warm tears spill onto her face, as she tried to force back her own.
They broke away from each other, breathless.
"I love you."
James nodded in return, unable to speak. He couldn't reach through these bars, and even though she was just a foot away, he still ached for her.
*
Garrison peered through a small window in the door to the cells, then looked up at a man almost twice his size.
"Owl Azkaban, would you? There'll be a new occupant on the way tonight, I wouldn't want them to be unprepared. I've had enough of this puppy love. I'll get some sense into that boy yet. I can make him see reason. I just need to fool him first."
The tall man nodded quickly, and headed off down the hall to the owlry.
