A/N: Sorry if the format is messed up, I'm trying to fix it, but it doesn't really work. ff.net is being weird.

Chapter Twenty Five

Faceless March Under a Full Moon

The other three looked much shaken and had a haunted look in their eyes. Arabella spoke first. "What happens in here?"

"The chamber of the Faceless." The cool feminine voice said.

Figures began to flitter in the shadows and swords appeared beside each of them. Lily stared at her sword and wondered what it was for.

"Kill the Faceless and you shall get past." The voice said and the figures came to block the four from each other.

Lily gasped as she looked at the seven surrounding her. There was her mother, her father, Petunia, James, Arabella, Remus and Sirius. Their faces were stony and cold. Petunia picked up her sword first.

"Fight me you sniveling idiot." She snapped as Lily began to cry. Lily managed to block to first blow, thankful that it was healed and no longer broken.

Dumbledore stood over the four that hadn't awoken. Peter, Karrie and Sirius watched him. "They have to eat. They only have one day left." Sirius muttered, staring fixedly at his friends' faces.

Lily looked paler then she ever had, her bones showed against the almost translucent skin. Her red hair was limp and tangled. Her left arm was carefully set, but it wasn't healing. She had nothing left to heal it.

James was pale too, but not nearly as pale as Lily. His breathing was erratic and sometimes Sirius was afraid that he wouldn't take the next breath. James kept muttering things as he jerked around in the bed. His foot was bandaged as he had hit it hard against the bed frame.

Remus was in worse shape then the other three. The full moons approach was taking its toll on his body as well as the lack of food. Even through the blankets, they could all see his ribs. His sandy hair had more grey hairs, and his face was gaunt. His breathing was slow and shallow.

Arabella was in the best shape of the four. Her black skin was stretched over her; the bones were showing all over her. However her breathing was normal and she didn't jerk around. She lay there quietly. Waiting for death. Sirius tried to shake the thought off.

Dumbledore gently lay Lily's hand down and shook his head. "There's nothing we can do, but hope. They have until midnight tomorrow."

Sirius quickly counted the hours. "Twenty eight hours to live." He turned his head away from the rest to hide his tears.

There was a sudden gasp and Sirius turned back to the beds. Arabella was taking deep breaths and her eyes fluttered open. She was crying. "No, no… I won't!" she yelled.

Madame Comfrey hurried over and stared at Arabella. "You are no longer in the Circle of Light; you are currently in the Hospital wing at Hogwarts…"

Sirius couldn't hear the rest as a rushing filled his ears. Three of his friends, his closest friends, were still in there. And he didn't know if they would get out.

Lily stabbed down. Sirius's face disappeared and a person without a face was there, under her blade. "Only two more to go." It sneered at her.

Lily looked around and saw Arabella, the real one, getting stabbed by a faceless shadow. She screamed. "Arabella!"

Suddenly her friend disappeared. Lily's eyes widened, and she nearly missed the swing that Arabella the ghost made at her. Lily yelled and swung around, her face a mask of fury. Block, swing, lunge. Lily's sword made its way into Arabella's gut.

"Only James left." It sneered.

Lily took a deep steadying breath before turning towards James. The ghost sneered and picked up the point of its sword. "Ready?"

"Never." Lily whispered before running at the figure.

"We were on the thirteenth task. I'm pretty sure we were." Arabella ran a shaky hand through her hair.

Sirius refrained from asking her what they did that made Arabella scream. Dumbledore appeared with a tray of food. "You should eat Miss Figg."

Arabella began to eat and Sirius looked at his watch. Twenty seven hours to complete three tasks. Four if you counted the last task, and they still had to finish the one they were in.

Lily slashed down but the ghost James blocked and came up in a vicious attack that Lily jumped away from and dived in at the only opportunity that he gave her.

Tears were pouring from her eyes and she felt weak. There was nothing she could do. She ran her sword through his stomach and waited.

"Go through the door and go down the left passage." James's ghost rasped out before disappearing.

Lily stared around the passage ways. There were two, just as the faceless person had told her, but the right side looked much more inviting.

Remus stumbled through the door and leant against the wall. "She said go to the left for an easier time." He rubbed his forehead and growled slightly. "I don't trust them."

James came through too. "Right, go right." He mumbled.

They began down the right side of the passage. It was wide and the stone was soft under their feet. Lily was leaning on James shoulder for support and Remus was limping.

They came to a door and James turned to Lily. "Do the honors."

Lily looked at the symbol craved in the door. Below a sixteen pointed star, was a full moon. She shrugged and opened the door.

A howl came in the distant areas of what appeared to be a large field. There was a door on the other side of the moonlight bathed field.

Remus suddenly shouted. "Run! Run for the door and don't wait for me!"

Lily turned to see Remus's back arch and then glanced at the sky. A full moon hung low over the trees.

Lily took off. The yellow eyes of werewolves followed her hungrily. A werewolf ran at them, barking ferociously. James was running behind her.

They reached the door and slammed themselves through it. Lily began to cry. "He's all alone."

James cradled her against him.

Remus suddenly began to twitch and even screamed. Sirius felt tears prickling at the back of his eyes. They had seventeen hours to live now. Suddenly hair began to grow all over Remus.

"PROFESSOR!" He yelled, scared.

Professor Dumbledore appeared. "We have to move him." he said to Professor McGonagall.

They lifted Remus up. "He's going through the change to early!" Professor McGonagall's voice cracked.

"He's in Moonlite Valley. It's one of the tasks. Werewolves are hidden all through it and you have to get out. I don't think a werewolf has ever tried going through it though. We don't know the effects." Professor Dumbledore left the room.

Only two were left asleep. James and Lily. Lily was sobbing, tears falling slowly down her face. James was mumbling something.

They were still in there. They only had seventeen hours left.

A/N: Sorry if updates aren't regular, schools starting soon and I'm trying to focus on my normal fiction. I'm also only working on two fanfictions, this one and the other that I'm writing. When this is done, I'll put the sequel back up. at which point you should read it. It's more to cannon though… so won't follow this exactly.