Chapter Fifteen: First Defiance
*"Professor? She has a mission already?" Remus looked up in shock. "But you don't give the missions out unless… she's just gotten back! And she's got to be tired! Can't we give this to someone else? To me, or Peter? Please?" Dumbledore smiled down, sadly, at the werewolf.
"I am afraid not, Mr. Lupin. You see, Lily is the only one who would be able to perform this task." Then, turning to the rest of the table, he frowned. "Two nights ago I received word that two muggle artifacts have been bewitched and hidden somewhere within the world. The spells that have been placed upon them are, indeed, deadly to those who come into contact with them—and I can only speculate that the Dark Lord would place such killers in a crowded area, to cause as much destruction as possible.
"Lily, you've had experience with muggles, not to mention have previously worked in the muggle department here. You, better than anyone here, will be able to track the artifacts down before they can cause much pain."
Lily abruptly stood, pushing her chair out from under her, and gasped. "But Professor! Tomorrow the muggles head back to work! If those artifacts are in crowded areas, they'll be activated tomorrow! More than likely, before noon!"
"What kind of artifacts did he bewitch?" Ara asked, narrowing her eyes.
"I am not sure exactly what have been the final choices, but I do know that they were large, easily visible artifacts that could hold enough power to destroy cities if properly unleashed."
"We have to find them now, tonight, before dawn breaks." Lily nodded.
"Is there anything else we should know about?" Moody muttered, obviously annoyed he had not found out about this until just now.
"No. Of course, you will all need to keep your eyes and ears open, incase one of Voldemort's spies drops a hint of these artifacts. Other than that, we can only hope they are found soon, before they can cause problems."
"With that, meeting adjourned." Remus announced. Quickly the majority of the Order's members left, leaving the Marauders and company behind once again.
"Lily, how was your visit to the muggle world?" Dumbledore asked, smiling gently.
"It was fine Professor." She muttered. "Two artifacts…"
"I hope that you'll stay here, even after this fight against the dark side is over." Lily looked up.
"Where else would I go?"
"Back to them muggles." Hagrid sniffed. Lily looked at Hagrid, then put her hand on his arm, as high as she could reach.
"I'm a witch Hagrid. I don't belong with 'them muggles' anymore than a cat belongs in a group of dogs. I can't hide what I am; I just have to keep going. And that means staying here, in the world I belong to."
"Beautifully spoken my dear, beautifully spoken." Dumbledore smiled. She flushed, and flitted her eyes towards James.
"Thank you. Besides. Some things are worth staying for."
"I here that! Three cheers for the Flower!" Sirius boomed. The group laughed, and Lily smiled. It would take time to get used to this life again—she had already forgotten what it felt like to be so close to a group of other people. Time!
"Oh no, the artifacts!" Lily gasped. "Does anyone have a pass to get into the Ministry this late?"
"I do." James muttered. He didn't want to remember that pass; it was what had caused him to ignore Lily.
"Good. I need to get into my old office—I had some gadgets in there that could be of use in hunting these artifacts down. Professor, you said they were large and easily visible, correct?"
"Yes."
"Good. Alright then, let's get going!" On her enthusiastic note, the rest of the group began to exit Dumbledore's office.
As they walked down to Hogsmead, Lily lost her enthusiasm and withdrew into herself. This was awkward… it was not so much that she didn't know Frank and Alice that well, nor that she hadn't seen Remus and Peter in so long, just that everyone was walking on eggshells around each other.
And James. Could she trust him with her heart once more? It had felt so wonderful in his arms, so warm and wanted. But what if he forgot her again? If he decided she was merely a tool he could use to perform small errands and charms again? He had promised he would not, but how much could his words mean after his actions had spoken so loudly before? She wanted to feel safe in his arms again, to feel as if the world could come down around their heads and they would be untouched. She had savored that feeling for so long, and missed it terribly now that it was gone. She wanted it back. But it would take time to build her trust again. 'Please wait for me.' She wished mentally.
"Alright. Hogsmead borders. Apparating is well within possibilities." Peter finally broke their silence.
"Lily, you ready? We'll have to apparate to auror headquarters, then work our way down to the muggle department inside the Ministry."
"Alright." She nodded. "I'll see you at home, Ara, Alice. Bye guys."
"Bye Lily!" Remus and Sirius chimed.
"Goodbye Lily, it was nice seeing you again." Frank smiled.
"Lily?" Peter had wormed his way up front to get her attention. "I just wanted to say one thing: James was a jackass, and he knows it. We've all seen him moping about, and we know it's because you've been gone. Please give him another chance—we all swear upon our graves that he's sorry. That's it I guess. Nice to have you back." And before anyone could say anything, Peter apparated before them.
"Wonderful." James grumbled. "It wasn't enough that I begged, he had to make me look like an even bigger loser and do some for me." His shoulders slumped, and his head drooped even farther when Sirius began laughing.
"Potter you pratt! You are a loser! Nothing you do or say now is going to change that! Besides, Lily already knew you were a loser, she's used to it!"
"Shove off Padfoot." James mumbled. "Ready Lily?"
"Yes. See you there." He nodded, and apparated, Sirius' laughing playing like a broken record in his ear. Right after he vanished, Lily waved her wand and appeared beside him within the Ministry.
As they made their way down the floors towards the muggle department, the air was thick with tension. Neither knew what to say, and neither was sure of how to break the silence. Finally, Lily decided it would be her. Shields went up around her heart, and she cleared her throat.
"Alice and Frank are nice." She managed to squeak out. Feeling James' eyes fall upon her sent chills up her spine.
"They are. Both are aurors."
"I know."
"Oh. Well… they've only just begun dating too. Frank saved Alice's mother's life, and they met when she thanked him. Did you know both of them have seen and escaped Voldemort once?"
"Really?" Lily's eyes widened.
"Just under a month ago—they were nearly caught when they stopped a shipment of supplies to the Dark Lord. Apparently, Voldemort had been waiting because one of the wizards bringing the supply had word on an alliance he was trying to form with the Vampires, and Frank and Alice were caught in the middle of it. They barely escaped with their lives."
"Wow. I wonder if we'll ever run into Voldemort?" James pushed the stop button in the lift and turned towards Lily. As gently as he could, he grasped her by her shoulders and pinned her against the wall.
"Lily. I've seen him. I've seen the Dark Lord. Moody and I… we saw him, we fought him. And Lily? I swear upon my honor that I will never, ever, let you fight him. I'll protect you Lily, I'll fight to the death to keep you safe from him." Suddenly Lily found herself crushed to James' chest as his arms hugged her tightly. She could feel his cool, ragged breathing as he gently kissed the crown of her head, she could feel his cold fingers as they slid through her auburn hair. And she could hear the sob of pain that welled and caught in James' throat. But then he released her and turned his back to her, pressing the go button on the lift to continue their ride.
When they reached the muggle department, Lily rushed out of the enclosed space and into the larger, darker room. Nothing frightened her more than being with James when she felt so confused. He simplified things so much—he made her love him all over again. But she knew in her mind that she wasn't ready to risk him yet.
"I'll be right back." She whispered, running into her old office and slamming the door. Quickly she sat down at her desk, very much relieved to be free of James for the moment. Besides, there were more pressing, life and death issues here they needed to deal with.
Large, easily visible artifacts? It could be anything. Lily sighed. When Dumbledore had said artifacts, he simply meant something muggle. It didn't have to be old, or in a museum, and chances were that if they were large, they would not be indoors, they would be an entity all to themselves. What was large enough to be an entity all to itself and hold a great deal of magic?
Lily's mind flooded to the large clock tower in London, Big Ben. She had always thought it was a magical clock—ever since she had seen the Disney movie Peter Pan. Before she had known she was a witch, she had hoped one day she could be like Wendy, flying off with Peter on adventures with magic. She remembered the first time she had visited London on holiday and seen the clock for herself, heard it chime loudly at nine fifteen o'clock as it woke the city to midday. Suddenly, she stood.
"James, James!" She cried. Instantly he burst into the room.
"What? What's wrong?"
"One of the artifacts, its Big Ben!"
"The clock tower in London?" James scratched his head. Lily nodded.
"It's got to be, it's large enough to hold enough power to destroy the city, and it's been used in legends about witchcraft and wizardry for years. Voldemort more than anything, likes irony. The ironic thing would be the muggle clock tower, with no magic, suddenly using magic to turn on people!"
"All we have to do is apparate to London and shut the spell down. All right, great going Lils! What's next? The other artifact?"
"I'm not sure." There was a slump in their conversation.
"Well, if Big Ben is the first one, it's only logical to assume the second one will be a landmark as well. A muggle built landmark. What about the pyramids?" Lily shook her head.
"The magic is too old, and there aren't enough people around them to destroy. He wouldn't waste his time."
"Okay. Think, think!" James pounded his head against a wall. "What else is rumored to have magic?"
"The Great Wall of China… but that still isn't enough people. Even if he wanted to, he wouldn't have enough power to enchant the Great Wall, it's too… great, I suppose."
"Rome? The Coliseum?"
"No magic was ever rumored there." Lily pointed out.
"Right. Magic…Okay, how about the Statue of Liberty? Lots of people, he could enchant it, and it's supposed to be a place where dreams come true, that's like magic, isn't it?"
"You mean the giant green lady, right?" Lily asked.
"Yeah, that's the one."
"It's possible!" Lily yelped with excitement. "And I know how to check as well. There used to be a spell…" Lily turned around in her chair and searched through the books on the shelves behind her desk. Finally she pulled out a very small, very old book. "Here it is. We need a picture of the statue. Can you transfigure me one?"
James nodded. He waved his wand at a near by paperweight and soon it morphed into a miniature of the statue. Feeling quite proud of his contribution to the mission, he stepped back and let Lily wave her wand and mutter the spell. Suddenly the statue glowed, and red and orange sparks flew from the torch.
"You were right James, it is the Statue of Liberty."
"Smashing! Lily, do you know what this means? It isn't even one in the morning, and already we've solved the mystery! All we have to do is take the spells apart! We'll send Sirius and Ara to do the Statue, and you and I can do the clock tower, and we'll even get to go to sleep tonight!" Lily grinned despite herself.
"Sounds like a good plan. I'll tell Ara, and meet you at the tower in half an hour, alright?"
"I'll get to Sirius." James nodded. Without goodbyes needed, the two apparated and went on their separate missions.
Half an hour later, Lily apparated and appeared at the base of the tower. London was quiet, unusual for the city. The streetlights around the clock had already been taken out, and Lily assumed James was already somewhere around.
"Just like him to get here before me." She shook her head slightly.
"Lily, I'm up here! The door is open, so come on up!" She heard a whisper carried down by the wind. Looking up, she saw James was indeed already up near the clock itself. Quickly, she rushed the door, and finding it open, she raced through towards the lift. Nearly a minute and a half later she found herself stepping out into the cool London air behind the massive clock face.
"I'm here." She called out, not seeing James.
"Good." He came from around a pillar. "The spell is attached to the front of the clock face, and as far as I can tell, it's set for nine fifteen—"
"The time in Peter Pan." Lily breathed. James gave her a funny look, but continued.
"And we need to unravel the spell before then."
"Very well. Do you know how many layers to the spell there are?"
"Only three, very easy to undo… Shh!" James suddenly grabbed Lily's hand and pulled her behind the pillar he had been behind. Voices echoing were growing louder by the second. James pulled Lily in closer, knowing that if worst came to worst, he would go down keeping her safe.
"—could have sworn I heard voices up here Lestrange!"
"Quiet you fool! Who knows what was up here!" A loud, sniveling voice reprimanded.
"Death Eaters!" Lily whispered. James nodded. "Are they guarding the clock?" James nodded again.
"Stay here." He warned her.
"No, wait, James!" She hissed. But it was too late; he had already stepped out into the opening.
"I thought I smelled a rat!" James announced his presence. "I didn't think it was such a big one though!"
"Potter!" The two Death Eaters hissed. Lestrange, the taller one, instantly whipped out his wand, but James had been ready long before him.
"Expellaramus!" The wand went flying, and Lestrange dove for it. James then turned his sights on the other wizard.
"Mutation Arus!" The wizard yelled, and James suddenly felt his body surge. Horns began to break through the skin on his head, and his nose grew longer. Hands began to become hooves, and fur lined his body. Then the transformation stopped, and it seemingly reversed itself. James silently sent a prayer to Lily, whom he knew had muttered the counter curse. But now had to move!
"Petrificus totalus!" James yelled, freezing the wizard who had cursed him. Then a deafening crack echoed throughout the clock tower, and a taller, more intimidating figure appeared through the thick fog that blanketed the room.
"James Potter." The voice hissed. James shuddered.
"Voldemort." The two glared, and then Voldemort opened his wretched mouth and laughed, a chilling, bone creaking, hollow laugh.
"Very good boy, you've ruined my plans again." The laugh died, and a sneer replaced it. "For the last time!" He screamed. "Crucio!" Unimaginable pain slammed James like needles and knives being pressed into him from every angle. The intensity of the hatred that surged through the curse doubled the sting as it throbbed and slashed through his body.
"No! James!" Lily screamed as she watched him fall to his knees, writhing in pain. "Colloportus!" She waved her wand. Voldemort flew back and was knocked against the wall, then lay still. James stopped gasping, and Lily ran to his limp form.
"Master!" Lestrange cried out. He flew to Voldemort's side, and then turned on James and Lily. "I'll kill you! Avada…"
"Lestrange, muggles!" Voldemort's slitted eyes flew open. "Apparate, now!"
"And Kerin?" Lestrange motioned towards the petrified wizard.
"Leave him! Go, now!"
"Yes master." Lestrange hesitated for a moment, then did as he was told. Voldemort limply stood and Lily and James readied their wands. But before they could do much else, the Dark Lord vanished into thin air. Voices came echoing up the hall, same as they had before, and a flashlight shone faintly in the distance.
"Can you move James?" Lily asked.
"Yes. The clock!"
"I took care of the first two layers while you fought the Death Eaters. Let me take care of the last, you grab that other Death Eater."
"Alright." James turned and raised his wand. Levitating the Death Eater, he quickly looked towards Lily. "Lily, what's the group apparation spell?"
"Apparation multiveus." She hissed. He waved his wand, and disappeared. Just as she finished removing the deadly spell on the clock, the voices became louder. Lily smiled. Just in the nick of time! Waving her wand, she too apparated away from the battle scene as two confused watchmen climbed into the empty, seemingly perfect, clock room. *
~~~How do you guys like it so far? Is it okay? I've actually finished writing it, so the updates will come pretty regularly now! Please leave me a review and tell me what you think! Much love, Vixen~~~
