Disclaimer: I don't anything from Harry Potter. All I own are my original
characters and some of the plot. Please forgive me if this jumps around a
bit. It was a very difficult chapter to write and I appreciate any
suggestions. And again, it's a long one.
Lily and James hurriedly walked, side by side in the direction of the Ministry of Magic office in London. It was only a couple of blocks away. The sky was getting bleaker and as the sunlight faded, the shapes of the images became clear. They knew what they were immediately. Lily's heart raced as James hurried to keep up. They were horribly late and they knew it. Their previous banter seemed meaningless, for the night brought out their worst fears, and terrible anticipation.
The Ministry was in Muggle London, but on a convenient side street. It was rare that any Muggles passed by, and they would certainly question the reason why there were so many people, many of them with wands and mysterious robes. No one took this into account and even if Muggles did pass by, no one would have cared. There were bigger problems at that moment.
No one had bothered to go underground, which is where its true location was. The red telephone booth was swarming with people, leaving and entering, but the majority were outside, wondering, and waiting.
As they drew nearer they could see Diana and Sirius already there. They were panting, presumably because they had been running as well. Next to them were a very nervous Alice Ferguson and Frank Longbottom. Alice kept looking up at the sky and cringing at what she saw. Alastor Moody was there as well. He was the first to see James and Lily approaching and pointed them out to a flustered Bartimius Crouch. He nodded when he saw them. No screaming, no scolding, just a simple nod. It was not common behavior for him, so they assumed something must be terribly wrong, and the evidence was burned into the sky like a hot poker on fair skin.
As Lily and James went up to Crouch for instructions they were slightly alarmed at the amount of people outside. It wasn't just Aurors. The entire Department of Magical Law Enforcement was there, along with the Mistress of Magic, Millicent Bagnold. There were Hit Wizards and random Ministry officials. The Department of Magical Catastrophes was also there. They only dealt with major crimes and disasters. They were not usually affiliated with Aurors unless Dark Magic was involved, which it clearly was.
"What happened?" cried Lily as Diana ran up to her. They quickly embraced and Diana just shook her head. Then she looked up, the evil photographs casting a peculiar light over their beloved city.
"The Dark Mark." Crouch said simply. There was nervousness in his voice and Lily actually sympathized for him. He obviously had a lot riding on his shoulders.
"But not just one." Moody joined. James looked up and actually counted. From this angle and spot in London the whole city seemed like it could be seen.
"There's so many." James began. "And they stretch too far to even count them. They must reach Wales from the looks of it."
"But where are they?" Sirius chimed in, looking up. "It's like he decorated with them. Are they even over anything?"
"I don't understand, when did this start?" Lily asked Crouch. "I was out not even an hour ago and I didn't see anything."
Crouch just shook his head, speechless.
"We don't know Lily." Moody said. "But people are dead, we know that for sure." Just then they heard ambulances, it was hard to tell how many, all at once driving from street to street. People started peering out their windows to see what all the commotion was about. When they saw the sky people gasped, some screamed. Windows were shut and blinds drawn. There was no point in hiding it now.
"Oh my God." They heard Alice cry. She ran to Lily and hugged her. "I can't do this!" she whimpered. "It's too much, I can't, and I'm scared!" she was breathing hard.
"Shh." Lily said, trying to calm her down. She looked to Frank to see he was nervous and kept scratching his head. "Yes you can."
"But I don't even know the wand defenses yet!" Alice screamed.
"Quiet! Do you want to start more of a panic then there already is?" Lily whispered, loudly. Alice breathed and calmed down. "Yes you do, you just haven't practiced them yet but I know you can do them. You are brave, Alice, we can do it. But you HAVE to get it together." Lily spoke, slowly. It was hard to be supportive without being stern. Lily cared for Alice but she was going to be damned if she was going to let her disrupt their mission.
Alice sniffled. "Focus is the key." She said, smiling at Lily. She had always said that during training. Lily winked back.
"That's right. Now go back to Frank. If we have to fight, better he next to you than me."
Alice nodded and turned to her fiancée. She was calmer after talking to Lily. She always trusted her. Then Lily was jolted by the sound of a forceful yell.
"Tell us what you want us to do Crouch!" Sirius forcefully said as their so- called leader just sat down and put his head in his hands. He had cracked under the pressure. This unanticipated act was more then he could bear. Patrolling and battles he could handle, but this. For the first time Barty Crouch wasn't as confident as he seemed. Moody sighed.
"Calm down Black, calm down. Alright." He sighed. "I guess I'll have to take the lead here."
Everyone's ears perked up as Moody said this. He was shaking his head at the cowardly Crouch. Moody was by far the most experienced out of all of them. He had been around since the very beginning, watching, waiting for something this catastrophic to happen.
"Now my friends, here is what we must do." He whispered to all of them. Lily, James, Sirius, Diana, Frank and Alice listened intently. "We'll split up, that way we cover more ground. Go in the direction of the Muggle ambulances; they are clearly going to areas that have been hit. He's not just going after Wizards now, so you must pay very close attention. Trust no one, and keep your eyes open for any sudden movements in dark areas.." He paused and motioned for them to move a little farther from Crouch, who wasn't listening anyway. They followed him, no one speaking a word or asking questions.
"Have you all brought your cloaks?" he whispered so only they heard. James and Lily forgot and the thought hit them hard. They cursed under their breaths, but didn't blame each other.
"We're so sorry. I can't believe we forgot them." James said, incredibly upset at his lack of prevision.
"It's alright James. What about the rest of you?" he asked. They all nodded and pointed under their arms. Moody nodded in acceptance. "Very well. They will prove exceedingly important in this mission. Capture whomever you can, kill if you have to. No games, just business. As of right now, none of you have feelings. You are not people, you are Aurors, understand?" he asked, looking at each one of them for their answers.
They all nodded nervously, but ready to fight. "Constant vigilance, my friends. I will do what I can here, and try to make Crouch come to his senses. He's worried about that son of his." He explained. He seemed to see right through people, and learn their deepest thoughts. "Dumbledore will be coming, and I am surprised that he isn't here yet." He looked around. "No matter, now go, all of you, and earn some points for our side, Merlin knows we need them." He exclaimed, gravely.
"Alastor?" Diana asked. "What about the people?" she asked, looking at the windows of the street and down the block.
"Don't worry Diana. Arnold Peasegood is here, and he will obliviate whomever he has too, Wizards and Muggles alike. He has apprentices helping him. That is not our focus. You can all go with your respective spouses and significant others if you wish. You can decide where each of you will start, meet up, whatever. I have complete faith in you all, and I trust you." He said, pointing at each one of them. "And I don't trust a lot of people. Do us some justice, I am afraid the Muggle world as well as the Wizarding world is in danger now. Bagnold has informed the Prime Minister, and she is currently working on a story that will, hopefully sound believable. Now, I'm, rambling now go, and be careful." He warned. All of them stood there, ready for action. Their hearts were beating fast and they turned around to decide where they should split up.
"Ok." James said, turning to his wife. "Here's what we'll do. Lily, you and I can start at the north. We had better tackle this from the outside and work our way in. Sirius, Diana, you two can go south, and Frank and Alice, um, east."
"We don't have enough." Lily sighed. "There is only six, that is nowhere near enough."
James ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "Singles then. We'll all have to be separate." He reluctantly said. They all realized it was the only way.
"Every man for himself?" Sirius said. "But what if something happens? We have to stick together."
"I'm afraid we don't have that option right now Padfoot. I'm sorry but it is the only way."
"Hold on. I can't be by myself." Alice cried.
"Alice, we don't have a-"
"No, she's right." Lily clarified. "She can't do it all by herself, not yet."
"Fine, go with Frank." James said.
"Um, can I go with you Lily?" she meekly asked. "I.. well, I would just be more comfortable with you around that's all."
Lily smiled at Alice warmly. "Sure honey. Frank?"
"You're the trainer. I'm just going to be her husband." He casually replied. They both smirked at him.
"Ok." Lily sighed as she thought about what she was going to do. "We'll stay here."
"Fine." James replied. Then they each went in the opposite directions, not speaking because they were very intent on what was to be done at that moment. When they got to the corners, making sure not to be seen, they apparated to their respective locations. Diana landed by the north entrance, while Sirius went to the south. James and Frank went east and west, respectively, while Lily and Alice started from the heart of London, scooping out anything they could.
They walked slowly, for the street lights were out now. Alice hooked her arm with Lily's as she walked. Lily didn't seem to mind. After a few minutes their eyes were accustomed to the darkness and Lily silently ordered Alice to take out the cloak. They wrapped it around themselves and found, surprisingly that it could hold more than one person at a time. It must have been a certain expanding method that Dumbledore neglected to tell them.
Their footsteps were loud crackling noises on the pavement. There was no wind, no rustling, only silence, deafening silence. Alice began to shake and breath heavier. Lily saw no point in trying to silence her now. The streetlights were out, and no one was around, no animals, no cats, nothing. Lily stopped.
"What?" Alice whispered.
Lily covered her mouth with her index finger. "Silencio." She whispered, and Alice understood.
After about fifteen minutes they were getting tired and restless. Alice's arms hurt from holding up the cloak, but it was necessary even in the pitch- black night. Then suddenly they were jolted by the sound of an ambulance coming their way. They were in the middle of the street so they quickly jumped onto the sidewalk. Even Lily had to admit that it took her by surprise.
Then she motioned to Alice and indicated that they should follow it. She was reluctant but Lily glared at her and she sheepishly came anyway. The ambulance stopped around the corner, conveniently, and Lily and Alice swiftly walked toward it. By the time they reached it, its lights were off and it was suddenly desolate again. Lily was puzzled but she wasn't fooled.
"Are you sure this wasn't here before, but it was dark and we couldn't see it? Are you sure it even stopped at all?" Alice whispered, even though no one would be able to hear them anyway.
"I'm not sure." Lily said, questioning herself. She sighed and looked around once more. "Ugh, where is everyone?" she whined. She felt odd, and she knew something was not right.
Then they noticed another ambulance parked on the other side of the street. It too was silent and stationary. Lily removed herself from under the cloak. It limited mobility for her and she felt more comfortable out in the London air.
"Lily!" Alice whispered, and motioned her back under. Lily, however, couldn't see it, but she heard her quite well. The silencing charm was removed.
"Quiet Alice." She ordered. Lily noticed something on the street. Well it was more than something. It was a door, the only one on the street that was boarded up. She surveyed it briefly, and raised an eyebrow at it, questioning its significance. After brief contemplation she dismissed the feeling and turned to her friend.
"I don't like this." Alice spoke. They walked towards the middle. This was a dead end on a side street. There was an alleyway in the direction they were walking, and they stopped dead in the middle. Suddenly another ambulance turned on that street. It stopped about twenty feet in front of them and it too, turned its lights off.
"Oh no." Lily said, her voice cracking. A thought had suddenly hit her. This was no coincidence.
"What? What?" said an impatient and frightened Alice.
"It's a trap." She said and Alice rushed to her side, although stopping behind her.
Just then the lights of the white vehicles lit up, each one brighter than the other. Lily shielded her eyes from its glare while grasping her wand as tightly as ever. She could hear commotion but was blinded by the fluorescence. There was sniggering and some laughter and Lily shook her head at her own misjudgment. How could I have been so thoughtless? She thought, scolding herself.
"Nox!" she yelled and the lights went off immediately. It was obviously magic that kept them on in the first place.
She and Alice gasped in unison at the sight that met them. There must have been fifty of them, all dressed in black, hissing and lurking amongst the shadows. Their wands were out and ready, and they were all pointed at her....
~*~(Diana's Post-Northern London)
Diana was so bored after about ten minutes that she actually started to hum. When she caught herself she stopped. She sighed and searched desperately for something to do, something to find. It was dark, but her eyes adjusted rather quickly. She had her invisibility cloaked tucked under her arm. She didn't see the point in wearing it just yet, for the city seemed completely deserted. Follow the ambulances, she thought. I don't see any bloody ambulances. Her mind came to her senses when she heard a tree branch crack. She wasn't sure which direction it was coming from, or whether it was coming from above her or on the ground.
She walked toward it, her wand in front of her; ready to attack when she saw a pair of yellow eyes stare at her through the darkness. She jumped back at first until she saw that it was only a little cat. She sighed out of immense relief and put her hand over her heart. Then she shook her head and walked over to it.
"What are you doing out here little one?" she asked it, sweetly. She had always loved cats. She had grown up with about four.
The cat eyed her suspiciously, but seemed to calm down at the sight of her robes. This cat must belong to a wizard, she thought, reading its expressions carefully. She gently caressed its ears and picked it up from the ground.
"Would you like to walk with me?" she whispered to it. Right away she sensed the cat was a bit odd. It didn't behave like a normal cat would. Usually you have to earn a cat's trust before they let a human handle them, and this cat came quite willingly into her arms. Then she looked down to see a branch. That must have been what cracked before, she thought. But where could it have fallen from?
The she heard a scream. It was a bloodcurdling, piercing scream that jolted her out of the slightest calmness. It was followed by a cackling laughter that Diana had recognized immediately. She dropped the cat accidentally and it let out an annoyed whine. She searched the sky frantically for an open window, a door, and then she saw one. The very building she was standing in front of seemed to be producing the shrill cries of what sounded like a woman, or worse, a child. A light went on, surprisingly, on the sixth floor and she took no time trying to pry open the entrance to the lobby.
The cat didn't seem to like this at all. It jumped on her robes and tried to pull her away. She found this incredibly frustrating and she tried to pry it off her.
"Get off!" she yelled, but the cat seemed determined to keep her from whatever was inside that building. After giving up she decided to let it stay there. She couldn't be too late, not again.
"Alohomora!" she yelled and the door opened easily. The cat dropped off her robes and hissed loudly at her. She turned to look back at it with a puzzled look on her face. She always could read animals, and tell what they were feeling. This cat clearly did not want her going up there, and before she turned her head gave her a pleading look as if to say it wasn't a good idea.
It was dark and she couldn't see where the stairs were and she wouldn't waste any time taking the elevator.
"Lumos" she muttered, searching frantically for the stairs. When she found them she darted for them and ran as quickly as she could up those six, tedious flights. When she reached the top she was shocked once again to see that same cat there. In the light she could make out its appearance more. It was a ginger cat, her favorite, and it had a squashed flat face and a bottle brush tail. After simply blinking it turned and darted to the end of the first hall.
Since she didn't quite make out what room the scream came from, she followed this mysterious cat down the hallway. She couldn't quite fathom why. There was commotion inside that room and she was about to open the door when the cat growled and seemed to shake its head. She ignored it and frowned. Then, since the door was strangely unlocked, she opened it quickly, wand at the ready.
"What!?" she shouted out loud. There was nothing in there. No people, not even a dead body. Where the hell was that noise coming from then? She thought. The light in this room was on.
Then she heard the door creak, then slam shut. She gasped but didn't loose face for a moment.
She turned around to see five masked figures walking slowly toward her. She backed away, not afraid, then fell backwards to find five more behind her. They had dissaparated to get her inside, and when she was, they apparated back to the room.
"Shit." She muttered when she saw them circle her. Then one of them grabbed her by the arm and her hood fell off. Some of them gasped at what they saw and muttered to each other. Without realizing the one that held her released her and backed away a few feet.
"Can't you see, you fools." Came a voice from the back of the mob. "She is one of us." He said, casually walking over to her. He grabbed her left arm and she winced. His grip was tight. He forcefully pulled up her sleeve but to his amazement, as well as everyone else's, nothing was there. He looked incredibly disappointed and let go. She grabbed it in pain.
"How disappointing you are, Arabella." He said shaking his head.
"Lestrange." Was all she could muster. She had such malice for this group that she had to force herself to speak.
"Where is it?!" he yelled.
"Gone!" she shot back.
"That is not possible." He said." And you know it. Morsmordre Revelus!" he screamed, grabbing her arm once more. She screamed out of pain, a burning sensation permeating through her entire body. She fell to the ground.
He let go, completely satisfied. She clutched her arm to her chest, afraid to look.
"Now, now, now, was that really necessary Rodolphus?" came the voice of a woman, who was presumably next to him.
"Quiet Bella, and what have I said about our names-" he began, playfully scolding her.
"Hush." She said, walking over to Diana. She helped her up and Diana leaned on her for support. When she was strait Bellatrix took off her hood to reveal a raven beauty with black, penetrating eyes. "Can't you see she's lost her way? Oh Arabella, how you have shamed us." She said, putting a hand on her cheek. Diana hated this woman, and knew it was her laughter that jolted her so.
"Hello Bella." Diana whispered.
"You know, we were quite worried, weren't we Rololphus?" she said, condescendingly. He simply chuckled and nodded.
"Kept us up at night." He said sarcastically.
"Our little kitten had to betray us and she didn't even say goodbye. That was very rude indeed, Ara, very rude. Where did your manners go anyway? I would have thought my dear cousin had at least taught you something."
Diana got up and looked Bellatrix squarely in the eye. "Well..the Blacks aren't really one to judge on manners now are they? You would know, wouldn't you Bella, being one yourself. The likes of you have poisoned the blood of this family. You are a discredit to your name. You don't deserve one letter of it."
"Now you shut up you little half-blooded wench. You poisoned my family with your dirty Muggle father's blood. And you could have done so much better. It is your husband, my dear cousin, who is the discredit and you know it. Fools, the both of you, to tamper in what you know not. Since you happen to be technically my cousin, dear, I will not kill you now, not that it would matter if I did." She said, casually.
"You think so?" Diana said, hotly. "then I guess that makes you a coward, now doesn't it Bella? Honestly, I am surprised at you." Diana said, folding her arms in mock annoyance.
Bellatrix glared at her. "I want to play with you my dear." She said, with sinister sweetness. "Yes, I think you and I could have tons of fun. And I could teach you a thing or two, about how traders are punished.." Diana noticed her neglecting her wand, as she began to clap childishly at the thought of torturing Diana.
"... and those who pollute the blood of the most noble and ancient of families."
Diana took this opportunity to strike. She was not, under any circumstances going to put up with this, it was over and done with.
"Crucio." She said, her wand pointed at Bellatrix's stomach. She writhed in pain and fell to the ground in a burning seizure.
"How dare you!" Lestrange began when he too was hit with that same curse. The eight remaining backed against the wall, her wand circling each and every one of them.
"Move once, and I will curse you so hard you'll be begging me to kill you!" she shouted. Then she released the two Death Eaters from her curse and knelt down next to them.
"That was a warning, Bella." She spoke softly, but as she tired to get up Rodolphus reached for her wand and grabbed it, disabling her. He helped up Bellatrix, his wife, and pointed her wand right back to her.
"Insolent girl." He whispered, still shaking off the pain. "Imperio."
A feeling hit Diana which she couldn't describe. It was a tingling sensation in which she felt saturated by numbness, unable to control her movements. Even her thoughts had been sequestered, and were hers no longer.
"From a Bella to a Bella..." Bellatrix started. "We have much to say love, much to say...."
She couldn't speak, and Bellatrix's words faded. She was dormant. All she could see were shapeless figures, unclear and rapidly mobile. The black cloaks swarmed around her, creating a hellish blanket of iniquity. And then, darkness...
~*~*~*~(James' Post- Eastern London)
James was walking cautiously on a main street with, surprisingly, no cars. There were a few streetlights on but they were merely flickering. He had no cloak with him so he had to be extra careful, in case he ran into anything suspicious. The sky was still illuminated with the Dark Mark, and he tried to see if it was over a particular location, anywhere. But, they only seemed to be there for sport, or as a threat. This could only be the beginning, he thought.
He wasn't sure how far he walked. The minutes seemed to be getting longer, morphing into hours, or at least feeling like hours. He didn't know how much time had passed. He strolled as if he were patrolling, a task that became increasingly uneventful.
It was then that he became aware that pair of eyes was upon him. He felt it in the pit of his stomach. He turned a corner slowly, sticking one hand in his pocket. Then out of nowhere came a large beast, barking furiously at him. He was so taken aback that he fell onto the ground. The beast then, with his great black eyes pounced on him, pinning him to the ground. At first James was ready to strike the animal until he saw what it was in the light.
When the animal caught a clear glimpse of James it quickly calmed down. It seemed to huff at him out of disappointment. The animal was a dog. A large, black dog. James let out a sigh of relief. "Padfoot, get off!" he yelled. Then in the shadows the animal transformed into a very annoyed Sirius Black.
"What the hell are you doing here? You scared me half to death!" Sirius yelled.
"Me? You're not at your post." He said, pointing at him.
"What are you talking about? You said 'go to the south,' and I did." Sirius said, matter-of-factly.
"This is the east." James said, although he wasn't quite sure to be honest.
"No, look at the street. It says, Harbourough Ave, South." Sirius said, annunciating every word and pointing at it with his wand. "You fucked it up."
"What?" James couldn't believe himself. "How could I have done that?"
"I don't know but we have a problem if you can't apparate properly." He said, in all seriousness.
"Yea." Said James thinking. "But we don't have time for this. There is nothing here. We have to find Lily and Alice. They're in the center. We have more power together anyways, so we might as well go."
"You're right we're wasting time here. Should we go find Frank?" Sirius asked.
"Soon. Let's see how the girls are doing first. They might need help, what with the rookie and everything." James said.
Sirius nodded and together they apparated about three blocks away from Lily and Alice. They were on the Ministry block, and it was shockingly empty. They both raised an eyebrow and darted to the supposed location of the girls. They were running for less than a minute when they heard Lily's voice. It was slightly muffled because there seemed to be an alarming number of people surrounding her. Sirius had to stop James from running to her. They would both be killed instantly.
"You go get Frank." Sirius ordered his flabbergasted friend. "I'll stay here. Don't do anything you'll regret."
"But-"
"GO!" he whispered. Despite his silent protests, James apparated out of site to retrieve Frank Longbottom, who was at his post in Western London.
James searched frantically for Frank, and rather impatiently. He wanted to get back there, to Lily. He was worried. She was in trouble, and he had to go and do this stupid errand.
"Frank!" he started calling, not trying in the least to hide himself. There is no answer so he walked a little father down the street, his heart racing uncontrollably. "Frank!"
"James?" he heard and turned to the direction of the sound. He rushed over to Frank, who seemed to be busy at that moment. "What the bloody hell are you doing-"
"We have to go, now!" James ordered like an impatient child. Frank eyed him confused and was a bit taken back.
"What? Why?"
"The girls, they're in trouble we have to go!" James speedily spoke. He was losing his breath with worry. Frank took this news rather hard. He was worried about Alice from the start, and now she was in trouble and he was wasting time. He cursed himself for ever leaving her, when James snapped him out of it.
"What is that?" James asked when he noticed something, more like someone on the floor of the abandon street.
"Well I meant to tell you but-" he began, retaining his position.
"It's one of them." James said, stating the obvious.
"I know." Frank replied.
"Dead?" he asked. Frank nodded. "Great. Well we can't just leave the piece of shit here. Pick him up." He said, rubbing his temples. He felt this was wasting time.
"No, we have to leave him here, we don't have time." Frank said rationally. "They could be dead by now." Frank said, gravely.
"Oh god, don't say that, don't you ever say that!" he spoke, forcefully. "Fine, he stays. Hang on, take his robes." James had an idea.
"What?"
"Just do it!" James was getting more and more restless as the precious seconds passed. Frank became angry but didn't show it. He kept reminding himself he wasn't a person, and if he wasn't a person, he couldn't drop kick James in the chest. He quickly took of the robes of the anonymous Death Eater and threw them at James.
"Ok, apparate to The Ministry." James ordered before disappearing. Frank followed but when he got to the ministry no one was there, so he followed the voices, like James and Sirius had done. He spotted Sirius, who was crouched behind a wall, listening intently.
"What's going on?" he asked, curious. "Where's Alice?"
"Shh. I don't know." He said, shaking his head with worry.
"What's Lily doing?"
"She's, uh, trying to...reason with them?" Sirius wasn't quite sure; her voice was muffled by sniggers. After a few moments another voice rose above the crowd, silencing the rest. He casually walked forward, until he was face to face with her. It was none other than Rodolphus Lestrange. He seemed to be the leader of the inner circle.
"Where are they?!" he yelled, pointing his wand at her. She said nothing, she only remained still. She was taught never to negotiate with Death Eaters. She kept thinking of her parents, even though they had been dead for five years. He slapped her because of her lack of cooperation.
She flinched, but remained silent. "I said, where are the rest of them you cunt?!"
"I don't know!" she yelled back. He was clearly asking her to turn on her friends, something that she would never do, even if her life depended on it.
"You lie!" he accused, and punched her in the stomach. She fell to the ground. She was in pain, but refused to cry, or even show it.
"Stupid girl! Your bravery means nothing to me. I'll kill you if I have to." He said, and pointed his wand once more.
"So do it." she whispered. He didn't quite hear her.
"What was that?" he asked, and forcefully pulled her up by her hair. "I didn't quite hear you."
"Kill me! It won't solve anything! You won't be any closer than you are right now. This is pointless." She spat.
"Pointless?" he laughed. "Pointless! Brazen whore, your death would be a triumph. You have put so many of us behind bars. It would be a treat watching you die. But I think a little persuasion is in order." With that he snapped his fingers, and two Death Eaters went to the ambulance. She watched them go inside, and pull out a body. They carried in to them and dropped it in the ground in front of her. She gasped.
"Oh don't be alarmed, she isn't dead, oh no. On your feet!" he yelled, pointing his wand at what seemed to be the unconscious body of Diana. She got up slowly, her eyes opened but a little, and her face was unrecognizably bruised. When she was fully on her feet Lily could hear her whimpering.
Lily tried to touch her but she was smacked away. Sirius was watching, breathing hard and trying to restrain himself. He was helpless.
"No." Lily said under her breath.
"Yes we found her. She is quite the little snoop." He said, stroking Diana's cheek. "But she has proved useful in other ways, isn't that right my dear?"
"We had a little chat." Bellatrix chimed in. "a little girl talk seemed to do her well, rightAra?"
Diana nodded against her will as she was trying to fight back tears.
"You know, it's funny. One can learn so much from such a simple curse. Our Arabella here seemed quite the chatterbox once she was properly persuaded. I suppose she has realized where her loyalties lie." He said, smiling.
"You bastard!" Lily screamed, but restrained herself from lunging at him. I am not a person, I am an Auror, she had to remind herself.
"My, my aren't we a bit touchy. Now tell the lovely woman Arabella, what you have done." He said, as if he were speaking to a child.
No, Diana thought. Fight it, fight it. You have to. You are strong, they don't control you, think, Diana, think, harder. I will not, I will not, no, no...
"No!" she shouted, thus removing the curse. She was more powerful than even she could have imagined. An echo of murmurs permeated the street, as the Death Eaters lowered their wands, one by one.
"What?" he asked, dumbfounded by her abilities. She straitened herself and took her place next to Lily.
"I said no, Crucio!" she yelled. Everyone jumped back. Lily just stared at her, and Sirius began to sweat.
"Foolish brat!" Bellatrix yelled. "Crucio!" This time it hit Lily, who screamed and fell to the floor.
"No Bellatrix, not this time!" Diana fumed. She stepped backward a few steps and tripped over something. It was Alice, who was crouched on the ground. She had fainted.
Bellatrix laughed. "Well, well, what have we here?" she asked, ripping the invisibility cloak off of Alice. "I think I'll keep this, for now." She sniggered. Then she pulled Alice to her feet. She jolted and was shaking feverishly. "What a lovely little present." She said, admiring it.
"Frightened my dear?" Bellatrix asked. "You should be." Alice couldn't stop her tears as she watched her friend Lily gyrating on the concrete in obvious and unexplainable pain.
Bellatrix grabbed Alice and pointed her wand at her. Then she looked at Diana.
"Release him!" she yelled.
"No." Diana said plainly.
"Very well. Avada-"
"Wait!" Diana quickly said. She cursed herself. Then she reluctantly released Lestrange from Imperious. Bellatrix threw Alice at Diana when her husband was freed. She fell into her arms, sobbing.
"Now her!" Diana ordered, and Lily was released as well. She was still shaking as she got up.
"Is this really necessary Arabella?" Bellatrix asked, calmly. "Just hand them over and we will leave you alone."
"Like hell you will!" she spat, and spit in her face. Bellatrix gasped. She was incredibly insulted.
"How dare you!" she screamed, as she inched closer to Diana's face. "Do you really think all of this self righteousness is going to free you? Did you think that just because you stopped coming around that you were suddenly off the hook? Well let me tell you, you little half-blooded whore, there are some marks that don't wash off, no matter how hard you scrub." She whispered, scratching her long nails into Diana's skin, making it bleed.
Diana just shut her eyes, trying to block out her words. Bellatrix uttered and amused but disturbing laugh.
Lily became infuriated when she heard this. Weak or not she was not going to let that slide. She slowly reached for Diana's wand and held it firmly in her opposite hand.
"Avada Kedavra." She whispered, incredibly soft.
"Excuse me?" Rodolphus asked. Lily straitened up.
"Avada Kedavra." She said, and with her wand and Diana's the curse hit two Death Eaters at the front of the line. They dropped to the ground, instantly lifeless.
With that Rodolphus lunged at her, knocking Diana and Alice to the ground. Lily tried to fight back, but he was a strong one.
"Petrificus Totalus!" Bellatrix yelled, making it impossible for them to help her.
This was the last straw for Sirius and Frank. Suddenly Bellatrix felt a sharp pain in her leg and when she looked she saw a black dog biting her. She tried to hake it off but it wouldn't budge.
She was shocked when she saw a man in its place. She had not seen it transform. "Well, dear cousin." She said, through her teeth. "I should have known. Coming to rescue her yet again?" she said, while clutching her leg on the ground. "Traitor." She whispered.
"And honored to be one." He replied with animosity. She glared at him with utter revulsion.
"Crucio!" they heard and turned to see Frank cursing as many unsuspecting Death Eaters he possibly could from the back. He knocked down at least five before Lestrange averted his concentration from Lily. He had only knocked her down and she had jolted right back up, ready to battle as best she could.
"Incendio!" was the next sound they heard, this time from the very center. The Lestranges were shocked to figure out which of their side would say such a thing. The whole middle erupted in flames, killing two Death Eaters instantly. It was James. He put on the robes to get a closer look.
Chaos was manifesting. Death Eaters running around spouting curses at whomever they could, for it was difficult to distinguish who was on their side and who wasn't. James ran to the front to fight at Lily's side, the fire still blazing. Sirius released Alice and Diana from their curse and helped them up. Diana was ready, and at this point Alice was too. Some instinct inside her had triggered, and she had a thirst to put an end to all this.
Some Death Eaters had Muggle weapons such as knives, and used them however they could. Diana was fighting one in particular for a good ten minutes, and using up her strength rather quickly. She tried to focus, but the images became blurry, and she felt feverish and hot. Her forearm was struck more than once, and she tried to use her remaining good hand to finish the job.
Sirius went quickly from one Death Eater to another. He transformed from man to dog more than once to distract them. They couldn't tell there was a difference. It worked. He had killed two already and four others were stupefied and frozen on the floor.
James and Lily fought next to each other, fighting the Muggle way. They kicked and punched what they could, and when they got tired they cursed them. Sweaty and bloody they meandered through the black crowd, taking five at once, and catching most of them.
Spells were yelled out at anyone who would come near Alice. Sometimes she forgot the curses and yelled out things from her school years. She screamed anything, from Accio to Rictusempra. When she realized her stupidity she concentrated on the simple, but deadly three: Imperio, Crucio, and Avada Kedavra. She mastered them rather quickly, and with remarkable diligence.
Diana, Sirius, Lily and James, and Frank and Alice had kept in mind what they were sent out to do. They killed who they must, captured who they could, and disabled everyone else. This lasted for a good half hour. They were not people, they were Aurors, and damn good ones at that.
Rodolphus and Bellatrix were amongst them, infuriated at their failure to bring at least one of them down. Their goal, as discussed with their master, was to capture every Auror out there, and to bring them to him, alive or dead. They had failed, quite horribly. In the midst of the chaos they decided to desert, and deal with their fate on another occasion. No one noticed their departure, except Sirius.
"See you soon cousin." She said, winking. "Take care of that disloyal wife of yours, I suppose you all have to stick together in the end. Tell her I had fun playing with her tonight, although she wasn't very respectful-"
"I'll kill you!" Sirius screamed, lunging at her.
"Oh no, darling." She said, hysterically. "You should be thanking me. She's alive because I let her live. If anyone is going to do the killing around here, it'll be me." She whispered, and vanished from site with her husband.
There were about twenty left at that moment, but none of them stopped for anything. They were ruthless, fearless, and wanted so much not to disappoint their master. Diana was bruised and battered as she continued to fight, until her dizziness became increasingly worse. Before she knew it, her world began to spin and she was struck hard by a metal object to her head. She dropped to the ground.
Lily was covered in her own blood as well as the blood of some Death Eaters. She didn't know how many she had killed, or how many were still under her curses. None of that mattered now. Her cheeks were slit and the wound on her shoulder became more bruised and started to bleed again.
James averted his concentration for only a moment to see how Lily was when he felt his flesh sear in a burning slice as a knife penetrated his chest. He screamed and Lily took notice.
"James!" She yelled, and ran to him. He couldn't hold up his head and was losing consciousness.
Then suddenly, out of nowhere appeared Moody and Dumbledore. The Aurors didn't notice at first until the Death Eaters who were left began to rapidly dissaparate. Frank noticed first, because the one he was fighting suddenly disappeared from sight. They all looked at each other in shock and disappointment, but were relieved to see the two just the same. And then there were none. Above all else the Death Eaters were taught to fear Dumbledore, and his mere presence drove them all away. Too weak to formally acknowledge their old Headmaster, they simple stood glued to their spots. Lily began to cry over her husband, thinking about what he had said to her only a few hours ago.
Sirius was panting. His shoulder had been hurt badly, and he was clutching it and frantically searching for Diana. He too ran to her when he saw her on the ground. He said nothing. He only picked her up and drew her close to him.
"Look at them Alastor." Dumbledore said, shaking his head. "They're in shambles."
Moody nodded. "But look at what they have done. There must be at least ten dead, and the rest are stupefied."
Dumbledore cleared his throat, and they all looked up with exhausted and disappointed expressions on their faces.
"Children, you have done what you can. Now you all need immediate medical attention." He simply said. This was no time for words of wisdom or consolation. They wouldn't have wanted to appreciate it anyway. They just stared, and nodded.
"Alastor. Take them to Madame Pomfery. She'll know how to handle them. I have a feeling they need to go home, at least to recover there."
"Of course Albus. And what of these?" he said, pointing to the lifeless bodies of Death Eaters on the ground.
"I will call Bagnold, it is his job to deal with it. We can do nothing more. It is out of our control." He said, rather coldly. One by one Moody took then to Madame Pomfery. In this special circumstance Dumbledore allowed them to apparate into the hospital wing. When they were all there and the street was empty, Dumbledore surveyed it. A tear escaped his eye as he thought of all they must have gone through that night. He partially blamed himself. He asked them to put themselves in danger and all it brought them was pain. "So young." He muttered to the brisk, night air. Then in a flash, he was gone.
~*~*~ (Hospital Wing-Hogwarts, around Midnight)
Lily never fell asleep. She was too worried to sleep. Her muscles no longer ached because Madame Pomfery had given her a temporary tranquilizer. It was supposed to make her drowsy and numb the pain. At least half of it works, she thought. She was in a separate room from the others. She was all alone. She had no idea where James was, or even if he was alive. She shuddered at the thought.
'If anything happens to me, promise me you'll forgive me when it's all over..' She repeated to herself. She began to cry. Just the thought, the mere thought of him not coming out of this tore her to pieces. She started muttering his name and burying her face in her pillow. "James!" she yelled a bit too loudly and Madame Pomfery rushed in.
"Now, now dear what is it?" she sweetly asked, turning her over. She pulled the hair away from Lily's face in a motherly manner.
"I want my husband." She cried, tears streaming down her already salty cheeks.
"I'm afraid you can't see him just yet dear-"
"Bring him to me.now!" she said, slamming her hand on the bed.
"Hush Lily. He's all right, he just needs rest, and so do you. You can see him in the morning, I promise." She said, trying to calm her down.
"He's alive?" Lily asked, rubbing her eyes.
"Well of course dear. He's fine." She answered, tucking Lily in. "Now get some sleep" she ordered and left the room leaving only a single candle lit.
Diana was in the room next to her, with Sirius by her side. He wasn't injured as badly as she was, and insisted to Madame Pomfery that he stay by her side continually. She reluctantly agreed. They weren't students anymore after all.
He was stroking her hair and gently caressing her cheek. She was unconscious and the bruises were so severe that they were difficult to remove. Her robes were tattered and filthy, and the longer Sirius stared at her, the deeper his heart sank.
"She needs her rest Mr. Black." She said, thinking only of Diana's health.
"Shut it Poppy." He said, not caring at all what she had said. He knew this was rude to say, but he had other things on his mind. "Please just leave us." He said, not looking up.
"Fine." She said, a little offended, but understanding. She shut the door so they would not be disturbed. She had given Diana a potion to heal the bruises overnight. So far nothing changed.
Sirius sat next to her on the floor, his hand gripped tightly around hers. He stared at her wedding ring, and ran his thumb around its square cut ridges. It was stained in blood. He broke down crying. He put his head on her lap and wept for what seemed to be hours. He never let go of her hand. Then to his surprise he felt something tough his hair and stroke it. He jolted up to see Diana awake, and staring into his dark, mysterious eyes. She wasn't smiling; in fact her expression was rather untraceable. She just continued to pet him.
"Get up." She whispered, and he did so right away. He sat on the bed facing her, her hand still clutched tightly in his. She put her free hand on his cheek and motioned him closer. He kissed her sweetly and put his head on her chest. She breathed heavily in and out until she moved the covers next to her, opening a space for him. He got in, fully clothed, but stayed above the covers.
He embraced her tightly, as if he were afraid she would slip away. She silently cried as he kissed her hair.
"I'm so sorry Sirius." She whimpered, trying desperately not to show her despair. "It's all my fault."
"Shh. None of that." He whispered. He rubbed her shoulders to sooth her, and she calmed down a bit while increasing her grip on him.
"Hold me tighter." She said, sniffling. He obeyed. "Promise me something."
"Anything."
"Don't you ever leave me, do you hear? I need you." She whispered and closed her eyes. A tear fell from his eyes and he smiled. They fell asleep together in each other's arms.
~*~James stirred. He could feel himself gaining some energy, although his body was still a bit achy. He was tossing and turning. He had been up for hours, thinking of one thing only.
"Lily." He whispered. He had blacked out after he had been stabbed and didn't remember where she had gone, until he heard her cry for him. That must have been an hour ago, or was it a minute? He thought. He sighed loudly and wanted so much to see her. If anything this potion was only keeping him awake. He couldn't take it. She was his wife and he had every right to see her. Madame Pomfery wasn't around. She must have gone back to her quarters, he thought. The rest of the wing was surely asleep. They were all adults so they didn't need people to watch over them.
He made up his mind and slowly got out of bed. This was a little difficult since the entire potion had not circulated yet. He knew which room was hers. It was directly adjoined to his. The door was closed and he was almost certain she was asleep. He opened the door slowly and it creaked. It was opened enough for him to see Lily jump up in surprise. She was wide- awake.
He felt a little embarrassed just standing there, and she seemed frozen to her spot. He was about to leave when she motioned for him to stay. She threw the covers off walked over to him. He never moved from that spot. He wasn't looking directly at her however; his eyes were fixed to the floor. She picked his head up and forced him to look at her. Then she ran her hand across his slightly cut face, moving from one cheek to the other. Then she hugged him around his neck as if she hadn't seen him in years. He was shocked by this act and slowly put his arms around her waist, slowly embracing her tighter.
When she released herself she looked deep into his eyes. He needed her, she thought. And I need him, she realized. She inched her face closer to his and their lips met, briefly at first, but then longer and harder the second time around. She exhaled out of relief and pleasure, as James pulled their bodies closer. He began kissing her cheek, then slowly made his way down to her neck.
She tugged on his shirt, biding him to take it off, and she quickly pulled it up over his head. It was tossed to the side. She put her hand on his chest, over the bandaged wound. He took her hand and intertwined it with his, as they slowly made their way to the bed.
And there, in the hospital wing of their former school they gave themselves to each other. It was not as a favor, or because they needed a distraction from the pain. It had been three months since they made love, and the longer they abstained; the more they needed one another to feel complete. Neither of them was the dominant one. They were past that now. They simply gave into temptation, if that's even what it was. Once again James silently apologized, while Lily in her own way truly forgave him. She could never forget, as no woman can truly do, but she knew she had to ultimately forgive. It was for her happiness as well. Her completeness, her essence, her heart, and her soul belonged to James, as his did to her.
They would forever be each other's weakness, strength, misfortune, blessing, pleasure and pain. But, that moment was a turning point in their lives. It was a perfect mirror of their past while being a stepping-stone into the future.
They were Lily and James again, one word practically. She didn't back away. She didn't cringe or fight. He became himself again, the one that had been gone for so long. He was her James, and she was his Lily. The feeling of ecstasy that had been absent for so long had returned with full force, and devoured them both. This requisite expression of their sentiments proved to be everything more than sweet intoxication.
(Sorry it took so long. I do hope it was at least somewhat worth it! It really did take me a very long time to piece together and sorry if its not the best. Remember to review! I really love them! But, no I don't know what happens next :) :)
Lily and James hurriedly walked, side by side in the direction of the Ministry of Magic office in London. It was only a couple of blocks away. The sky was getting bleaker and as the sunlight faded, the shapes of the images became clear. They knew what they were immediately. Lily's heart raced as James hurried to keep up. They were horribly late and they knew it. Their previous banter seemed meaningless, for the night brought out their worst fears, and terrible anticipation.
The Ministry was in Muggle London, but on a convenient side street. It was rare that any Muggles passed by, and they would certainly question the reason why there were so many people, many of them with wands and mysterious robes. No one took this into account and even if Muggles did pass by, no one would have cared. There were bigger problems at that moment.
No one had bothered to go underground, which is where its true location was. The red telephone booth was swarming with people, leaving and entering, but the majority were outside, wondering, and waiting.
As they drew nearer they could see Diana and Sirius already there. They were panting, presumably because they had been running as well. Next to them were a very nervous Alice Ferguson and Frank Longbottom. Alice kept looking up at the sky and cringing at what she saw. Alastor Moody was there as well. He was the first to see James and Lily approaching and pointed them out to a flustered Bartimius Crouch. He nodded when he saw them. No screaming, no scolding, just a simple nod. It was not common behavior for him, so they assumed something must be terribly wrong, and the evidence was burned into the sky like a hot poker on fair skin.
As Lily and James went up to Crouch for instructions they were slightly alarmed at the amount of people outside. It wasn't just Aurors. The entire Department of Magical Law Enforcement was there, along with the Mistress of Magic, Millicent Bagnold. There were Hit Wizards and random Ministry officials. The Department of Magical Catastrophes was also there. They only dealt with major crimes and disasters. They were not usually affiliated with Aurors unless Dark Magic was involved, which it clearly was.
"What happened?" cried Lily as Diana ran up to her. They quickly embraced and Diana just shook her head. Then she looked up, the evil photographs casting a peculiar light over their beloved city.
"The Dark Mark." Crouch said simply. There was nervousness in his voice and Lily actually sympathized for him. He obviously had a lot riding on his shoulders.
"But not just one." Moody joined. James looked up and actually counted. From this angle and spot in London the whole city seemed like it could be seen.
"There's so many." James began. "And they stretch too far to even count them. They must reach Wales from the looks of it."
"But where are they?" Sirius chimed in, looking up. "It's like he decorated with them. Are they even over anything?"
"I don't understand, when did this start?" Lily asked Crouch. "I was out not even an hour ago and I didn't see anything."
Crouch just shook his head, speechless.
"We don't know Lily." Moody said. "But people are dead, we know that for sure." Just then they heard ambulances, it was hard to tell how many, all at once driving from street to street. People started peering out their windows to see what all the commotion was about. When they saw the sky people gasped, some screamed. Windows were shut and blinds drawn. There was no point in hiding it now.
"Oh my God." They heard Alice cry. She ran to Lily and hugged her. "I can't do this!" she whimpered. "It's too much, I can't, and I'm scared!" she was breathing hard.
"Shh." Lily said, trying to calm her down. She looked to Frank to see he was nervous and kept scratching his head. "Yes you can."
"But I don't even know the wand defenses yet!" Alice screamed.
"Quiet! Do you want to start more of a panic then there already is?" Lily whispered, loudly. Alice breathed and calmed down. "Yes you do, you just haven't practiced them yet but I know you can do them. You are brave, Alice, we can do it. But you HAVE to get it together." Lily spoke, slowly. It was hard to be supportive without being stern. Lily cared for Alice but she was going to be damned if she was going to let her disrupt their mission.
Alice sniffled. "Focus is the key." She said, smiling at Lily. She had always said that during training. Lily winked back.
"That's right. Now go back to Frank. If we have to fight, better he next to you than me."
Alice nodded and turned to her fiancée. She was calmer after talking to Lily. She always trusted her. Then Lily was jolted by the sound of a forceful yell.
"Tell us what you want us to do Crouch!" Sirius forcefully said as their so- called leader just sat down and put his head in his hands. He had cracked under the pressure. This unanticipated act was more then he could bear. Patrolling and battles he could handle, but this. For the first time Barty Crouch wasn't as confident as he seemed. Moody sighed.
"Calm down Black, calm down. Alright." He sighed. "I guess I'll have to take the lead here."
Everyone's ears perked up as Moody said this. He was shaking his head at the cowardly Crouch. Moody was by far the most experienced out of all of them. He had been around since the very beginning, watching, waiting for something this catastrophic to happen.
"Now my friends, here is what we must do." He whispered to all of them. Lily, James, Sirius, Diana, Frank and Alice listened intently. "We'll split up, that way we cover more ground. Go in the direction of the Muggle ambulances; they are clearly going to areas that have been hit. He's not just going after Wizards now, so you must pay very close attention. Trust no one, and keep your eyes open for any sudden movements in dark areas.." He paused and motioned for them to move a little farther from Crouch, who wasn't listening anyway. They followed him, no one speaking a word or asking questions.
"Have you all brought your cloaks?" he whispered so only they heard. James and Lily forgot and the thought hit them hard. They cursed under their breaths, but didn't blame each other.
"We're so sorry. I can't believe we forgot them." James said, incredibly upset at his lack of prevision.
"It's alright James. What about the rest of you?" he asked. They all nodded and pointed under their arms. Moody nodded in acceptance. "Very well. They will prove exceedingly important in this mission. Capture whomever you can, kill if you have to. No games, just business. As of right now, none of you have feelings. You are not people, you are Aurors, understand?" he asked, looking at each one of them for their answers.
They all nodded nervously, but ready to fight. "Constant vigilance, my friends. I will do what I can here, and try to make Crouch come to his senses. He's worried about that son of his." He explained. He seemed to see right through people, and learn their deepest thoughts. "Dumbledore will be coming, and I am surprised that he isn't here yet." He looked around. "No matter, now go, all of you, and earn some points for our side, Merlin knows we need them." He exclaimed, gravely.
"Alastor?" Diana asked. "What about the people?" she asked, looking at the windows of the street and down the block.
"Don't worry Diana. Arnold Peasegood is here, and he will obliviate whomever he has too, Wizards and Muggles alike. He has apprentices helping him. That is not our focus. You can all go with your respective spouses and significant others if you wish. You can decide where each of you will start, meet up, whatever. I have complete faith in you all, and I trust you." He said, pointing at each one of them. "And I don't trust a lot of people. Do us some justice, I am afraid the Muggle world as well as the Wizarding world is in danger now. Bagnold has informed the Prime Minister, and she is currently working on a story that will, hopefully sound believable. Now, I'm, rambling now go, and be careful." He warned. All of them stood there, ready for action. Their hearts were beating fast and they turned around to decide where they should split up.
"Ok." James said, turning to his wife. "Here's what we'll do. Lily, you and I can start at the north. We had better tackle this from the outside and work our way in. Sirius, Diana, you two can go south, and Frank and Alice, um, east."
"We don't have enough." Lily sighed. "There is only six, that is nowhere near enough."
James ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "Singles then. We'll all have to be separate." He reluctantly said. They all realized it was the only way.
"Every man for himself?" Sirius said. "But what if something happens? We have to stick together."
"I'm afraid we don't have that option right now Padfoot. I'm sorry but it is the only way."
"Hold on. I can't be by myself." Alice cried.
"Alice, we don't have a-"
"No, she's right." Lily clarified. "She can't do it all by herself, not yet."
"Fine, go with Frank." James said.
"Um, can I go with you Lily?" she meekly asked. "I.. well, I would just be more comfortable with you around that's all."
Lily smiled at Alice warmly. "Sure honey. Frank?"
"You're the trainer. I'm just going to be her husband." He casually replied. They both smirked at him.
"Ok." Lily sighed as she thought about what she was going to do. "We'll stay here."
"Fine." James replied. Then they each went in the opposite directions, not speaking because they were very intent on what was to be done at that moment. When they got to the corners, making sure not to be seen, they apparated to their respective locations. Diana landed by the north entrance, while Sirius went to the south. James and Frank went east and west, respectively, while Lily and Alice started from the heart of London, scooping out anything they could.
They walked slowly, for the street lights were out now. Alice hooked her arm with Lily's as she walked. Lily didn't seem to mind. After a few minutes their eyes were accustomed to the darkness and Lily silently ordered Alice to take out the cloak. They wrapped it around themselves and found, surprisingly that it could hold more than one person at a time. It must have been a certain expanding method that Dumbledore neglected to tell them.
Their footsteps were loud crackling noises on the pavement. There was no wind, no rustling, only silence, deafening silence. Alice began to shake and breath heavier. Lily saw no point in trying to silence her now. The streetlights were out, and no one was around, no animals, no cats, nothing. Lily stopped.
"What?" Alice whispered.
Lily covered her mouth with her index finger. "Silencio." She whispered, and Alice understood.
After about fifteen minutes they were getting tired and restless. Alice's arms hurt from holding up the cloak, but it was necessary even in the pitch- black night. Then suddenly they were jolted by the sound of an ambulance coming their way. They were in the middle of the street so they quickly jumped onto the sidewalk. Even Lily had to admit that it took her by surprise.
Then she motioned to Alice and indicated that they should follow it. She was reluctant but Lily glared at her and she sheepishly came anyway. The ambulance stopped around the corner, conveniently, and Lily and Alice swiftly walked toward it. By the time they reached it, its lights were off and it was suddenly desolate again. Lily was puzzled but she wasn't fooled.
"Are you sure this wasn't here before, but it was dark and we couldn't see it? Are you sure it even stopped at all?" Alice whispered, even though no one would be able to hear them anyway.
"I'm not sure." Lily said, questioning herself. She sighed and looked around once more. "Ugh, where is everyone?" she whined. She felt odd, and she knew something was not right.
Then they noticed another ambulance parked on the other side of the street. It too was silent and stationary. Lily removed herself from under the cloak. It limited mobility for her and she felt more comfortable out in the London air.
"Lily!" Alice whispered, and motioned her back under. Lily, however, couldn't see it, but she heard her quite well. The silencing charm was removed.
"Quiet Alice." She ordered. Lily noticed something on the street. Well it was more than something. It was a door, the only one on the street that was boarded up. She surveyed it briefly, and raised an eyebrow at it, questioning its significance. After brief contemplation she dismissed the feeling and turned to her friend.
"I don't like this." Alice spoke. They walked towards the middle. This was a dead end on a side street. There was an alleyway in the direction they were walking, and they stopped dead in the middle. Suddenly another ambulance turned on that street. It stopped about twenty feet in front of them and it too, turned its lights off.
"Oh no." Lily said, her voice cracking. A thought had suddenly hit her. This was no coincidence.
"What? What?" said an impatient and frightened Alice.
"It's a trap." She said and Alice rushed to her side, although stopping behind her.
Just then the lights of the white vehicles lit up, each one brighter than the other. Lily shielded her eyes from its glare while grasping her wand as tightly as ever. She could hear commotion but was blinded by the fluorescence. There was sniggering and some laughter and Lily shook her head at her own misjudgment. How could I have been so thoughtless? She thought, scolding herself.
"Nox!" she yelled and the lights went off immediately. It was obviously magic that kept them on in the first place.
She and Alice gasped in unison at the sight that met them. There must have been fifty of them, all dressed in black, hissing and lurking amongst the shadows. Their wands were out and ready, and they were all pointed at her....
~*~(Diana's Post-Northern London)
Diana was so bored after about ten minutes that she actually started to hum. When she caught herself she stopped. She sighed and searched desperately for something to do, something to find. It was dark, but her eyes adjusted rather quickly. She had her invisibility cloaked tucked under her arm. She didn't see the point in wearing it just yet, for the city seemed completely deserted. Follow the ambulances, she thought. I don't see any bloody ambulances. Her mind came to her senses when she heard a tree branch crack. She wasn't sure which direction it was coming from, or whether it was coming from above her or on the ground.
She walked toward it, her wand in front of her; ready to attack when she saw a pair of yellow eyes stare at her through the darkness. She jumped back at first until she saw that it was only a little cat. She sighed out of immense relief and put her hand over her heart. Then she shook her head and walked over to it.
"What are you doing out here little one?" she asked it, sweetly. She had always loved cats. She had grown up with about four.
The cat eyed her suspiciously, but seemed to calm down at the sight of her robes. This cat must belong to a wizard, she thought, reading its expressions carefully. She gently caressed its ears and picked it up from the ground.
"Would you like to walk with me?" she whispered to it. Right away she sensed the cat was a bit odd. It didn't behave like a normal cat would. Usually you have to earn a cat's trust before they let a human handle them, and this cat came quite willingly into her arms. Then she looked down to see a branch. That must have been what cracked before, she thought. But where could it have fallen from?
The she heard a scream. It was a bloodcurdling, piercing scream that jolted her out of the slightest calmness. It was followed by a cackling laughter that Diana had recognized immediately. She dropped the cat accidentally and it let out an annoyed whine. She searched the sky frantically for an open window, a door, and then she saw one. The very building she was standing in front of seemed to be producing the shrill cries of what sounded like a woman, or worse, a child. A light went on, surprisingly, on the sixth floor and she took no time trying to pry open the entrance to the lobby.
The cat didn't seem to like this at all. It jumped on her robes and tried to pull her away. She found this incredibly frustrating and she tried to pry it off her.
"Get off!" she yelled, but the cat seemed determined to keep her from whatever was inside that building. After giving up she decided to let it stay there. She couldn't be too late, not again.
"Alohomora!" she yelled and the door opened easily. The cat dropped off her robes and hissed loudly at her. She turned to look back at it with a puzzled look on her face. She always could read animals, and tell what they were feeling. This cat clearly did not want her going up there, and before she turned her head gave her a pleading look as if to say it wasn't a good idea.
It was dark and she couldn't see where the stairs were and she wouldn't waste any time taking the elevator.
"Lumos" she muttered, searching frantically for the stairs. When she found them she darted for them and ran as quickly as she could up those six, tedious flights. When she reached the top she was shocked once again to see that same cat there. In the light she could make out its appearance more. It was a ginger cat, her favorite, and it had a squashed flat face and a bottle brush tail. After simply blinking it turned and darted to the end of the first hall.
Since she didn't quite make out what room the scream came from, she followed this mysterious cat down the hallway. She couldn't quite fathom why. There was commotion inside that room and she was about to open the door when the cat growled and seemed to shake its head. She ignored it and frowned. Then, since the door was strangely unlocked, she opened it quickly, wand at the ready.
"What!?" she shouted out loud. There was nothing in there. No people, not even a dead body. Where the hell was that noise coming from then? She thought. The light in this room was on.
Then she heard the door creak, then slam shut. She gasped but didn't loose face for a moment.
She turned around to see five masked figures walking slowly toward her. She backed away, not afraid, then fell backwards to find five more behind her. They had dissaparated to get her inside, and when she was, they apparated back to the room.
"Shit." She muttered when she saw them circle her. Then one of them grabbed her by the arm and her hood fell off. Some of them gasped at what they saw and muttered to each other. Without realizing the one that held her released her and backed away a few feet.
"Can't you see, you fools." Came a voice from the back of the mob. "She is one of us." He said, casually walking over to her. He grabbed her left arm and she winced. His grip was tight. He forcefully pulled up her sleeve but to his amazement, as well as everyone else's, nothing was there. He looked incredibly disappointed and let go. She grabbed it in pain.
"How disappointing you are, Arabella." He said shaking his head.
"Lestrange." Was all she could muster. She had such malice for this group that she had to force herself to speak.
"Where is it?!" he yelled.
"Gone!" she shot back.
"That is not possible." He said." And you know it. Morsmordre Revelus!" he screamed, grabbing her arm once more. She screamed out of pain, a burning sensation permeating through her entire body. She fell to the ground.
He let go, completely satisfied. She clutched her arm to her chest, afraid to look.
"Now, now, now, was that really necessary Rodolphus?" came the voice of a woman, who was presumably next to him.
"Quiet Bella, and what have I said about our names-" he began, playfully scolding her.
"Hush." She said, walking over to Diana. She helped her up and Diana leaned on her for support. When she was strait Bellatrix took off her hood to reveal a raven beauty with black, penetrating eyes. "Can't you see she's lost her way? Oh Arabella, how you have shamed us." She said, putting a hand on her cheek. Diana hated this woman, and knew it was her laughter that jolted her so.
"Hello Bella." Diana whispered.
"You know, we were quite worried, weren't we Rololphus?" she said, condescendingly. He simply chuckled and nodded.
"Kept us up at night." He said sarcastically.
"Our little kitten had to betray us and she didn't even say goodbye. That was very rude indeed, Ara, very rude. Where did your manners go anyway? I would have thought my dear cousin had at least taught you something."
Diana got up and looked Bellatrix squarely in the eye. "Well..the Blacks aren't really one to judge on manners now are they? You would know, wouldn't you Bella, being one yourself. The likes of you have poisoned the blood of this family. You are a discredit to your name. You don't deserve one letter of it."
"Now you shut up you little half-blooded wench. You poisoned my family with your dirty Muggle father's blood. And you could have done so much better. It is your husband, my dear cousin, who is the discredit and you know it. Fools, the both of you, to tamper in what you know not. Since you happen to be technically my cousin, dear, I will not kill you now, not that it would matter if I did." She said, casually.
"You think so?" Diana said, hotly. "then I guess that makes you a coward, now doesn't it Bella? Honestly, I am surprised at you." Diana said, folding her arms in mock annoyance.
Bellatrix glared at her. "I want to play with you my dear." She said, with sinister sweetness. "Yes, I think you and I could have tons of fun. And I could teach you a thing or two, about how traders are punished.." Diana noticed her neglecting her wand, as she began to clap childishly at the thought of torturing Diana.
"... and those who pollute the blood of the most noble and ancient of families."
Diana took this opportunity to strike. She was not, under any circumstances going to put up with this, it was over and done with.
"Crucio." She said, her wand pointed at Bellatrix's stomach. She writhed in pain and fell to the ground in a burning seizure.
"How dare you!" Lestrange began when he too was hit with that same curse. The eight remaining backed against the wall, her wand circling each and every one of them.
"Move once, and I will curse you so hard you'll be begging me to kill you!" she shouted. Then she released the two Death Eaters from her curse and knelt down next to them.
"That was a warning, Bella." She spoke softly, but as she tired to get up Rodolphus reached for her wand and grabbed it, disabling her. He helped up Bellatrix, his wife, and pointed her wand right back to her.
"Insolent girl." He whispered, still shaking off the pain. "Imperio."
A feeling hit Diana which she couldn't describe. It was a tingling sensation in which she felt saturated by numbness, unable to control her movements. Even her thoughts had been sequestered, and were hers no longer.
"From a Bella to a Bella..." Bellatrix started. "We have much to say love, much to say...."
She couldn't speak, and Bellatrix's words faded. She was dormant. All she could see were shapeless figures, unclear and rapidly mobile. The black cloaks swarmed around her, creating a hellish blanket of iniquity. And then, darkness...
~*~*~*~(James' Post- Eastern London)
James was walking cautiously on a main street with, surprisingly, no cars. There were a few streetlights on but they were merely flickering. He had no cloak with him so he had to be extra careful, in case he ran into anything suspicious. The sky was still illuminated with the Dark Mark, and he tried to see if it was over a particular location, anywhere. But, they only seemed to be there for sport, or as a threat. This could only be the beginning, he thought.
He wasn't sure how far he walked. The minutes seemed to be getting longer, morphing into hours, or at least feeling like hours. He didn't know how much time had passed. He strolled as if he were patrolling, a task that became increasingly uneventful.
It was then that he became aware that pair of eyes was upon him. He felt it in the pit of his stomach. He turned a corner slowly, sticking one hand in his pocket. Then out of nowhere came a large beast, barking furiously at him. He was so taken aback that he fell onto the ground. The beast then, with his great black eyes pounced on him, pinning him to the ground. At first James was ready to strike the animal until he saw what it was in the light.
When the animal caught a clear glimpse of James it quickly calmed down. It seemed to huff at him out of disappointment. The animal was a dog. A large, black dog. James let out a sigh of relief. "Padfoot, get off!" he yelled. Then in the shadows the animal transformed into a very annoyed Sirius Black.
"What the hell are you doing here? You scared me half to death!" Sirius yelled.
"Me? You're not at your post." He said, pointing at him.
"What are you talking about? You said 'go to the south,' and I did." Sirius said, matter-of-factly.
"This is the east." James said, although he wasn't quite sure to be honest.
"No, look at the street. It says, Harbourough Ave, South." Sirius said, annunciating every word and pointing at it with his wand. "You fucked it up."
"What?" James couldn't believe himself. "How could I have done that?"
"I don't know but we have a problem if you can't apparate properly." He said, in all seriousness.
"Yea." Said James thinking. "But we don't have time for this. There is nothing here. We have to find Lily and Alice. They're in the center. We have more power together anyways, so we might as well go."
"You're right we're wasting time here. Should we go find Frank?" Sirius asked.
"Soon. Let's see how the girls are doing first. They might need help, what with the rookie and everything." James said.
Sirius nodded and together they apparated about three blocks away from Lily and Alice. They were on the Ministry block, and it was shockingly empty. They both raised an eyebrow and darted to the supposed location of the girls. They were running for less than a minute when they heard Lily's voice. It was slightly muffled because there seemed to be an alarming number of people surrounding her. Sirius had to stop James from running to her. They would both be killed instantly.
"You go get Frank." Sirius ordered his flabbergasted friend. "I'll stay here. Don't do anything you'll regret."
"But-"
"GO!" he whispered. Despite his silent protests, James apparated out of site to retrieve Frank Longbottom, who was at his post in Western London.
James searched frantically for Frank, and rather impatiently. He wanted to get back there, to Lily. He was worried. She was in trouble, and he had to go and do this stupid errand.
"Frank!" he started calling, not trying in the least to hide himself. There is no answer so he walked a little father down the street, his heart racing uncontrollably. "Frank!"
"James?" he heard and turned to the direction of the sound. He rushed over to Frank, who seemed to be busy at that moment. "What the bloody hell are you doing-"
"We have to go, now!" James ordered like an impatient child. Frank eyed him confused and was a bit taken back.
"What? Why?"
"The girls, they're in trouble we have to go!" James speedily spoke. He was losing his breath with worry. Frank took this news rather hard. He was worried about Alice from the start, and now she was in trouble and he was wasting time. He cursed himself for ever leaving her, when James snapped him out of it.
"What is that?" James asked when he noticed something, more like someone on the floor of the abandon street.
"Well I meant to tell you but-" he began, retaining his position.
"It's one of them." James said, stating the obvious.
"I know." Frank replied.
"Dead?" he asked. Frank nodded. "Great. Well we can't just leave the piece of shit here. Pick him up." He said, rubbing his temples. He felt this was wasting time.
"No, we have to leave him here, we don't have time." Frank said rationally. "They could be dead by now." Frank said, gravely.
"Oh god, don't say that, don't you ever say that!" he spoke, forcefully. "Fine, he stays. Hang on, take his robes." James had an idea.
"What?"
"Just do it!" James was getting more and more restless as the precious seconds passed. Frank became angry but didn't show it. He kept reminding himself he wasn't a person, and if he wasn't a person, he couldn't drop kick James in the chest. He quickly took of the robes of the anonymous Death Eater and threw them at James.
"Ok, apparate to The Ministry." James ordered before disappearing. Frank followed but when he got to the ministry no one was there, so he followed the voices, like James and Sirius had done. He spotted Sirius, who was crouched behind a wall, listening intently.
"What's going on?" he asked, curious. "Where's Alice?"
"Shh. I don't know." He said, shaking his head with worry.
"What's Lily doing?"
"She's, uh, trying to...reason with them?" Sirius wasn't quite sure; her voice was muffled by sniggers. After a few moments another voice rose above the crowd, silencing the rest. He casually walked forward, until he was face to face with her. It was none other than Rodolphus Lestrange. He seemed to be the leader of the inner circle.
"Where are they?!" he yelled, pointing his wand at her. She said nothing, she only remained still. She was taught never to negotiate with Death Eaters. She kept thinking of her parents, even though they had been dead for five years. He slapped her because of her lack of cooperation.
She flinched, but remained silent. "I said, where are the rest of them you cunt?!"
"I don't know!" she yelled back. He was clearly asking her to turn on her friends, something that she would never do, even if her life depended on it.
"You lie!" he accused, and punched her in the stomach. She fell to the ground. She was in pain, but refused to cry, or even show it.
"Stupid girl! Your bravery means nothing to me. I'll kill you if I have to." He said, and pointed his wand once more.
"So do it." she whispered. He didn't quite hear her.
"What was that?" he asked, and forcefully pulled her up by her hair. "I didn't quite hear you."
"Kill me! It won't solve anything! You won't be any closer than you are right now. This is pointless." She spat.
"Pointless?" he laughed. "Pointless! Brazen whore, your death would be a triumph. You have put so many of us behind bars. It would be a treat watching you die. But I think a little persuasion is in order." With that he snapped his fingers, and two Death Eaters went to the ambulance. She watched them go inside, and pull out a body. They carried in to them and dropped it in the ground in front of her. She gasped.
"Oh don't be alarmed, she isn't dead, oh no. On your feet!" he yelled, pointing his wand at what seemed to be the unconscious body of Diana. She got up slowly, her eyes opened but a little, and her face was unrecognizably bruised. When she was fully on her feet Lily could hear her whimpering.
Lily tried to touch her but she was smacked away. Sirius was watching, breathing hard and trying to restrain himself. He was helpless.
"No." Lily said under her breath.
"Yes we found her. She is quite the little snoop." He said, stroking Diana's cheek. "But she has proved useful in other ways, isn't that right my dear?"
"We had a little chat." Bellatrix chimed in. "a little girl talk seemed to do her well, rightAra?"
Diana nodded against her will as she was trying to fight back tears.
"You know, it's funny. One can learn so much from such a simple curse. Our Arabella here seemed quite the chatterbox once she was properly persuaded. I suppose she has realized where her loyalties lie." He said, smiling.
"You bastard!" Lily screamed, but restrained herself from lunging at him. I am not a person, I am an Auror, she had to remind herself.
"My, my aren't we a bit touchy. Now tell the lovely woman Arabella, what you have done." He said, as if he were speaking to a child.
No, Diana thought. Fight it, fight it. You have to. You are strong, they don't control you, think, Diana, think, harder. I will not, I will not, no, no...
"No!" she shouted, thus removing the curse. She was more powerful than even she could have imagined. An echo of murmurs permeated the street, as the Death Eaters lowered their wands, one by one.
"What?" he asked, dumbfounded by her abilities. She straitened herself and took her place next to Lily.
"I said no, Crucio!" she yelled. Everyone jumped back. Lily just stared at her, and Sirius began to sweat.
"Foolish brat!" Bellatrix yelled. "Crucio!" This time it hit Lily, who screamed and fell to the floor.
"No Bellatrix, not this time!" Diana fumed. She stepped backward a few steps and tripped over something. It was Alice, who was crouched on the ground. She had fainted.
Bellatrix laughed. "Well, well, what have we here?" she asked, ripping the invisibility cloak off of Alice. "I think I'll keep this, for now." She sniggered. Then she pulled Alice to her feet. She jolted and was shaking feverishly. "What a lovely little present." She said, admiring it.
"Frightened my dear?" Bellatrix asked. "You should be." Alice couldn't stop her tears as she watched her friend Lily gyrating on the concrete in obvious and unexplainable pain.
Bellatrix grabbed Alice and pointed her wand at her. Then she looked at Diana.
"Release him!" she yelled.
"No." Diana said plainly.
"Very well. Avada-"
"Wait!" Diana quickly said. She cursed herself. Then she reluctantly released Lestrange from Imperious. Bellatrix threw Alice at Diana when her husband was freed. She fell into her arms, sobbing.
"Now her!" Diana ordered, and Lily was released as well. She was still shaking as she got up.
"Is this really necessary Arabella?" Bellatrix asked, calmly. "Just hand them over and we will leave you alone."
"Like hell you will!" she spat, and spit in her face. Bellatrix gasped. She was incredibly insulted.
"How dare you!" she screamed, as she inched closer to Diana's face. "Do you really think all of this self righteousness is going to free you? Did you think that just because you stopped coming around that you were suddenly off the hook? Well let me tell you, you little half-blooded whore, there are some marks that don't wash off, no matter how hard you scrub." She whispered, scratching her long nails into Diana's skin, making it bleed.
Diana just shut her eyes, trying to block out her words. Bellatrix uttered and amused but disturbing laugh.
Lily became infuriated when she heard this. Weak or not she was not going to let that slide. She slowly reached for Diana's wand and held it firmly in her opposite hand.
"Avada Kedavra." She whispered, incredibly soft.
"Excuse me?" Rodolphus asked. Lily straitened up.
"Avada Kedavra." She said, and with her wand and Diana's the curse hit two Death Eaters at the front of the line. They dropped to the ground, instantly lifeless.
With that Rodolphus lunged at her, knocking Diana and Alice to the ground. Lily tried to fight back, but he was a strong one.
"Petrificus Totalus!" Bellatrix yelled, making it impossible for them to help her.
This was the last straw for Sirius and Frank. Suddenly Bellatrix felt a sharp pain in her leg and when she looked she saw a black dog biting her. She tried to hake it off but it wouldn't budge.
She was shocked when she saw a man in its place. She had not seen it transform. "Well, dear cousin." She said, through her teeth. "I should have known. Coming to rescue her yet again?" she said, while clutching her leg on the ground. "Traitor." She whispered.
"And honored to be one." He replied with animosity. She glared at him with utter revulsion.
"Crucio!" they heard and turned to see Frank cursing as many unsuspecting Death Eaters he possibly could from the back. He knocked down at least five before Lestrange averted his concentration from Lily. He had only knocked her down and she had jolted right back up, ready to battle as best she could.
"Incendio!" was the next sound they heard, this time from the very center. The Lestranges were shocked to figure out which of their side would say such a thing. The whole middle erupted in flames, killing two Death Eaters instantly. It was James. He put on the robes to get a closer look.
Chaos was manifesting. Death Eaters running around spouting curses at whomever they could, for it was difficult to distinguish who was on their side and who wasn't. James ran to the front to fight at Lily's side, the fire still blazing. Sirius released Alice and Diana from their curse and helped them up. Diana was ready, and at this point Alice was too. Some instinct inside her had triggered, and she had a thirst to put an end to all this.
Some Death Eaters had Muggle weapons such as knives, and used them however they could. Diana was fighting one in particular for a good ten minutes, and using up her strength rather quickly. She tried to focus, but the images became blurry, and she felt feverish and hot. Her forearm was struck more than once, and she tried to use her remaining good hand to finish the job.
Sirius went quickly from one Death Eater to another. He transformed from man to dog more than once to distract them. They couldn't tell there was a difference. It worked. He had killed two already and four others were stupefied and frozen on the floor.
James and Lily fought next to each other, fighting the Muggle way. They kicked and punched what they could, and when they got tired they cursed them. Sweaty and bloody they meandered through the black crowd, taking five at once, and catching most of them.
Spells were yelled out at anyone who would come near Alice. Sometimes she forgot the curses and yelled out things from her school years. She screamed anything, from Accio to Rictusempra. When she realized her stupidity she concentrated on the simple, but deadly three: Imperio, Crucio, and Avada Kedavra. She mastered them rather quickly, and with remarkable diligence.
Diana, Sirius, Lily and James, and Frank and Alice had kept in mind what they were sent out to do. They killed who they must, captured who they could, and disabled everyone else. This lasted for a good half hour. They were not people, they were Aurors, and damn good ones at that.
Rodolphus and Bellatrix were amongst them, infuriated at their failure to bring at least one of them down. Their goal, as discussed with their master, was to capture every Auror out there, and to bring them to him, alive or dead. They had failed, quite horribly. In the midst of the chaos they decided to desert, and deal with their fate on another occasion. No one noticed their departure, except Sirius.
"See you soon cousin." She said, winking. "Take care of that disloyal wife of yours, I suppose you all have to stick together in the end. Tell her I had fun playing with her tonight, although she wasn't very respectful-"
"I'll kill you!" Sirius screamed, lunging at her.
"Oh no, darling." She said, hysterically. "You should be thanking me. She's alive because I let her live. If anyone is going to do the killing around here, it'll be me." She whispered, and vanished from site with her husband.
There were about twenty left at that moment, but none of them stopped for anything. They were ruthless, fearless, and wanted so much not to disappoint their master. Diana was bruised and battered as she continued to fight, until her dizziness became increasingly worse. Before she knew it, her world began to spin and she was struck hard by a metal object to her head. She dropped to the ground.
Lily was covered in her own blood as well as the blood of some Death Eaters. She didn't know how many she had killed, or how many were still under her curses. None of that mattered now. Her cheeks were slit and the wound on her shoulder became more bruised and started to bleed again.
James averted his concentration for only a moment to see how Lily was when he felt his flesh sear in a burning slice as a knife penetrated his chest. He screamed and Lily took notice.
"James!" She yelled, and ran to him. He couldn't hold up his head and was losing consciousness.
Then suddenly, out of nowhere appeared Moody and Dumbledore. The Aurors didn't notice at first until the Death Eaters who were left began to rapidly dissaparate. Frank noticed first, because the one he was fighting suddenly disappeared from sight. They all looked at each other in shock and disappointment, but were relieved to see the two just the same. And then there were none. Above all else the Death Eaters were taught to fear Dumbledore, and his mere presence drove them all away. Too weak to formally acknowledge their old Headmaster, they simple stood glued to their spots. Lily began to cry over her husband, thinking about what he had said to her only a few hours ago.
Sirius was panting. His shoulder had been hurt badly, and he was clutching it and frantically searching for Diana. He too ran to her when he saw her on the ground. He said nothing. He only picked her up and drew her close to him.
"Look at them Alastor." Dumbledore said, shaking his head. "They're in shambles."
Moody nodded. "But look at what they have done. There must be at least ten dead, and the rest are stupefied."
Dumbledore cleared his throat, and they all looked up with exhausted and disappointed expressions on their faces.
"Children, you have done what you can. Now you all need immediate medical attention." He simply said. This was no time for words of wisdom or consolation. They wouldn't have wanted to appreciate it anyway. They just stared, and nodded.
"Alastor. Take them to Madame Pomfery. She'll know how to handle them. I have a feeling they need to go home, at least to recover there."
"Of course Albus. And what of these?" he said, pointing to the lifeless bodies of Death Eaters on the ground.
"I will call Bagnold, it is his job to deal with it. We can do nothing more. It is out of our control." He said, rather coldly. One by one Moody took then to Madame Pomfery. In this special circumstance Dumbledore allowed them to apparate into the hospital wing. When they were all there and the street was empty, Dumbledore surveyed it. A tear escaped his eye as he thought of all they must have gone through that night. He partially blamed himself. He asked them to put themselves in danger and all it brought them was pain. "So young." He muttered to the brisk, night air. Then in a flash, he was gone.
~*~*~ (Hospital Wing-Hogwarts, around Midnight)
Lily never fell asleep. She was too worried to sleep. Her muscles no longer ached because Madame Pomfery had given her a temporary tranquilizer. It was supposed to make her drowsy and numb the pain. At least half of it works, she thought. She was in a separate room from the others. She was all alone. She had no idea where James was, or even if he was alive. She shuddered at the thought.
'If anything happens to me, promise me you'll forgive me when it's all over..' She repeated to herself. She began to cry. Just the thought, the mere thought of him not coming out of this tore her to pieces. She started muttering his name and burying her face in her pillow. "James!" she yelled a bit too loudly and Madame Pomfery rushed in.
"Now, now dear what is it?" she sweetly asked, turning her over. She pulled the hair away from Lily's face in a motherly manner.
"I want my husband." She cried, tears streaming down her already salty cheeks.
"I'm afraid you can't see him just yet dear-"
"Bring him to me.now!" she said, slamming her hand on the bed.
"Hush Lily. He's all right, he just needs rest, and so do you. You can see him in the morning, I promise." She said, trying to calm her down.
"He's alive?" Lily asked, rubbing her eyes.
"Well of course dear. He's fine." She answered, tucking Lily in. "Now get some sleep" she ordered and left the room leaving only a single candle lit.
Diana was in the room next to her, with Sirius by her side. He wasn't injured as badly as she was, and insisted to Madame Pomfery that he stay by her side continually. She reluctantly agreed. They weren't students anymore after all.
He was stroking her hair and gently caressing her cheek. She was unconscious and the bruises were so severe that they were difficult to remove. Her robes were tattered and filthy, and the longer Sirius stared at her, the deeper his heart sank.
"She needs her rest Mr. Black." She said, thinking only of Diana's health.
"Shut it Poppy." He said, not caring at all what she had said. He knew this was rude to say, but he had other things on his mind. "Please just leave us." He said, not looking up.
"Fine." She said, a little offended, but understanding. She shut the door so they would not be disturbed. She had given Diana a potion to heal the bruises overnight. So far nothing changed.
Sirius sat next to her on the floor, his hand gripped tightly around hers. He stared at her wedding ring, and ran his thumb around its square cut ridges. It was stained in blood. He broke down crying. He put his head on her lap and wept for what seemed to be hours. He never let go of her hand. Then to his surprise he felt something tough his hair and stroke it. He jolted up to see Diana awake, and staring into his dark, mysterious eyes. She wasn't smiling; in fact her expression was rather untraceable. She just continued to pet him.
"Get up." She whispered, and he did so right away. He sat on the bed facing her, her hand still clutched tightly in his. She put her free hand on his cheek and motioned him closer. He kissed her sweetly and put his head on her chest. She breathed heavily in and out until she moved the covers next to her, opening a space for him. He got in, fully clothed, but stayed above the covers.
He embraced her tightly, as if he were afraid she would slip away. She silently cried as he kissed her hair.
"I'm so sorry Sirius." She whimpered, trying desperately not to show her despair. "It's all my fault."
"Shh. None of that." He whispered. He rubbed her shoulders to sooth her, and she calmed down a bit while increasing her grip on him.
"Hold me tighter." She said, sniffling. He obeyed. "Promise me something."
"Anything."
"Don't you ever leave me, do you hear? I need you." She whispered and closed her eyes. A tear fell from his eyes and he smiled. They fell asleep together in each other's arms.
~*~James stirred. He could feel himself gaining some energy, although his body was still a bit achy. He was tossing and turning. He had been up for hours, thinking of one thing only.
"Lily." He whispered. He had blacked out after he had been stabbed and didn't remember where she had gone, until he heard her cry for him. That must have been an hour ago, or was it a minute? He thought. He sighed loudly and wanted so much to see her. If anything this potion was only keeping him awake. He couldn't take it. She was his wife and he had every right to see her. Madame Pomfery wasn't around. She must have gone back to her quarters, he thought. The rest of the wing was surely asleep. They were all adults so they didn't need people to watch over them.
He made up his mind and slowly got out of bed. This was a little difficult since the entire potion had not circulated yet. He knew which room was hers. It was directly adjoined to his. The door was closed and he was almost certain she was asleep. He opened the door slowly and it creaked. It was opened enough for him to see Lily jump up in surprise. She was wide- awake.
He felt a little embarrassed just standing there, and she seemed frozen to her spot. He was about to leave when she motioned for him to stay. She threw the covers off walked over to him. He never moved from that spot. He wasn't looking directly at her however; his eyes were fixed to the floor. She picked his head up and forced him to look at her. Then she ran her hand across his slightly cut face, moving from one cheek to the other. Then she hugged him around his neck as if she hadn't seen him in years. He was shocked by this act and slowly put his arms around her waist, slowly embracing her tighter.
When she released herself she looked deep into his eyes. He needed her, she thought. And I need him, she realized. She inched her face closer to his and their lips met, briefly at first, but then longer and harder the second time around. She exhaled out of relief and pleasure, as James pulled their bodies closer. He began kissing her cheek, then slowly made his way down to her neck.
She tugged on his shirt, biding him to take it off, and she quickly pulled it up over his head. It was tossed to the side. She put her hand on his chest, over the bandaged wound. He took her hand and intertwined it with his, as they slowly made their way to the bed.
And there, in the hospital wing of their former school they gave themselves to each other. It was not as a favor, or because they needed a distraction from the pain. It had been three months since they made love, and the longer they abstained; the more they needed one another to feel complete. Neither of them was the dominant one. They were past that now. They simply gave into temptation, if that's even what it was. Once again James silently apologized, while Lily in her own way truly forgave him. She could never forget, as no woman can truly do, but she knew she had to ultimately forgive. It was for her happiness as well. Her completeness, her essence, her heart, and her soul belonged to James, as his did to her.
They would forever be each other's weakness, strength, misfortune, blessing, pleasure and pain. But, that moment was a turning point in their lives. It was a perfect mirror of their past while being a stepping-stone into the future.
They were Lily and James again, one word practically. She didn't back away. She didn't cringe or fight. He became himself again, the one that had been gone for so long. He was her James, and she was his Lily. The feeling of ecstasy that had been absent for so long had returned with full force, and devoured them both. This requisite expression of their sentiments proved to be everything more than sweet intoxication.
(Sorry it took so long. I do hope it was at least somewhat worth it! It really did take me a very long time to piece together and sorry if its not the best. Remember to review! I really love them! But, no I don't know what happens next :) :)
