James hid the cloak behind a stone and looked at Sirius and Remus, they had their wands out and were ready to fight off anyone who looked like a death eater.

"Ok, They should be coming any minute" Sirius said looking at the map. He suddenly frowned as he saw two dots with LE and AM over them. "Uh, we have a problem." Sirius said but the first of the deatheaters came out of the forest. They were laughing and had their long cloaks on and their hoods were up. They stopped when they saw the three boys.

"Move aside" the leader growled.

"No, what did you do with Professor Hamish?" James asked standing his ground with his wand out. The deatheaters started laughing.

"The mudblood teacher?" one of them asked, "She's dead, no mudblood is going to teach potions to the future generation." Sirius frowned and looked at Remus. Remus looked slightly pale. It was a few nights until the full moon and Remus was always a bit off colour in that time. The laughing stopped suddenly

"Get out of my way!" the deatheater ordered.

"No." James said. "Expelliarmus" The death eater was knocked backwards and his wand flew out of his hand.

"You want to do this? Fine." The deatheater said. "Kill him." The deatheaters started firing spells and curses at Sirius, James and Remus. They ducked behind a tree and shot the occasional jinx or hex back.

"James!" Lily screamed. A deatheater turned and pointed his wand at her.

"Rictusempra" April shouted, pointing her own wand at him. A jet of silver light shot out of her wand and caused the death eater to double over. Lily pointed her wand at the deatheater

"Stupefy" Lily said, the deatheater fell to the floor unconscious.

"Why is it that we can knock out the deatheaters but they can't beat us?" April asked as they ran.

"Where's James?" Lily asked.

"Forget James, what about Sirius." April said. They saw Remus come out from behind a tree and send a green jet of light at a deatheater. The deatheater crashed into the one next to him.

"Stupefy!" Lily said pointing her wand at another deatheater. He heard and dodged the jet of red light just in time. He turned to look at them. He gave a laugh and lowered his hood. Lily and April recognised him instantly. His long platinum blond hair, his evil grey eyes.

"Malfoy." Lily whispered.

"Expelliarmus" April shouted at him. Malfoy dodged that spell.

"Accio wands." He said. Lily gripped onto her wand as it tried to get away from her, April did the same but they couldn't keep their grip on them and they flew to Malfoy.

"Damn." April said. She had fallen onto the floor with the pull of the wand. She got to her feet and stayed near Lily, who looked at Malfoy angrily.

"I recognise you." Malfoy said coming closer.

"You killed my parents" Lily said. Malfoy thought for a few seconds.

"Ah, yes, the Potters took me. They couldn't keep me though, I soon got out of Azkaban, you have heard that the Dememntors are working for the dark Lord now? Well, you have a choice, join the dark lord or die. Not you of course." He said to Lily, "You're a mudblood so obviously you're going to have to die." Malfoy pointed his wand at Lily.

James glanced past the tree and saw past the deatheaters that Lily and April were at wand point.

 "Get your wands out!" James said though gritted teeth. As soon as he said that he saw their wands in the deatheater's hands. 

"Crucio" the man said. Lily fell to the floor screaming in pain. April looked stunned and didn't know what to do.

"Stay here and keep the deatheaters distracted." James said to Sirius. Sirius looked at him.

"Like we can do anything else" Sirius said. James picked up his cloak and pulled it over him. He ran past the jets of light that were being emitted from the wands and to behind Malfoy. He was laughing sadistically as Lily writhed in pain and April looked to scared to do much. She wanted to but without her wand she was helpless.

"Stupid mudblood. What are you going to do?" he asked April, "Die with your friend or join us?"

"Expelliarmus" James shouted. Malfoy fell forwards and his wand flew out of his hand as did Lily's and April's. "Accio wands." James said. All three wands came at him and he caught them easily. He walked over to where Lily was now lying in the grass. April fell to Lily's side and turned her over so she was facing April. James took his cloak off and stared at Lily concerned.

"Lily!" April said, she couldn't cope with losing another friend.

"She's alright." James said when he saw that Lily was breathing. He threw their wands at April. "Protect her." April took their wands and nodded. James took one look at Lily's unconscious body and turned to Malfoy. Malfoy got up and stared at James.

"Potter!" he spat.

"Don't you hurt her." James groweled.

"Just like your parents." Malfoy said, "They'll meet a horrid end one day." James stared at Malfoy. He was looking past James now to someone behind them. "Go, Deatheaters, run." He said. The deatheaters turned to look at him and then looked at whoever was behind them and ran. Once they passed the gates the apparated away with some loud cracks. James turned to see Dumbledore approaching with a large number of teachers. Remus looked from the tree and seeing everyone was gone he dragged an injured Sirius from the safety of the tree.

"James." Remus called. James turned and saw Sirius. April also saw and stood up. She looked from Lily to Sirius.

"Go to Sirius, I'll help Lily." James said. April nodded and ran to Sirius' aid. James crouched down and put an arm under lily's shoulders and one under her legs and picked her up. Her head sagged to the side so James pushed it so it was against his chest.

"Potter! What are you doing out here?" McGonagall asked harshly.

"Don't fret Minerva, I told him and his friends to come. As to what Miss. Evans and Marsden are doing out here I would like to know." April helped Remus carry Sirius to where James stood with Lily.

"Lily told me to come with her." April said. "You'd have to ask Lily." April looked at Lily anxiously. Dumbledore nodded.

"Get Miss. Evans and Mr. Black to the hospital wing immediately." Dumbledore said. James, Remus and April started for the castle, accompanied by Professor Sprout and Professor Sinastra.

"Oh, professor" James said turning, "I have one of their wands." James held out the wand as best he could. Dumbledore took it and thanked James.

*    *    *    *

The next day everyone tried to get a peek in the hospital wing whenever they passed. Lily was still unconscious and Sirius had been sent to sleep using a sleeping potion. Sirius had nearly recovered and for Lily it was simply a matter of waiting for her to wake up. Madame Pomfrey had been kind enough to put them in beds right next to each other so when their friends came to visit they could just sit between them. A few girls managed to sneak in and cry over Sirius' injury and completely ignore Lily. When Lily did finally come round about lunchtime the next day James was sitting next to her.

"James?" she asked. James, who had been talking to Sirius, turned to look at her

"Lily." He said relieved. He got up and gave her a tight hug. Lily closed her eyes and hugged James back. When he let go he stared into her eyes.

"Why were you outside yesterday?" he asked seriously. Lily's green eyes sparkled and Lily lowered her gaze. James' eyes so full of concern.

"I saw you, Sirius and Remus and I wanted to know where you were going." Lily said. "It's a good job I went, you were cornered."

"No, you shouldn't have gone." James said, "If anything else had happened to you I would have killed myself." Lily looked into James' eyes. James looked like he would have cried if Sirius wasn't there to watch.

"I'm sorry." Lily said. She pulled James into a kiss and then hugged him tightly. Sirius grinned broadly but then winced as his side hurt again.

"Ah, Miss. Evans, you're awake." Madam Pomfrey said coming out of her office. James let go of Lily and held her hand. "Lets see, you seem to be alright, I think if you spend a few more hours in here then you can go back and stay in your Dormitory tonight."

"What about me?" Sirius asked hopefully.

"You, Mr. Black, will stay here another night." Sirius scowled and crossed his arms. "That was very reckless of all of you." Madame Pomfrey scolded. "Now, Potter, off to lessons. You will see your girlfriend soon." James was shooed away and Lily sat in the hospital bed slightly more depressed. She sank into her bed and stared at the curtain that Madam Pomfrey was pulling around Lily and Sirius' beds so no one could see them.

"Why did you bring April with you?" Sirius asked. Lily turned and stared at Sirius.

"I don't go anywhere without her." Lily said.

"You shouldn't have gone." Sirius said. "James, Remus and I only went because we were told to by Dumbledore." Lily pulled the blanket around her tighter.

"Well, I'm sorry." Lily said. Sirius sighed.

"They killed Hamish." Sirius said seriously. Lily sat up, another death! Why? All these people who died were good people why did they die? Sirius looked at Lily sadly and lay down in his bed. Lily put a hand to her head and tried to block everything out. She wanted everything to be the way they had been. Professor Hamish, detached from all the students, her parents sending her regular owls, going out to watch Jenny practice Quidditch in the summer while Lily did her homework on the quidditch stands and making all the boys swoon. Why couldn't everything be the way it had been, everything but Lily's relationship with James.