Sorry I haven't had a chance to post for a few days—hope you can forgive me! LOL! I've really had to focus on school and driving classes. Anyway!

Kylah and I have also been working on my next story, and we've got some good ideas pumping! We also really want to write a Harry Potter parody or something… we'll see. Maybe another Disney one, like our Aladdin story. Who knows?

Well, enough personal updates—no one cares anyway! Ha! On with Lily…

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Chapter 35

Duncan's Death

A gasp escaped from Lily, as she jerked back into consciousness. All sound returned, and the Dark Lord Voldemort was grinning wickedly.

"So this is what Dumbledore sends me?" He chuckled to his three cloaked companions. "Get the others," He said confidently to one. "I think we've come to the right place." One of the Death Eaters left wordlessly, and Voldemort did and said nothing, except smile. Lily came to loathe that harsh, jagged grin--so self-assured, as though he were all knowing. The almost-yellow teeth seemed to be scornful, as though this wasn't even worth his time. Lily shivered, despite the heat of the chamber, and tightened her grip on her wand.

The Death Eater came back, flanked with four other shadowy figures, whose faces were undetectable, and it occurred to Lily that she didn't want to see their ugly appearances.

"Expelliarmus!" One Death Eater declared. Lily's wand was ripped from her hand. The Disarming Spell. They had no protection now.

"So." Voldemort said with a hint of excitement. "Where is it?"

"Where's what?" James snapped back, though everyone knew perfectly well what Voldemort wanted.

"Don't be foolish, Potter." Voldemort said, his eyes flashing. Suddenly, Lily became very aware that she was still holding James's hand, and she quickly pulled away. "Now, where is it?"

Sirius and James exchanged an unreadable glance. "We don't know." Sirius said softly.

"What do you mean, 'you don't know'?" Voldemort growled. He flipped his gaze to Sirius, and Lily immediately wished Sirius hadn't spoken.

"Just as we say, we don't know." Remus repeated. "It's not here."

"Not here?" Voldemort whispered menacingly. "Not here?" His eyes grazed over all of their faces, looking for traces of lies and deceit. As his slick eyes fell on Lily, she looked to the floor. "Evans?" He prompted, with a bite of anger. "Look at me." She didn't. She wouldn't.

"Look at me, Lily!" He shouted. Voldemort's yell bounced off the marble, echoing by the thousands.

"God damn it, Lily, look at the man." Sirius hissed. Reluctantly, she obeyed. But she looked past him out of fear and pure hate.

Voldemort stepped further into the room, putting out an arm to stop the Death Eaters from following. He seemed to think that he could handle this alone. He walked to close to Lily, that she could smell his repulsive breath, and the musty, sickly sent of his robes.

"Do you know where the Hidden Crystal of Hogwarts is?" He asked her, his sallow skin glowing in the firelight.

"No." She said, surprisingly with no hint of alarm in her voice.

"You're lying." Voldemort whispered. Where was James's hand when she needed it? "Tell me, and I won't kill you and your friends."

At this, she looked up into his red eyes with a surge of anger and defiance. No one would kill her friends. "I don't know."

"You're still lying." Voldemort said. For a moment, an instant of shock and disbelief zipped over his features. "You have to be." He turned to glance over his shoulder at his Death Eaters. "This is the chamber, and you were here first…"

There was an anxious silence.

"Sire?" One of the Death Eaters said uncertainly. "I think that I can see a door there, Sire."

"What? Where?"

"There--" The man said. "Those flames are really quite thick, but I think I see something behind them... Sir."

Voldemort left Lily, and moved toward the darting blaze of light. "Yes…" He muttered faintly. "I see… interesting, very interesting."

Instantly, Lily knew Voldemort had won. He would know how to put out a stupid fire. And she was right. Voldemort rolled up his sleeves to reveal more pale skin.

"Exoinferno!" He shouted, casting his wand toward the door. Lily sighed in disappointment and frustration, as water fizzed out of the tip of his wand.

"Impossible!" Voldemort yelled. Lily gaped at the flames. Nothing had changed. The fire was still hopping in front of the door, as much of an obstacle as before. Voldemort's water had done nothing.

In blind fury, Voldemort turned, and grabbed James's shirt. "Get through there!"

"Excuse me?!" James shouted at him. "I refuse to be fried to a crisp, so you can be sure that the fire will hurt you." He said bravely.

"I won't repeat myself, Potter. Get through those flames." Voldemort said, pulling James close to his face. He tossed James to the floor near the fire. "Unless you'd rather I kill you now."

"Even if I do get through," James said, a small twinkle in his eye. "What makes you so sure I'll come back and give you the Stone of Rialle?"

Voldemort stared. He hadn't considered this. "Duncan!" He yelled over his shoulder. A Death Eater stepped forward, shuddering noticeably. He reminded Lily of Peter.

"Y-yes, master?" The man said, voice splintering.

"Go through the flames to the door." Voldemort said. There was no sound of caring, or compassion in his voice. He spoke to Duncan with less affection that he did to James—if that was humanly possible.

"Wh-what about the boy—James? Don't you want him dead?" Duncan asked, desperately trying to avoid the fate that had been served to him.

"Do you not wish to please your master?" Voldemort said, with fake surprise. It was like he expected the outburst to come from Duncan. "For, I'm sure, any of my true Death Eaters would love to be in your position. You are the lucky one."

"Lucky, sire?" Duncan repeated, disbelief ringing above all else.

"Yes, Duncan, lucky. Now go. Your Lord is loosing patience. Or I will kill you, and get a devoted Death Eater to do it in your place."

"I-I'm devoted, sire!" Duncan said, nearly screaming. As he walked past her, Lily heard a sniff as though he were crying beneath his hood. Before even looking at the fire, Duncan paused at his master and bowed deeply and graciously. "I th-thank you, for this opportunity to s-serve you, My Lord."

"Hurry." Was Voldemort's reply.

But by this time, Duncan was in a trance. Lily watched as he advanced toward the taunting fire. Duncan stared into the flames; Lily could almost see the sweat of nerves and high temperatures dripping down his nose, and falling into the depths of his cloak. It happened in a matter of seconds: Duncan took his first step into the fire, and screamed. It pierced Lily to observe, as steam started to rise from his body as Duncan unwillingly walked all the way into the fire. Flames licked his body, causing more shrieks.

Then, without warning, there was a loud explosion of bright yellow light. Lily shielded her eyes, and when the light had vanished, Duncan was nowhere to be seen.

"Just as I thought." Voldemort replied, without a tinge of remorse or disappointment. "Magic fire. I always knew Dumbledore was no idiot."

Lily looked at James. His face was stern as he stared at the place where Duncan was last standing. That could've been James… Lily thought fearfully.

"But how to get through it…" Voldemort drifted off into thought.

"How dare you!" Belle shouted. "You… horrifying…" Lily shot a silencing look across the room.

"Horrifying, am I?" Voldemort chuckled. "You little brat…" Although Lily had expected Belle to be lying on the floor dead by now, she wasn't. Voldemort seemed to find this intriguing. "Your name, please?" He asked her.

"Why in hell would I tell you?" She snarled.

"Feisty, this one." Voldemort laughed. His Death Eaters followed his lead tentatively. Lily watched as his red eyes bore into Belle. "And beautiful too." He added delicately, putting his long-fingered hand up to her cheek. Remus, Sirius, James, and Lily glared at him, itching to curse him into oblivion. What nerve…

"You touch her again, and I'll kill you." Sirius warned. He took an infuriated step forward, making the Death Eater's laugh increase prominently.

"Would you?" Voldemort said in shock and amusement. "As if you could. Especially with no wand…"

But Sirius wasn't quite finished. "You touch any of my friends and I will kill you." He said. The tone of his voice scared Lily, and she knew somehow that he was not joking. She had no doubt that he would take on Voldemort and his whole band of Death Eaters if they hurt his friends in any way. 

Voldemort met Sirius's provoking stare. James was motioning Sirius to stop, but he didn't notice. Voldemort's eyes narrowed.

"Capture them." Voldemort said to his Death Eaters, still staring at Sirius with hatred.

Seconds later, Lily's arms were behind her, held by a large, cloaked man, and suddenly, she felt there would be no chance of escape now.