Betrayed
V
Summary: Love is a wonderful thing with grave consequences...
Disclaimer: O Confucius... grant me patience because I don't know how many times I can stand telling these morons that all Harry Potter related things belong to J.K. ROWLING!
"Where am I?"
Finally starting to open her eyes, Lily groaned as she forced herself up with much difficulty. Her body hurt all over, and as she ran her fingers on her sides, she knew that she was probably half-covered with bruises and cuts. When her eyes finally fully opened, all she saw was darkness. She tried to adjust them so she could see at least a faint trace of a shape, but even when several long minutes ticked by, she couldn't see a thing.
Damn.
Lily felt the cold, hard floor: it was greasy and covered with slippering, stinky mud. Where am I...? she wondered again. For a moment, she couldn't remember why she was here, and then it all came back to her. Recalling the shadow that suddenly attacked her earlier, she bit her lip in anger. I could've avoided getting myself caught, she furiously thought as she searched for her wand. But then I thought that it was all right and became reckless... and now look at where I am! She even doubted that she had her wand still with her, but fortunately, after a few moments of frantic searching, she found it in perfect condition.
"Lumos," she whispered, and immediately, the room was brightened by a small, but clear light.
Lily then quickly learned that she was sitting in a prison cell. The bars were thick and held a menacing look to it, and it seemed as if the cell was used many times. As she turned to her left, she was apalled to come face-to-face with a squeleton.
"EEK!" she squealed, automatically inching away from the gruesome figure.
I hope I won't meet his fate... she thought, eyeing her long-dead companion with fear. But even as this thought came to mind, she knew that this was a very fair possibility: here she was, hungry and confused, in a cell that was maybe even unbreakable. She then quickly tried to apparate back to her house; however, like she predicted, nothing happened. Wherever she was, the place was enchanted so you couldn't apparate.
"I see that you've been acquainted with Sam here," a cold, sneering voice suddenly drawled from the void outside the cell.
"What...?" Lily stammered, instinctively holding her wand in a death grip.
The unknown figure cackled in spiteful delight as he came nearer. However, even when his nose was almost touching the cell's solid bars, Lily couldn't see his face because of the black cloak that almost covered his whole body. For a brief, horrifying moment, she thought that she was looking at the Dark Lord himself, but as she inspected the stranger further, she knew that he wasn't it. The figure was small, and the only intimidating trait he had was his voice.
"Your name is Evans, am I correct?" the stranger smirked, clearly enjoying the sight of the seemingly helpless captive.
"What do you care?" Lily retorted, throwing a defiant glare at her opponent.
The stranger was clearly taken aback from her latest comment, because there was a moment of stunned silence. Then he seemed to come back to life as he sneered:
"You may feel oh-so-mighty now, Miss Evans, but when you've... been acquainted with the others, you will clearly think otherwise."
Lily was about to open her mouth again when she unexpectedly heard a key being turned. A second later, her cell door opened and the unknown figure stepped in.
"Come with me," he ordered, rapidly taking hold of her arm.
For a moment, Lily thought about the possibility of hexing the stranger, but he seemed to know exactly what she was thinking because he coolly commented:
"Miss Evans, raise your wand and you shall meet your death... right here, right now."
Maybe he's joking... she pondered, but she seriously doubted that. The hooded man spoke with such confidence that it was hard to disbelieve what he just said. Instead, she asked:
"Where are you taking me?"
"To the Dark Lord himself," the stranger –no, Death Eater- answered.
When he saw Lily's sudden fearful visage, he laughed.
"You should be pleased to meet the Evil One himself, my dear," he drawled. "I believe that you two would have a very nice chat before he... disposes of you."
"Don't be quite sure about that," Lily coldly replied, although deep inside, she wasn't so confident. "And where is this place anyway?"
"This is the Dark Lord's castle... and your future graveyard."
Leading her away from her cell and deeper into the heart of the castle, Lily's anxiety grew. She knew that she didn't stand a chance against Voldemort, especially if he would be surrounded by his Death Eaters, but... I don't want to die now... ! I have so many future plans, and I want to see the world! I'm still young and... and-
Oh, God.
She knew that she had to get a grip of herself, because this was exactly what Voldemort wanted: for her to panic. She took deep breaths to steady herself and vowed that she would not give Voldemort the pleasure he wanted: she would stand strong, like a true Gryffindor. Finally, after what seemed like hours, the Death Eater led her into a huge room. It emitted a dark, scary aura, and the only lighting there was came from candles. The floor was hard and dirty, barely cleaner than Lily's cell, and the room would've been completely empty if there weren't a massive group of Death Eaters gathered... probably to witness my tragic death, Lily pondered harshly.
"Here she is, everybody!" her Death Eater suddenly called out gleefully to his fellow peers.
He then pushed Lily in the middle of the group, and she shivered in fright as many pairs of eyes stared at her helpless figure.
"My, isn't she a pretty one..." one of them commented.
"I wonder how much fun it would be torturing her...?" another one slowly asked.
Abruptly, he was pushed down by a taller and stronger Death Eater.
"Don't even think about it, Avery," the Death Eater harshly said with a hint of threat in his voice. "She is to be played with the Dark Lord only."
"Don't be so sure about that!" Lily abruptly blurted out, unable to contain her anger.
Every head turned to her, and many smirked at her boldness.
"She's like a true Gryffindor, isn't she?" a Death Eater asked with poisoned honey dripping from her voice.
"Too bad her courage will lead to her brutal death," another Death Eater noted, and everyone in the room –except Lily- started hysterically screeching in laughter.
Although she didn't want to show it, Lily was becoming seriously afraid. She had no idea what Voldemort had planned for her, and she hoped she wouldn't crack under the pressure and the pain. Much to her disgust, she started trembling, and she bit her lip hard to stop herself.
"Poor girl," a particular Death Eater –the one who pushed down Avery- shook his head sardonically. "She has no idea how much pain the Dark Lord will soon inflict on her..."
Lily glared at him and was about to open her mouth when suddenly a loud, calm voice said:
"You are wrong, Lucius. The Dark Lord has decided that I, not he, would be the one who would decide her fate."
The girl blinked in surprise as she recognized the voice. But it couldn't be... could it? The other Death Eater's head immediately shot up to the room's entrance where the voice was heard, and if Lily could've seen his face, she would've sworn that he was glaring at the newly arrived figure.
"Oh really?" he –Lucius- sneered, blocking the stranger's way . "Well, unless our Lord comes and says this to us himself, I won't believe a word of it."
The stranger, who was also completely covered in a black cloak, just coolly replied:
"Stand aside."
"You'll have to make me."
And with that, Lucius took out his wand and directed a hex at the stranger. However, the outsider just dodged the attack before bellowing:
"Crucio!"
Lucius instantly dropped to the floor, twitching and screaming in pain. The other Death Eaters stepped back, already receiving the silent message by the imposing figure. The stranger kicked Lucius away before coming up to Lily. Once again, he took out his wand, and Lily was afraid that he was about to curse her as he cursed Lucius. However, instead of pointing his wand at the girl, he directed it towards her feet and muttered a spell. Lily immediately slipped on the dirty floor, making all the Death Eaters roar with laughter.
"What...?" Lily left her question unfinished, not knowing what to say.
She looked up to the stranger, who was now slowly taking off his hood to reveal a mass of wild, untamed jet-black hair and a pair of cold hazel eyes behind his glasses...
Lily gasped. No... it couldn't be. It's just impossible. But-...
"James...?" she asked, her small, meek voice trembling as if not daring to believe her eyes.
"All right, Evans?" he asked coolly, smiling the arrogant grin she so much hated.
And suddenly, they were back in their fifth year, when James was desperately trying to get her to like him and she was desperately trying to ignore him. She remembered the fateful day when he was torturing Severus, and she had tried to stop him. When she had told him to leave the unharmed Slytherin alone, he had asked her the same thing. But it was somehow different now because although his eyes were cold and he was smiling, there were the same hidden mingled hurt and sadness in his eyes that she saw just before the graduation ball...
"What... what are you doing here?" Lily asked, unwanting to look at the flagrant answer right in front of her.
"I'm the one who's asking the questions now," he abruptly answered, and the childish smile was gone. "Did you bring any other people during your stroll in the forest?"
Of course, as Lily remembered, she was accompanied by Sirius and Remus... but she wasn't going to tell them that.
"No," she answered, trying to sound as truthful as she could.
"She's lying, she's lying!" the other Death Eaters started chant, but with one meaningful stare from James, they all became silent again.
"Evans..." he said slowly, his wintry eyes piercing hers. "We are not here to play games. Tell me the truth."
"NO!" she shouted, and many Death Eaters gasped, taken back. "I meant... seriously, nobody was with me..." Lily then tried to cover up for her mistake, but it was too late.
"I wish you would cooperate with us, but since you clearly do not want to..." James paused before crying out: "Crucio!"
The light from her wand abruptly went out as the girl suddenly felt every single nerve in her body burning. She fell to her knees, willing herself not to scream... although tears were already pouring from her eyes. Her head was pounding, unable to consume all the pain, and she sunk deeper onto the floor. Somewhere far away, she could hear the mocking laughter from the Death Eaters, but she couldn't care less about that now: all she wanted was for the pain to stop...
Please, just make it stop.
And unexpectedly, it was all gone. She shut her eyes before opening them again, and slowly, uncertainly, she got up again. Several Death Eaters were still smirking, and when she came face-to-face with James, he also a bore a cruel smile on his face.
"Well... I guess it doesn't matter if anybody was with you then," he said, "because I bet they are long gone now. But what will we do with you now...?"
"James..." Lily gasped, trying to restrain her tears. "Why... why are you doing this?"
"Hmm?" he looked at her, and once again, behind the coldness and the contempt in his eyes, she could see the sad, hurt boy she last saw a few years ago.
"It's my duty, Evans," he replied with no trace of emotion in his voice.
He then took out a long, sharp knife hidden underneath his cloak, and grabbing Lily by the collar, he slowly made a long, shallow cut across her forehead. She could feel the prickling pain as the knife slashed through her skin, but compared to what she just experienced, it wasn't that extreme. Before she knew it, she tasted blood in her mouth .
"Do you like the taste?" he asked. "Because you're going to have a lot of blood to deal with once I'm done with you."
When he finished his sentence, he violently threw her on the floor, and she gritted her teeth in pain as her head collided with the hard, greasy floor. Lily slowly, painfully started to get back on her feet, but James pointed at her with his wand and ordered:
"Freeze."
Suddenly, she couldn't move anymore. She could still blink and breathe, but that was about it. No matter how hard she tried to move, or even flinch, she was literally almost completely paralyzed. What the hell...? She tried to talk, and fortunately, she found out that she could move her mouth as well.
"How did you do that?" she asked, shocked.
"That's for me to know and you to never find out," he replied coldly.
He began circling leisurely around her, and many Death Eaters pointed and laughed at her pitiful position. Lily wished she could break free from whatever spell James cast on her, but even when she wasn't paralyzed, what would she do...? If she was being tortured by an ordinary Death Eater, she would've tried to dodge him and escape the room by hexing every person in sight... but this wasn't any normal Death Eater... this was James.
How-... Why-...? It just doesn't make any sense... she thought as she gazed upon the man she once loved. James had always hated the Dark Arts, and no matter how egoistic he once was, he would've never sunken this low. But then why was he in front of her now... his wand in his hand, ready to kill her? Tears started to swell in her eyes as she kept repeating to herself: it just doesn't make any sense.
All of a sudden, the Death Eater who led her to the room came to James and asked:
"Can I have a try, Potter?"
"Of course you can, Genghis," he said quietly, his lips forming a small smile.
Clearly excited, Genghis eagerly raised his wand... and fell down dead as a brilliant, green light struck him. Lily gasped, shocked like many other Death Eaters who suddenly recoiled and took a step back. James, his smile gone, turned to the other Death Eaters and announced in a steady voice:
"Any one of you who would like to experiment on Evans will meet the same fate as Genghis here... She's mine."
Nodding uneasily, the Death Eaters had no choice but to agree. Lily just lay there, silent and stunned as the words he just uttered ran through her mind: She's mine, she's mine, she's mine... What did they mean...?
James unexpectedly turned to her and asked:
"How's Amos doing?"
The girl's eyes widened in surprise; she never knew that James had the knowledge of her boyfriend's identity. When she didn't answer, James continued:
"Did he propose to you? Of course he did, didn't he? Too bad you didn't answer him on time. Instead, you left him shortly to search for me with Sirius and Remus. Don't you regret that now...?"
"How-... How do you know all this?" Lily gasped, her astonishment evident.
James smiled slightly for a moment, ignoring her question. His smile disappeared, however, when his face suddenly darkened and he whispered:
"Of course... if you'd never left me, I would've proposed much sooner because... you're everything I need."
She blinked, unable to hear everything he just said. Unfortunately, she didn't have time to think about his previous words because he then stooped down and said:
"Evans, if you think that the Cruciatus curse I just inflicted on you was bad, wait until you see the new way of torture I just came up with."
He grabbed the knife again and tapped it with his wand.
"Crucio," he whispered, somehow putting one of the Unforgivables into a knife.
And then, before Lily could react, James lifted the knife high in front of her and slashed a deep gash on her right shoulder blade. Immediately, she screamed, and when she started... she couldn't stop. The pain started in her right shoulder blade and rapidly spread throughout her entire body. It wasn't at all like the Cruciatus curse she just experienced earlier... Oh, no: it was much worse. The sharp, throbbing pain was too vivid, too extreme... impossible even. Somehow, the paralysis spell wore off, and she started twitching wildly on the floor. Her vision blurred and sharpened again only to reveal herself drenched in blood and invaded by huge, red, bloodthirsty spiders.
No, it couldn't be...
She felt the tiny, yet enormous creatures crawl on her skin, and she felt each stinging bite as they started gnawing her already decaying body. The gruesome color of blood crimson filled her vision as she screamed harder, tears freely smearing her face. STOP! STOP IT! she screamed silently –and for all she knew, out loud too- and she now knew that she wanted it to end... she wanted to die.
And once again, it all stopped. Gasping with relief, Lily opened her eyes to learn that she had never really been invaded by spiders... It was all my imagination, she thought, her hand running through her body. When it came across the deep wound on her right shoulder, she flinched and swore silently: James had just created a way to make the Cruciatus Curse more unbearable than before. As she sat up, Lily could see her blood everywhere: on her clothes, on her right arm, on her neck... and a lot on the floor. The mere sight of it made her dizzy, and she collapsed once again on the floor as the effects of blood loss surged upon her. I'm going to die... she pondered, and she felt a strange sort of relief as the thought came to her. However, it seemed as if James read her thoughts, because he commented:
"Don't worry, Evans: I'm not done with you yet."
He then stretched his hand out to her. Surprised, she just stared at it. It's a trap, it's a trap, her mind kept telling her, but another voice from deep inside told her that whatever torture he had planned for her couldn't be as bad as what he just did. But why would he want to torture me...? she wondered, feeling the tears coming again. Angrily, she choked them down, and before she could stop herself, she grasped his hand.
Lily had expected to feel pain coursing through her body the moment she gave her hand to him. But instead, she didn't feel a thing as he slowly helped her up. When they were both completely standing, he suddenly wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close. Startled, she just gazed into his dimmed hazel eyes, unable to grasp the meaning of all this. She then saw his wand being held tightly by the other hand, and once again, she thought about what kind of torture he had installed for her. James swiftly tapped his wand on Lily's scarred forehead and murmured:
"Imperio."
Lily gave a surprised cry before she felt the effects, and when she did, her whole body relaxed, forgetting the agony it endured a few moments ago. It was exactly the opposite of the Cruciatus Curse: it was bliss. Her thoughts and anxieties were lightly washed away by a soothing wave, and all she felt now was a indistinct, eternal happiness. She was half-aware of James as he put away his wand and brought her closer to him. Suddenly, he whispered:
"Kiss me."
Obediently and unable to control herself, she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to her, and gently kissed him. He didn't move at all, and when she withdrew, he still had the same expressionless face as before. Lily felt a furious tornado of rushed feelings inside her, and she still didn't know what it was at all. She was dazed and confused, and the Imperius Curse James put on her didn't help either. She still felt the everlasting pleasantness, and she could faintly see a confused expression on many of the Death Eater's faces. She then gazed at James, whose eyes never left her, and saw... nothing. Absolutely nothing. The aspect frightened her, and she abruptly felt the wave of guilt surging inside her, despite the effects of the spell.
Unexpectedly, he spoke and Lily jumped slightly at his steady voice:
"Say you love me."
"I love you."
The words were out before she knew it, and she briefly saw James' eyes glitter with happiness –so much like that memorable day in November- before they were subdued by hurt, sadness, and contempt. All of a sudden, Lily felt a huge realization hit her, and she gasped.
Oh no...
"You're too late, Evans," James whispered, the arrogant smirk pasted on his face once more.
He was about to add something more when the doors abruptly opened. Once again, despite being under the Imperius Curse, Lily felt a dark, sinister aura around her, trying to dominate her... to suffocate her. She faintly heard the quiet swishes of a cloak as a tall, imposing figure glided towards them. And then... the curse was lifted off her. She stiffened, unsure what just happened.
"Don't you think that's enough, James?" a cold voice asked almost pleasantly, but Lily couldn't help shiver as she caught the malice dripping from the tone.
James didn't answer, but the smirk immediately disappeared to be replaced by a cold visage void of emotion as he let go of her. Don't look, don't look, don't look... Lily told herself, but even as she repeated those words, she could feel her head turning around...
She gasped. The stranger smiled, revealing monstrous and impossible fangs.
Lily was staring right at the Dark Lord. Voldemort.
A/N: Longest chapter yet... and like I guaranteed in the last chapter –it's good... at least I hope. Somehow, I know I could've done better by making the torture more vivid... but I'm not used to writing these kind of 'horror' stuff. I think I also wrote a little mushy stuff... and believe me: it wasn't easy. I mean, when I was checking for spelling errors, I practically laughed at myself when I read the phrase, 'as she gazed upon the man she once loved'... jeez, isn't that the corniest thing ever! Okay, now you're probably wondering why I would put this in my story –much less write it down in the first place- when I think it's stupid and corny... to be honest... I. Have. No. Idea. Probably it's because I'm clueless at romance stories and I'm just writing anything that pops up in my head. Not the best way to write, I know. So sue me.
Anyway... I took a lot of effort doing this chapter, so please REVIEW! Are you too lazy to do it? I mean... the button is right on the bottom of this page! Get your lazy butt up –actually, you don't even need to stand up- and review! Sorry... I know I'm insulting all you readers –who I all love, of course- but I really want to know what you feel about this story: it's my first priority!
Now for the best reviewer of the last chapter... Hey! Did you know that I'm getting more and more reviews per chapter? My fanfic is getting more and more popular... GO ME! (readers just roll eyes, wondering how such an immature author can write a good story... much less a story at all) Okay, okay... now for the main thing you have all been waiting for... suspense, suspense...
You Rock, SavetheSqUiRrEls!
You gave me this great idea that'll make my fanfic better! Arigato so much... that's why you deserve a first-class quality plushie! Pleez tell me what kind of plushie you want in your review (to see options, go to chapter 4: you can also suggest something else ) And of course... I would like to thank my other reivews... that include: James's girl (I may have writer's block sooner or later... but fear not! I shall continue writing this story until the end...! I hope...), Jommoov (you really think my fanfic is that good? If you do, thank-you so much! You're the kind of person who encourages me to become a better author!), kitkat (cliffhangers –although created by evil people- make readers want more... therefore making them review! It's hidden blackmail, I tell ya!), Marauder4eva (suspense good... doesn't it? Hehe...), rOkstA (I hope you like 'death eater James'... tell me if I could've done better), and –of course- Living In A Nightmare (if you review all my chapters –until the very end- then... then... you really ROCK!)! Thank-you, guys, for cheering me on!
I'm sorry to say this, but maybe the next chapter will be posted two weeks later instead of one... progress is –unfortunately- going slower... and I need to even things out... so if I don't post a chapter Friday, you better not just forget about this story! Or else... you. Are. A. Very. Bad. Person. So put this fanfic in your Author Alerts or whatever... but don't forget about it!
Okay... besides that... see you guys and I hope that all my past reviewers will review again.