© Ariana Veelagrace and Clara Maplewood, year 2000-2002

Disclaimer: I own the plot, Chrissy and Chantel.

Lily

Chapter 12






Lily peered at the entrance to the Astronomy Tower from a safe distance. She figured that if there was any danger, she was far enough to get away.

A faint whimpering was coming from up ahead. Up ahead in the Astronomy Tower! Lily's mouth went dry with fear as she wondered what kind of creature could be waiting for her. What sense, though, was there in turning around? There had been something in the voice that threatened underneath the promises of great rewards, and anyway, what kind of person would wait until someone else was alone in the dark to talk with them?

This train of thought left her breathless, her heart pounding at a painful rate. With no other option that she could think of, Lily took out her wand, drew in a deep breath, and started walking up the marble staircase.

The voice shrilled through the cold night air again, "Come with me Lily.....the rewards will be great...All you have to do is just come with me......."

Lily's hands were trembling so severely that, before she knew it, her wand was clattering down the darkened stairwell. Without her wand, Lily was defenseless. She turned around and started to run after her wand, but a cold hand grabbed her wrist, restraining her from motion. Her vision distinctly blurred with fear, she turned around and looked her spectral stalker in the face for the first time.

All she saw was a tall, black-cloaked figure with a hood hiding the face. Another pale hand, this one clutching a wand tightly, reached up and pushed the hood back. The face was human yet inhuman, pale and thin. Suddenly, Lily gasped as she recognized the most terrifying trait on the wizard standing before her.

His eyes were the bright, sickly red color of fresh blood.

Red eyes...red eyes! It was Voldemort, the Dark Wizard who had murdered her parents! "What do you want from me?" She shrieked.

"My dear Lily, isn't it obvious?" He said calmly, beckoning for her to follow, as though she hadn't any sort of choice in the matter.

"What? Do you want to kill me, too?"

He remained silent as she stumbled up the steps to a torch-lit landing. Two chairs were set up to the left, one on either side of a large cage. She caught her breath with a sob as she recognized the chairs' occupants: Chantel and Chrissy, her best friends, were tied with rough lengths of robe and gagged with rags of black fabric. Inside the cage was a snarling, raging beast that Lily had never seen before, but it still gave her a sinking feeling in her stomach to imagine the harm it could do to her...or her friends.

Voldemort smiled at her with a smile as cold as midnight in the dead of winter. "Comfortable, Lily?"

She looked at him, somewhere between astonishment and wariness. Her two best friends were
bound and gagged immediately to her left, flanking some horrible beast. She had no idea why she was here or what Voldemort wanted from her, and he asked whether she was comfortable? What sick kind of game was he playing?

"Here," he conjured up a huge, light green armchair against the wall opposite Chrissy and Chantel. "Have a seat." Again, as though she had any choice in the matter, he gestured towards it, then threw her down onto it. "Now. To business."




James and Sirius raced along the corridor to the Astronomy Tower. Lily was heading for danger, that much was obvious. Sirius wrenched open the door and started to run up the stairs at top speed. James caught him by the arm. "What are you, an idiot? Anyone would hear you running like that!"

"Sorry." He followed James, inching along the wall and taking a cautious glance around the landing when he heard the voice speaking.

"Lily..." Voldemort began. "You are a very powerful and valuable witch, and I have an offer for you. Side with me. Your power and magical aptitude will take you far...if you side with me."

Lily's response was immediate. "No! I'll never be a Death Eater!"

A twisted smile curved across the Dark Lord's face. "That's quite too bad. I imagine you would have answered differently had I finished explaining the terms." As he spoke, he walked across the room to where Chrissy was sitting, her blue eyes wide with fear. "If you choose to be against me, you lose, Lily. But you're not the only one who loses." He snapped his fingers, and the ropes binding Chrissy slid to the ground and dispelled like snakes. "So do your friends."

The cage opened.