(Note from the author: These are not my characters, my world, or my situations. They all belong to J. K. Rowling, and are protected by copyrights.)

(Note for readers under 13: This is definitely a rated PG-13 chappie. Not just for violence, but the rest is very VERY mild.)

Frank had been right about Lily and James. To put it nicely, it had been a complete mistake to place the two of them in neighboring rooms. Moody, on his way up one night, heard giggling from inside, and practically threw the door off of its hinges in a flash of bright blue light. There was a scream inside, and then a high pitched voice said, "Mr. Moody, I . . ."
"MISS EVANS!" Moody roared, rushing out of sight, "GET BACK INTO YOUR ROOM! I DO NOT WANT TO EVER SEE YOU IN HERE AGAIN!"
And then he emerged from the doorway, Lily in arms, and kicked her door down. He threw her in, and slammed the door in her face. She was still laughing as he raised his wand to bolt her door.
"We didn't do anything . . ."
He tapped the knob, and it grew bright red. Then he stalked back to James's door, and glared at him.
"Potter, I am warning you," he said, "If I catch you again, you will be sleeping in the basement, and Miss Evans will be in the attic, and the next full moon, I will place Mr. Lupin between your two floors. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, sir."
"Good," Moody slammed the door, and it fell off of the wall, swinging dangerously from the highest bolt.
Then he kicked open the door to Sirius's room, and came face to face with a red eyed, stubble faced Sirius, standing right in the entrance. He had his wand pointed right at Moody's neck, and his hands were clenched.
Moody smiled, and patted him on the shoulder, "Good, Mr. Black. Good. You may go to sleep now."
He shut the door, and walked down the hall. He opened his door, and without walking into the room, shut it again. He peered back at Sirius's door, and crept quietly to the outside of it again.
Then, he kicked the door open again.
Sirius was still standing there, his bloodshot eyes narrowed. Moody gave out a laugh, and then nodded again.
"Right you are, Mr. Black," he said, shutting the door, "Vigilance. Remember that."

The next week was one of the longest that the five of them had ever encountered. Peter took twice as long to understand everything than everyone else. Moody had lost his patience with him many a time, and had gone to sending sparks his way every time that he made an error.
"Mr. Pettigrew, do you derive happiness out of irritating me?" Moody sighed, removing his eye, and massaging his socket.
Peter stood, shaking in front of Remus, holding his wand out. He had just painted Remus's robes a bright fuschia instead of locking his arms into a lowered position. Remus was trying to undo the spell, laughing as Peter turned red.
"S-sorry, sir," he said.
"Don't apologize," Moody snapped, "Do it again. Do it until Lupin's arms fall off. And concentrate on your damn wand. Mr. Potter did this spell two hours ago. Cocentrate!"

There were few visitors to Moody's house. Occasionally, Frank would show, and eat lunch with them. The five took pleasure out of any company that they received. They had not been allowed to leave the house since their trip to the Ministry, and any interaction with a sane human being was cause for celebration.
Dumbledore never showed, though, and Professor McGonagall was only seen once. She had stopped by to relay a message to Moody, and then to speak with Remus about something or other.
It was well into the second half of the tiring first month of training, that an urgent message came for them. It was around ten at night, Moody was in the middle of discussing Disillusionment Charms as Marlene McKinnon appparated in the entrance hall.
"Mad-Eye!" she shouted, and Moody turned his eye to look through the walls.
"Yes?" he asked as she skidded around the corner, her expression one of a madwoman torn between determination and pure esctasy. Her eyes glittered, and her hair seemed to be on fire.
"It's time!" she said, "Bring the recruits. They could use some field work."
"Field work?" James perked up, and looked at her.
"There's a whole bunch of them," Marlene said, sounding somewhat excited, "They took a family of Muggles from Ottery St. Catchpole. Took them into the woods to torture them. Dumbledore wants me, you, Frank, and those five down there now."
"Ottery St. Catchpole?" Moody said, tapping the chalkboard, "All right. And McKinnon, wipe that smirk off your face. You'd think it's Christmas the way you're carrying on about. This is a very serious situation."
Marlene's excited face disappeared, and then she disapparated, leaving Moody to usher his "students" to the chalkboard.
"Now listen," Moody said, "You're going into this for the first time. Do not expect glory. Do not take McKinnon's attitude on this. We are dealing with lives at stake here. We are to enter the woods, find the ones responsible for the capture of the Muggles, and return the Muggles . . . dead or alive . . . back to their village. All right? No heroic business or pointless wand waving," he sighed, "You are not ready for this. Now come on, touch the chalkboard."
And within seconds, the six of them were being hurled through the air, as if someone had grabbed them from their navel and was tugging them forward. Lights rushed past them, and soon them and the chalkboard found themselves in a remote place.
Everything had happened so fast. James blinked, and looked around at his surroundings. They were in a field, with lanterns hung around them by the fence that housed in the wild grass. Leaning on the fence, were some Ministry officials, muttering to themselves quietly. Moody got to his feet, and the others followed him to the group huddled in the dark night. James looked up, and saw the beautiful stars above their heads.
The flames of a Muggle house danced across it, and his focus turned to the barn that was now engulfed, roof caving in. Officials were also crowding around that as well, shouting "NOX!" at the top of their voices. A scream could be heard from an above loft.
"Hello, Alastor."
"Hello, Frank. McKinnon," Moody acknowledged them as he swept past them, ducking under the fence, and into the group of officials.
"Giving you problems on security, again, hey?" Moody said.
"Yeah," Frank said, "Something crawled up Crouch's ass, and he won't let us get close enough to help."
"Ah, the nanny's here," Crouch said, coming out of the crowd, crossing his arms, "And I see he's brought the schoolchildren with him. How quaint."
"We are on strict orders to enter those woods," Frank said, "Now if I have to call Albus down here to make you . . ."
A jet of green light flew out of the woods behind them, and the spectators screamed as the skull and snake formed above the trees. James felt a tinge of fear.
Moody grabbed Crouch by his shirt, and shook him, "Now you're going to let us in there if you know what's good for you! There are innocent Muggles in there, and I'm not going to let them get killed."
Crouch tugged himself away, and glared, "Then go. It's your hide."
Moody, keeping his swiveling eye on Crouch, jumped the fence with McKinnon and Frank behind him, and shouted, "Come on, you five."
The seven of them ran through the field, and then felt themselves engulfed in the trees' shadows. It was so dark. Sirius took out his wand, and whispered, "Lumos." But Moody shouted, "BLOW THAT THING OUT NOW, MR. BLACK!"
"Nox."
Moody glared, "Do you want to get us all killed? Give away our position?"
Sirius didn't say a word.
Moody sighed again, took a swig from his hip flask, and said, "All right. We're splitting up. McKinnon, you take Lupin and Pettigrew. Frank, take Mrs. Evans and Potter," Sirius went to follow his two friends, but Moody put his arm out to block him.
"Not so fast, Mr. Black," he snarled, "You're coming with me."
And then they split up. James saw Sirius and Moody rush to the north, as he, Lily, and Frank made their way to the south. Remus and Peter followed Marlene to the west.
"Now," Frank said, "They say that there's only a handful of Death Eaters out here. Not sure exactly who, but we're going to find out. Remember, stay calm. Don't think. Attack, and ask questions later. Do not kill anyone that isn't a Death Eater. Do not harm the Muggles."
James and Lily nodded.
They cut through the brush, the almost full moon cascading its light onto them. It would only be a few days until Remus would change.
They were out of the classroom, and into the real world. They were going to be equal members of the Order tonight. They were going to prove themselves. Lily pulled out her wand, and pointed it to the darkness. The stars and moon were the only sort of light they had. The leaves crunched under their feet as they went farther and farther into the trees and underbrush.
"Shh," Frank stopped abruptly, and held his hand to silence the two of them.
They listened, and heard voices ahead. They were indistinct, and somewhat muffled. But they sounded dark, low, and cackling.
Frank crept forward, and motioned for them to get down on the ground. They did as they were told, and then looked back ahead of them. A bouncing light was trekking closer to them.
And three voices.
"Where did you hide the bodies?" the first one asked the second one.
"Somewhere where they'll find them," a high raspy voice came, and James realized who it was at that moment. But what would he be doing in the middle of a forest, just killing Muggles?
"It's Volde -"
Frank clasped his hand over his mouth, and nodded, "I know," he whispered, almost silent.
"How many of Dumbledore's men are in the woods?"
"Seven. We counted them."
"Good," Voldemort said, and then turned to look at his two men, "Good. Now our work here is done. I shall see you soon."
The two nodded, and then a loud popping sound was heard. They had all three disapparated.
"Wait here," Frank said, "Don't move."
He walked out of the brush, and then onto the trail that the Voldemort and his followers had been standing on. He looked in the direction in which they had come, and then turned back to James and Lily.
"If I don't come back soon," he said, "Send up red sparks for Moody to see. Do not move from that spot. Do you understand?"

"Yeah," James said, and Lily nodded.
Frank disappeared into the darkness of the forest's shadows, and the two of them were utterly alone.
"Do you think they killed the Muggles?" Lily whispered.
James nodded. He scanned the forest for any sign of difference. Something didn't feel right. It wasn't over yet.
And then he saw it.
"Look," James pointed to a shadow that had just appeared on the horizon line, "It's him. They didn't leave."
Lily followed his gaze, and then saw it.
"It's You-Know-Who," she said.
"It's Voldemort," James corrected, and then he felt a rage in his heart. There he was, so close to him. The man who had killed off everything that he loved.
It was time to get his revenge.
"James!" Lily shouted as James stood, and started to walk towards the shadow in the distance. He wasn't thinking anymore. All he cared about was killing that man. All he wanted to do was feel his hands clench that monster's throat, and feel him die. Feel him . .
"James, what are you doing?" Lily followed him out of the brush, "Frank said for us to stay here . . ."
"I don't care," James said, taking out his wand.
"You're not thinking rationally," Lily said, taking his shoulder, "If that really is . . . Voldemort . . . he'll kill us."
"Let him," James said, and then lit his wand. Lily gasped.
"Nox," she said, and then whipped around to face him, "No, you can't. No . . . you . . ."
"Good evening, Prongs," a voice came from behind them. James snapped his head to look at the stranger, and saw to his surprise, a very familiar face.
Long greasy locks of black hair, over a hooked nose. Beady eyes glared at him from beneath his hood. He held his white mask in his hands.
"Snape," James said, in surprise, and he held his wand at him, "Snape, what are you doing here?"
"Dumbledore's not the only one with recruits," another voice came from behind them.
Lily turned around, and came face to face with a boy their age, donned in the same uniform that Snape was wearing. His long, sleek, white hair flowed onto his black cloak, glistening in the starlight.
"Lucius," Lily whispered, "What . . ."
And then the woods went silent. The animals in the trees stopped singing and stirring in their sleep. The wind stopped rustling.
And their hearts stopped beating.
The dark figure that had been on the horizon now stood in front of them, behind Lucius, and mouth smiling from behind the dark hood at Severus. The two young Death Eaters lowered their wands, and bowed. He paid no more attention to them as he directed his dark eyes to James.
"Your father was a fool," he said in his raspy voice, "He was a coward until the very end, I assure you."
James didn't move. The man was towering over him. Lily was staring at Voldemort in shock, not able to move. She gripped James's shoulder.
"Good work," Voldemort said to the other two, and they bowed, and left.
"What do you want," Lily said, trying to hide the fear from her voice. It was him. It was the man that the world feared.
Voldemort looked at her, and then raised his wand.
"Crucio," he hissed.
The spell hit Lily, and she fell onto the ground, writhing and screaming. James pointed his wand at the demon, eyes blazing.
"Let her go!" he ordered.
There was a cold laugh that came from underneath the shadows of the hood. It sounded like more of a hiss. A heartless, merciless hiss.
"I was right," he said, "You do have courage. Pity Dumbledore already has chosen you."
Lily gave out a shriek, and James gripped his wand.
"LET HER GO!" he screamed.
"You want to die," Voldemort hissed, "I can see it in your eyes. Everyone you ever loved is dead. And now, you want to die."
"JAMES!" Lily screamed.
"And you will die, my friend," Voldemort said. James narrowed his eyes. He had called him his friend. He was toying with his emotions.
"What do you want," James said, "You want more than to kill a few Muggles. I know that. What did you want."
Voldemort gave out another laugh, and then looked straight into James's eyes. James wasn't afraid again. Let him see anything that he wanted to see. Let him read his mind. Then he could know how much hate he had towards him. Maybe then this monster would be frightened.
But the Dark Lord did not tear through his memories. He just laughed, and then pointed his wand from Lily to James.
He then said, in a tone colder than stone, "I want your courage."