Living A Legend
Book 1- A Clash of Wills
Chapter 21- Initiation and Blood
Lily lay on the ground shivering for several minutes before she braved opening her eyes. She was in the middle of a grassy open field. There was not a train in sight. She sat up slowly, still in shock. Had she perhaps apparated by accident? She had heard of the advanced technique that some older wizards used to get around. It was the only explanation Lily could think of.
It was a few moments before Lily noticed that she was not alone. A dark robed figure stood not far from her, with his back turned towards her.
Shakily, she stood and called out to the ominous man. "Hey! Hey you! Do you know where I am?"
The robed figure did not turn around, but laughed coldly. Lily watched him silently, fighting an overwhelming instinct telling her to run.
"Your gravesite," he answered forebodingly after she had all but given up on a reply.
Lily's eye's widened and she began to back up slowly, before breaking into a sprint. But then many figures began to appear from no where all around her. Each was robed in black and wore a dark foreboding hood. Lily screamed as the figures approached silently. She recognized them as death eaters. She turned the other direction and stumbled falling to the ground.
They assembled silently, forming a circle around her and the first figure who seemed to Lily somehow different from the others, younger perhaps.
Finally all places were filled in the circle aside from one, where Lily knew was the place which was reserved for Lord Voldemort himself. She wondered if this was what it was like as an inmate on death row, with only a few seconds left. She felt that it must be a mistake that she was here, but could not deny that it was doubtless a fatal one.
Moments before he arrived, Lily felt the tiny hairs on the back of her neck prickle. The wind blew slightly across the tall overgrown grass and Lily huddled closer to the ground, wishing she could disappear. She could not turn away as the empty spot began to waver and thrill as if whoever was about to occupy it was too powerful to simply appear.
His outline began to be visible, and then he was there, no bigger than a man in size, but carrying an aura which dripped power and fear. Lily gagged and averted his gaze. The tension was growing by the moment.
She saw that every robed figure was kneeling respectfully. Lily lay on the ground trembling.
"Greetings my faithful Death Eaters," a authoritative voice called. "Today we are gathered here to judge whether an aspiring Death Eater is worthy. On this grass he will perform his task, he will slay an innocent and her blood will forever stain this grass in the name of Lord Voldemort. If the task is completed as ordered, Devin Goyle will join your ranks."
Voldemort turned and surveyed his death eaters. Both Lily and the first robed figure were outside the circle. Lily staggered to her feet quickly. She knew now what part she was to play in the night's festivities and no intention of serving as an innocent sacrifice.
She began to run but she was not fast enough.
"Death Eaters may stand. Devin Goyle you'd best begin, your prey is getting away from you. I must remind you that neither me nor my followers can do a thing to assist you," Voldemort droned in a bored tone.
"Imoblius!" Devin shouted and Lily froze.
Devin strode quickly over to Lily and looked her in the face. She could not move, but continued to look into his face with wide eyes.
"Hello little Lily. Didn't I tell you I would get my revenge? Who else would send you a ring? Secret admirer! Ha! I just wanted to get you here. The ring was a port key," Devin whispered malevolently as he dragged Lily into the circle of Death Eaters.
"Finite Incantem!" Devin shouted, ending Lily's motionless state.
Lily fell to the ground, cowering in fear of Devin's wrath. She realized what Devin meant when he said the ring was a port key. A port key was a tool used by wizards to move people from one place to another.
"I shall begin my Lord," Devin addressed Voldemort respectfully.
While Brittany, Dora, Jackie, Remus, Sirius and Peter were searching the train thoroughly for signs of the vanished Lily, James was lying across several seats in the abandoned compartment, trying to forget his horrible premonition. He fought with Lily a lot, and he really could not stand her, but the thought of her dying made him feel sick inside. He remembered when she had been at his side when he had got the news about John, and felt horrible having failed her.
"If only I had figured it out sooner," James whispered to himself. "I could have saved her. If only I had just told her to take off the ring. I could have warned her."
Sadly James closed his eyes and sleep came upon him.
Devin stepped forward slowly, until he stood above Lily. She felt helpless. She did not have her wand and there was no way she could fight Devin in any way. He was more than a match for her and they were surrounded by hundreds of Death Eaters, who would kill her on a word from Voldemort.
"You will die slowly, and your blood will stain this field in the name of Voldemort," Devin spoke coldly, pointing his wand at Lily. "Arteria Ectomortus!"
Lily felt a her skin split along her left ankle and blood began to pour out. She screamed and began to cry in pain and fear. Devin suddenly looked very young and afraid. He held his wand out in psuedo-bravery and aimed it at Lily, directing the spell while he pointed.
New incisions appeared over Lily's right wrist and across her forehead. She panicked when the blood touched her forehead and tried to crawl away, but Devin stopped her by creating an opening across her back and on her knee.
Lily collapsed in the cool grass, covered in warm sticky blood. It was flowing fast and she felt dizzy and weak. She wondered how long she would have to endure this bleeding before she would die. Resigning herself to the fact that her end was approaching quickly, Lily shut her eyes and thought of her parents, and her friends. She couldn't imagine what their reaction would be when they found out she would never see them again.
Around her the Death Eaters circled, and Devin held fast.
James dozed peacefully for only a moment, his dreams were hijacked almost immediately by the same breed of foul premonition that he had been teased for before. This time he did not see Lily, nor did he see death eaters. He saw Devin Goyle, holding a blue velvet box. The box became very clear, and James saw him open it. Inside was the ring which Lily had received from her secret admirer. Devin set down the box and picked up his wand, casting a spell.
The spell washed over the ring and for a moment both the velvet box and the sparkling token of apparent affection glowed silver.
James woke with a start and jumped out of bed. Knocking over students and luggage, James raced down the corridor until he bumped into Dora who looked quite taken aback.
"Dora! Thank God! Where's Lily's blueringboxfromheradmirer?" James yelled very quickly.
Dora looked confused, "What?
"Her ring box!" James spoke exasperatedly, "Where is the box from her secret admirer."
Dora shrugged. "Does it matter? Lily is missing. I hardly think her ring is important right now.
James wanted to shake her, but wisely restrained himself. "Dora, this is very important, where is the little blue velvet box. I need to know!"
"I think Jackie put it in one of her bags," Dora sounded uncertain. "Why?"
"It doesn't matter why," James waved his hands eagerly, "Just show me where it is!"
Dora flinched at James's harsh tone, but obediently escorted him to the compartment which Lily had disappeared from. She watched as James proceeded to dig through all of Lily's suitcases, dumping most of her belongings on the floor, until it fell out of the case. The blue velvet box lay on the floor among Lily's books and robes. It looked to James as the Holy Grail had to Sir Galahad, every bit as magnificent and alluring.
James took a deep breath, preparing himself to plummet into the dangerous world of his nightmares. Something told him that he would be in danger. But James was a Gryffindor and he could not sit idly by while another suffered. With a final glance at the safe haven the Hogwarts train provided, James picked up the velvet box.
Lily shut her eyes, hoping that death would come swiftly. She had lost so much blood. The grass around her was drenched in it and she knew that she was hanging onto consciousness by a thread. Lily felt her blood and her life pouring from her and she was overcome by a sudden urge to fight, to survive. She opened her eyes and painfully rolled over to look at the sky.
She turned her head towards Devin, who stood staring at her with weak resolve. All around them were death eaters. Devin returned her gaze as stonily as he could manage, obviously nauseous at the sight of so much blood.
Then out of the corner of her eye, Lily saw another person. He was wearing Hogwarts robes and holding a little blue velvet box, his wand at the ready. Lily was sure he was a hallucination, but she had never been happier to see him.
"Finite Incantem!" James cried boldly, and Lily felt the blood stop it's evacuation of her veins. Her open cuts healed quickly, leaving no scars or marks at all.
Devin hesitated, shocked that such a thing could happen. That half second of hesitation cost him his chance.
"Expelliarmus!" James called, summoning the older boy's wand. He grasped it quickly and ran to Lily where she lay on the grass.
Devin cursed and turned to the Death Eaters. "We are strong together! Help me defeat him! The spell is not yet complete!" he appealed.
The robed figures did not move. Only Voldemort spoke. "It is your task Devin and yours alone. If you fail you will not become one of us. It will be your blood which stains the earth."
"James," Lily whispered weakly. The relief was evident in her voice. "Stop him," she warned as Devin made a last desperate attempt to attack James, unarmed.
James pointed his wand and stunned Devin, before lifting Lily and gently carrying her away from the circle. He took her as far as he could, before his legs started to give out. James was not much bigger than Lily and it was a difficult task to carry her far.
"It's going to be okay now. We're safe," he assured her. But they were not very far from Voldemort and his Death Eaters, and Lily had lost a lot of blood. He could tell that her life was in danger if he didn't get her back to a fully trained wizard very quickly.
James thought hard. There was no way that they could go much further on foot. He wished he had his broom. "The summoning spell!" James exclaimed aloud to the barely conscious Lily. "I could summon my broom."
He knew that it would take a lot of power to summon his broom all the way from Hogwarts, but James was desperate, and he knew that without it, Lily could very well die.
"Accio Lightening rod!" James called desperately. For a long while nothing happened, and James was about to give up on his broom when he saw it buzzing toward them.
James grabbed, laughing gleefully. He never thought the spell would work from so far away. "Come on Lily, let's get out of here!" He positioned her on his lap, holding her tightly in case she lost consciousness.
The broom lifted up and James flew as fast as he dared. He had no destination in mind, but he just wanted to get as far away from the horrible place as possible. Only when the circle of Death Eaters was far out of site did James dare to discard Devin's wand.
The grassy fields had long since given way to brushy hills, and then again to forestry. As much as James loved nature, he could not help but feel that this was a very bad time to be in the middle of nowhere. Eventually he spotted a stream, and carefully landed. Somewhere along the journey, Lily had passed out, so James half carried, half dragged her to the stream and carefully washed the blood off her. He was sure that he had stopped the bleeding when he had shouted the spell to end the curse, and he could find no open wounds, yet it seemed that Lily was still surrounded by a pool of blood.
She groaned at one point and her brilliant green eyes fluttered open, and then shut again weakly. James was disappointed. As annoying as he found Lily, even her input would have been welcome to him at this point. He knew that he would never be able to find civilization by flying aimlessly into the sky.
James thought back and suddenly he remembered a spell that John had taught him when he was a little boy. The two boys used to fly off on their brooms through the English countryside. Often they would go too far to find their way home. John had taught James a spell which would point his wand in the direction of a person he wanted to find.
James positioned Lily comfortably atop his broom, holding onto her in the with one arm while holding his wand and controlling his broom with the other. It took a little while to get the hang of it, but once he did James spoke the words to the spell, "Encontus Sirius!" he called. James knew that Sirius would be aboard the train, and he knew that by finding Sirius, he would be finding salvation.
The breeze swept past James, and he felt his wand pulling towards one direction. James shifted Lily until he was sure he could steer his broom, hold his wand and still keep her from falling and took off. If he was not such an experienced flyer he never would have managed it.
However, James was an experienced flyer, and he did manage it.
"The responsible thing to do would be to contact Dumbledore," Dora took a deep breath and tried to remain calm. "First Lily went missing, and then James. I don't know what happened, but we need to get a hold of him."
"How?" Remus asked puzzled. "None of the teachers ride the train back."
Sirius rolled his eyes impatiently. "We've panicked for long enough. Just leave it to Sirius Black. I know just how to cause enough of a commotion to make Dumbledore come."
The others shot each other hesitant looks, but Sirius was already putting his plan into action. "Peter, get me four prefects, head boy and girl are bonuses. Remus, go get me James's cloak. Dora and Brittany, try to persuade the woman with the snack cart to come up to this compartment. Tell her that there are many hungry people up here with a lot of money. Come on people! Let's do this!" Sirius ordered.
Lily awoke once more, in mid flight and let out a scream at the sudden sensation of flying through the air. James grabbed her as she attempted to sit, but moments later she fell back into unconsciousness, which James could not help but interpret as a bad sign. He had been flying for ages and his body was cramped from holding Lily at such an awkward angle.
James wondered if he would ever locate help, or if the two of them would die trying. Just when the latter was beginning to seem a more plausible course, James made out a thin wisp of smoke, curling above some tall trees off in the distance. The steam seemed to be moving, snake-like through the clouds. James leaned forward and flew as quickly as he could towards the unknown.
Just as quickly as it came, the smoky strand disappeared through the trees, leaving James without any visible sign of hope.
Book 1- A Clash of Wills
Chapter 21- Initiation and Blood
Lily lay on the ground shivering for several minutes before she braved opening her eyes. She was in the middle of a grassy open field. There was not a train in sight. She sat up slowly, still in shock. Had she perhaps apparated by accident? She had heard of the advanced technique that some older wizards used to get around. It was the only explanation Lily could think of.
It was a few moments before Lily noticed that she was not alone. A dark robed figure stood not far from her, with his back turned towards her.
Shakily, she stood and called out to the ominous man. "Hey! Hey you! Do you know where I am?"
The robed figure did not turn around, but laughed coldly. Lily watched him silently, fighting an overwhelming instinct telling her to run.
"Your gravesite," he answered forebodingly after she had all but given up on a reply.
Lily's eye's widened and she began to back up slowly, before breaking into a sprint. But then many figures began to appear from no where all around her. Each was robed in black and wore a dark foreboding hood. Lily screamed as the figures approached silently. She recognized them as death eaters. She turned the other direction and stumbled falling to the ground.
They assembled silently, forming a circle around her and the first figure who seemed to Lily somehow different from the others, younger perhaps.
Finally all places were filled in the circle aside from one, where Lily knew was the place which was reserved for Lord Voldemort himself. She wondered if this was what it was like as an inmate on death row, with only a few seconds left. She felt that it must be a mistake that she was here, but could not deny that it was doubtless a fatal one.
Moments before he arrived, Lily felt the tiny hairs on the back of her neck prickle. The wind blew slightly across the tall overgrown grass and Lily huddled closer to the ground, wishing she could disappear. She could not turn away as the empty spot began to waver and thrill as if whoever was about to occupy it was too powerful to simply appear.
His outline began to be visible, and then he was there, no bigger than a man in size, but carrying an aura which dripped power and fear. Lily gagged and averted his gaze. The tension was growing by the moment.
She saw that every robed figure was kneeling respectfully. Lily lay on the ground trembling.
"Greetings my faithful Death Eaters," a authoritative voice called. "Today we are gathered here to judge whether an aspiring Death Eater is worthy. On this grass he will perform his task, he will slay an innocent and her blood will forever stain this grass in the name of Lord Voldemort. If the task is completed as ordered, Devin Goyle will join your ranks."
Voldemort turned and surveyed his death eaters. Both Lily and the first robed figure were outside the circle. Lily staggered to her feet quickly. She knew now what part she was to play in the night's festivities and no intention of serving as an innocent sacrifice.
She began to run but she was not fast enough.
"Death Eaters may stand. Devin Goyle you'd best begin, your prey is getting away from you. I must remind you that neither me nor my followers can do a thing to assist you," Voldemort droned in a bored tone.
"Imoblius!" Devin shouted and Lily froze.
Devin strode quickly over to Lily and looked her in the face. She could not move, but continued to look into his face with wide eyes.
"Hello little Lily. Didn't I tell you I would get my revenge? Who else would send you a ring? Secret admirer! Ha! I just wanted to get you here. The ring was a port key," Devin whispered malevolently as he dragged Lily into the circle of Death Eaters.
"Finite Incantem!" Devin shouted, ending Lily's motionless state.
Lily fell to the ground, cowering in fear of Devin's wrath. She realized what Devin meant when he said the ring was a port key. A port key was a tool used by wizards to move people from one place to another.
"I shall begin my Lord," Devin addressed Voldemort respectfully.
While Brittany, Dora, Jackie, Remus, Sirius and Peter were searching the train thoroughly for signs of the vanished Lily, James was lying across several seats in the abandoned compartment, trying to forget his horrible premonition. He fought with Lily a lot, and he really could not stand her, but the thought of her dying made him feel sick inside. He remembered when she had been at his side when he had got the news about John, and felt horrible having failed her.
"If only I had figured it out sooner," James whispered to himself. "I could have saved her. If only I had just told her to take off the ring. I could have warned her."
Sadly James closed his eyes and sleep came upon him.
Devin stepped forward slowly, until he stood above Lily. She felt helpless. She did not have her wand and there was no way she could fight Devin in any way. He was more than a match for her and they were surrounded by hundreds of Death Eaters, who would kill her on a word from Voldemort.
"You will die slowly, and your blood will stain this field in the name of Voldemort," Devin spoke coldly, pointing his wand at Lily. "Arteria Ectomortus!"
Lily felt a her skin split along her left ankle and blood began to pour out. She screamed and began to cry in pain and fear. Devin suddenly looked very young and afraid. He held his wand out in psuedo-bravery and aimed it at Lily, directing the spell while he pointed.
New incisions appeared over Lily's right wrist and across her forehead. She panicked when the blood touched her forehead and tried to crawl away, but Devin stopped her by creating an opening across her back and on her knee.
Lily collapsed in the cool grass, covered in warm sticky blood. It was flowing fast and she felt dizzy and weak. She wondered how long she would have to endure this bleeding before she would die. Resigning herself to the fact that her end was approaching quickly, Lily shut her eyes and thought of her parents, and her friends. She couldn't imagine what their reaction would be when they found out she would never see them again.
Around her the Death Eaters circled, and Devin held fast.
James dozed peacefully for only a moment, his dreams were hijacked almost immediately by the same breed of foul premonition that he had been teased for before. This time he did not see Lily, nor did he see death eaters. He saw Devin Goyle, holding a blue velvet box. The box became very clear, and James saw him open it. Inside was the ring which Lily had received from her secret admirer. Devin set down the box and picked up his wand, casting a spell.
The spell washed over the ring and for a moment both the velvet box and the sparkling token of apparent affection glowed silver.
James woke with a start and jumped out of bed. Knocking over students and luggage, James raced down the corridor until he bumped into Dora who looked quite taken aback.
"Dora! Thank God! Where's Lily's blueringboxfromheradmirer?" James yelled very quickly.
Dora looked confused, "What?
"Her ring box!" James spoke exasperatedly, "Where is the box from her secret admirer."
Dora shrugged. "Does it matter? Lily is missing. I hardly think her ring is important right now.
James wanted to shake her, but wisely restrained himself. "Dora, this is very important, where is the little blue velvet box. I need to know!"
"I think Jackie put it in one of her bags," Dora sounded uncertain. "Why?"
"It doesn't matter why," James waved his hands eagerly, "Just show me where it is!"
Dora flinched at James's harsh tone, but obediently escorted him to the compartment which Lily had disappeared from. She watched as James proceeded to dig through all of Lily's suitcases, dumping most of her belongings on the floor, until it fell out of the case. The blue velvet box lay on the floor among Lily's books and robes. It looked to James as the Holy Grail had to Sir Galahad, every bit as magnificent and alluring.
James took a deep breath, preparing himself to plummet into the dangerous world of his nightmares. Something told him that he would be in danger. But James was a Gryffindor and he could not sit idly by while another suffered. With a final glance at the safe haven the Hogwarts train provided, James picked up the velvet box.
Lily shut her eyes, hoping that death would come swiftly. She had lost so much blood. The grass around her was drenched in it and she knew that she was hanging onto consciousness by a thread. Lily felt her blood and her life pouring from her and she was overcome by a sudden urge to fight, to survive. She opened her eyes and painfully rolled over to look at the sky.
She turned her head towards Devin, who stood staring at her with weak resolve. All around them were death eaters. Devin returned her gaze as stonily as he could manage, obviously nauseous at the sight of so much blood.
Then out of the corner of her eye, Lily saw another person. He was wearing Hogwarts robes and holding a little blue velvet box, his wand at the ready. Lily was sure he was a hallucination, but she had never been happier to see him.
"Finite Incantem!" James cried boldly, and Lily felt the blood stop it's evacuation of her veins. Her open cuts healed quickly, leaving no scars or marks at all.
Devin hesitated, shocked that such a thing could happen. That half second of hesitation cost him his chance.
"Expelliarmus!" James called, summoning the older boy's wand. He grasped it quickly and ran to Lily where she lay on the grass.
Devin cursed and turned to the Death Eaters. "We are strong together! Help me defeat him! The spell is not yet complete!" he appealed.
The robed figures did not move. Only Voldemort spoke. "It is your task Devin and yours alone. If you fail you will not become one of us. It will be your blood which stains the earth."
"James," Lily whispered weakly. The relief was evident in her voice. "Stop him," she warned as Devin made a last desperate attempt to attack James, unarmed.
James pointed his wand and stunned Devin, before lifting Lily and gently carrying her away from the circle. He took her as far as he could, before his legs started to give out. James was not much bigger than Lily and it was a difficult task to carry her far.
"It's going to be okay now. We're safe," he assured her. But they were not very far from Voldemort and his Death Eaters, and Lily had lost a lot of blood. He could tell that her life was in danger if he didn't get her back to a fully trained wizard very quickly.
James thought hard. There was no way that they could go much further on foot. He wished he had his broom. "The summoning spell!" James exclaimed aloud to the barely conscious Lily. "I could summon my broom."
He knew that it would take a lot of power to summon his broom all the way from Hogwarts, but James was desperate, and he knew that without it, Lily could very well die.
"Accio Lightening rod!" James called desperately. For a long while nothing happened, and James was about to give up on his broom when he saw it buzzing toward them.
James grabbed, laughing gleefully. He never thought the spell would work from so far away. "Come on Lily, let's get out of here!" He positioned her on his lap, holding her tightly in case she lost consciousness.
The broom lifted up and James flew as fast as he dared. He had no destination in mind, but he just wanted to get as far away from the horrible place as possible. Only when the circle of Death Eaters was far out of site did James dare to discard Devin's wand.
The grassy fields had long since given way to brushy hills, and then again to forestry. As much as James loved nature, he could not help but feel that this was a very bad time to be in the middle of nowhere. Eventually he spotted a stream, and carefully landed. Somewhere along the journey, Lily had passed out, so James half carried, half dragged her to the stream and carefully washed the blood off her. He was sure that he had stopped the bleeding when he had shouted the spell to end the curse, and he could find no open wounds, yet it seemed that Lily was still surrounded by a pool of blood.
She groaned at one point and her brilliant green eyes fluttered open, and then shut again weakly. James was disappointed. As annoying as he found Lily, even her input would have been welcome to him at this point. He knew that he would never be able to find civilization by flying aimlessly into the sky.
James thought back and suddenly he remembered a spell that John had taught him when he was a little boy. The two boys used to fly off on their brooms through the English countryside. Often they would go too far to find their way home. John had taught James a spell which would point his wand in the direction of a person he wanted to find.
James positioned Lily comfortably atop his broom, holding onto her in the with one arm while holding his wand and controlling his broom with the other. It took a little while to get the hang of it, but once he did James spoke the words to the spell, "Encontus Sirius!" he called. James knew that Sirius would be aboard the train, and he knew that by finding Sirius, he would be finding salvation.
The breeze swept past James, and he felt his wand pulling towards one direction. James shifted Lily until he was sure he could steer his broom, hold his wand and still keep her from falling and took off. If he was not such an experienced flyer he never would have managed it.
However, James was an experienced flyer, and he did manage it.
"The responsible thing to do would be to contact Dumbledore," Dora took a deep breath and tried to remain calm. "First Lily went missing, and then James. I don't know what happened, but we need to get a hold of him."
"How?" Remus asked puzzled. "None of the teachers ride the train back."
Sirius rolled his eyes impatiently. "We've panicked for long enough. Just leave it to Sirius Black. I know just how to cause enough of a commotion to make Dumbledore come."
The others shot each other hesitant looks, but Sirius was already putting his plan into action. "Peter, get me four prefects, head boy and girl are bonuses. Remus, go get me James's cloak. Dora and Brittany, try to persuade the woman with the snack cart to come up to this compartment. Tell her that there are many hungry people up here with a lot of money. Come on people! Let's do this!" Sirius ordered.
Lily awoke once more, in mid flight and let out a scream at the sudden sensation of flying through the air. James grabbed her as she attempted to sit, but moments later she fell back into unconsciousness, which James could not help but interpret as a bad sign. He had been flying for ages and his body was cramped from holding Lily at such an awkward angle.
James wondered if he would ever locate help, or if the two of them would die trying. Just when the latter was beginning to seem a more plausible course, James made out a thin wisp of smoke, curling above some tall trees off in the distance. The steam seemed to be moving, snake-like through the clouds. James leaned forward and flew as quickly as he could towards the unknown.
Just as quickly as it came, the smoky strand disappeared through the trees, leaving James without any visible sign of hope.