A/N: Yeah... how long has it been? I'm sorry, but you can all thank LilyLupin89 for kicking my butt into gear with one conversation. Apparently guilt is a great motivator. This update is dedicated to her.
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"Can I open my eyes yet?" Lily whined. She was getting impatient, and righteously so. It had been at least three quarters of an hour since she had first been picked up. She wasn't being carried across smooth terrain, either.
"In a minute," James' voice came from somewhere in front of her. He was the best of the boys at maneuvering the tunnels so he had been voted to go first.
'But if he's up there guiding... who's holding me?' Lily thought. She cheated and opened her eyes just a bit. She sighed in frustration when she realized she had to wait even longer while her eyes adjusted to the dim light provided by James' lit wand up ahead. The suspense was killing her! She could see the outline of a strong jaw set in an expression of concentration.
"Remus?"
He was so startled he nearly dropped her. "Lily! I mean... you weren't supposed to..." he stuttered and subconsciously stopped walking. To reassure him, Lily brought her hands behind his neck and hugged tight, pretending to steady herself. Or maybe she wasn't pretending. She brought her face close to his ear.
"It's alright. It's like I never knew..." She thought she felt him shiver under her breath, but it was gone in a moment. They caught up with the group ahead of them in a hurry.
"We're here!" James announced from the front of the line. Lily was put down and officially allowed to open her eyes. She peered around and saw Cathy being put out of the grasp of a reluctant Sirius. They all ascended a ladder and found themselves smack dab in the centre of-
"A sweets shop!" Cathy exclaimed. "How delightful!" Five sweets-craving teens flocked to the counter, but Lily hung back.
"I... haven't much money," she explained painfully to their curious stares.
"Nonsense," James said, pulling her towards the counter, "You don't need to pay. It's on me... as a birthday present."
Lily gasped. "You know?"
"Lily dear, of course. I know a lot of things I shouldn't," James responded with a wink. Lily just looked shocked.
"Ooooh! Happy sweet sixteen!" Sirius shrieked. "Does this mean we get to party?"
"No... uh, no. That's quite alright actually." Lily declined, although she had a lingering feeling Sirius wouldn't listen.
"At least let us get you gifts." James pleaded.
"But-"
"Oh, come on," Cathy groaned, "It's your birthday! We're allowed two things on your birthday: humiliate you in good fun and spend a lavish amount on you."
"I..." Lily thought, weighing her options. "I'd really rather skip both, thank you."
"You're no fun," Pete accused.
Lily sighed. "Fine!" The group cheered but she cut them off. "But if any of you buy me something overly extravagant I will not accept it."
"Deal!" They chorused.
They left Honeydukes each carrying large sacks of candy, Lily's compliments of Pete. Their next stop was Madame Malkin's Robes where Cathy purchased herself new work robes and two dress robes for Lily- one green to bring out her eyes, and one cream to compliment her complexion. Lily was speechless.
From there, they trouped to Zonkos. Sirius insisted on loading Lily with a starter kit of tricks for a practical joker. It included (among other things) a hologram device, several stink bombs, balls of energy which erupts into faux flames upon contact, and candies that could turn one's skin any color. Lily politely thanked him, but highly doubted she'd ever use them. Sirius highly anticipated otherwise.
Next, they visited a book store. Lily, Cathy and Remus wandered around with interest, but the rest were bored out of their minds. By the time the former group was finished, the latter had set up camp in the store window to play with sock puppets. The store owner wasn't pleased. James, Sirius and Pete were forced out of the store to wait until Lily finally emerged with her two new treasures (a book on ancient Egyptian magic and another on wandless magic), both present from Remus.
Soon they were off again, all very curious as to what James would give Lily as a gift- even James.
"Are you much of an animal person?" He asked as they approached Eeylop's Owl Emporium. Lily shook her head.
"Not really."
"How about broomsticks?" He was starting to get panicked. His present had to be perfect!
"You're kidding, right?"
"Oh yeah." There was a pause in which James looked suddenly very excited. "To the Three Broomsticks then, eh mates?"
Perplexed, five people lagged behind James as he made his way to the pub. He got a table and placed an order for a round of butterbeer.
"I'll be right back," he said eagerly and scurried.
"I wonder what he's planning," Remus mused.
"I'd be scared," Pete joked.
"He doesn't have to go to this much trouble," Lily said, seeing James run animatedly around the restaurant.
"It's James," Sirius said. Obviously this was supposed to explain things. Lily looked confused so Sirius finished. "It's what he does."
James returned, just after the drinks were served, looking very proud of himself. "Here," he said simply, presenting Lily with a plain envelope. She looked at it with surprise before gently ripping it open and peering inside.
"A... 'Get Out of James Free Pass'?"
"Well, yes," James smiled adorably. "If there's ever a time when I'm bugging the bloody hell out of you, you just hand me this and I'll go away. It's guaranteed to keep me at bay for a full... two hours?"
Lily frowned slightly.
"How about three?"
"That's wonderfully sweet," Lily gushed.
Sirius leaned over toward Remus and whispered, "Now he's expecting a 'Get In to Lily Free Pass' in return!"
"Padfoot, that was revolting!" Remus jumped out of the booth.
"Aw, come on, I was only kidding..."
"We're leaving." Remus said curtly. He said one last 'happy birthday' to Lily and left.
"Well, we've got to get ready for bed. Yeah, that's it." Sirius excused himself and dragged Pete out behind him.
"I guess I'll be going then, too. Don't want to be the third wheel. Besides, those guys are my short cut back to the castle." Cathy said. Lily didn't object.
"Finally they're gone." James breathed.
"Why?" Lily moved backwards, not sure if she should be frightened or not.
"So I can give you your real gift," he said, as if it were (see bottom in AN) the most obvious thing in the world.
"Oh."
"Go on, open it," James urged as he pushed a long, thin, velvet box in front of her. Her face was frozen in a stunned expression. Lily pushed off the lid. Her breath caught in her throat.
"It's..." she lifted a long gold chain out of the box.
"A necklace," James finished for her. Lily found the pendant and touched it with one trembling finger. It was a circular diamond with a teardrop shaped sliver of jade below it. Lily found her voice again.
"It's gorgeous."
"You're happy then?" James asked fervently.
"Well, yes! But..."
"But? There's no 'but'. There can't be a 'but'." He started to get nervous.
"We agreed this morning that no one would buy me anything too fancy..." she started, tearing her eyes from the beautiful jewelry. "And this is just beyond..."
"Well, what if you could owe me?" James tried.
Lily stared at her feet, unable to look him in the eye. Didn't he know she had no money? Didn't she already have to embarrass herself by saying it once today? "I have nothing to offer you in return."
"Not true. You could owe me one kiss, payable whenever you wish, and I would accept that." Oh, he hoped beyond hope she would agree.
"... Ok," she said slowly. James reminded himself to do a happy dance later.
"Would you like me to put it on you?" He asked, trying to hold in his excitement.
"Sure, thank you."
James clasped the necklace around Lily's throat, fumbling once because he wasn't used to jewelry and a second time because he wanted to stall to breath in the sweet aroma of her hair- mint, a nice clean smell.
Together they walked out of the pub and on to the street. Lily shivered- the wind had gotten colder than she remembered. James offered her his cloak and she gratefully took it, after putting up a fight as to his well-being, of course. If James didn't know better, he would have called this almost a date. The mood was shattered by a scream in the distance. An explosion followed in quick succession, then another scream. Witches and wizards ran past them frantically.
"I wonder what's going on..." James muttered. Lily's face echoes his thoughts. They strained to see what happened, as anyone would do, but soon wandered toward it, as only stupid people do.
Flames licked at the roofs of three old buildings on the street and a dark, blanketing smoke billowed out, making seeing difficult. Around the corner, the profiles of six hooded figures became slightly visible within the smoke, giving off a menacing feeling. Lily's hand grew clammy.
Footsteps echoed on the cobblestone road as the figures drew closer. The stench they brought with them was as horrid as the grating sound of their laughter. Laughter, at a time like this? The thought made the hair on the back of James' neck stiffen.
"Lily..." James spoke softly, as if he thought speaking louder would turn the unknown wizards against him. "I think we should..." James tried to push her in the opposite direction but she was rooted to the ground in some kind of scared awe of sight in front of her.
In that moment there was an angry eruption of sound and light. The two squeeze theirs eyes shut to shield themselves from the brightness and their hands flew to their ears to block out the noise. The street rumbled beneath their feet. When the sensation finally subdued, they opened their eyes to a feeling of utter confusion. Their senses were topsy-turvy- neither could make out which way was up or down. James stumbled backwards, trying to get his bearings. His heel hitched on something soft behind him and he fell, almost in slow motion, with lights still bursting in front of his eyes.
He landed with a thud onto something cold and lumpy. His curiosity overrode his common sense and he contorted himself to see what he had fallen upon. The need to be sick rose in his throat and burned in his queasy insides. He had fallen upon a man, but not a normal one in any respects.
The man was crumpled in an awkward position with his arms spread and his legs twisted and thrown to one side, sticking out at odd angles. There was a sharp indent in his chest that was bloodied and the robe surrounding the gaping wound was soaked in dry, blackened blood. His head hung flaccidly to one side, limp and lifeless, faintly coloured a ghastly tint of blue. What hair hadn't been singed off was plastered to his face by the remnants of a cold sweat. His mouth was open in a forever silent scream, copying his wide open, bloodshot eyes.
James' mind was spinning. 'Dead... blood... smell... fire... Lily!'
He reached up in one swift movement and found Lily who was still eerily spellbound. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her away. His head jerked side to side in a frenzied attempt to find cover. Lily pointed at a dilapidated store front and James wasted no time getting there. The heavy door hung off its hinge and groaned in protest when James strained to open. They shuffled in, but poked their head around the door to watch. It was like a terrible car wreck; they couldn't help it.
Above the din, an infant's cry reached their ears. Lily's brain had long since shut down and she ignored her better judgment. She ran madly in the direction of the crying. She jumped over the sprawled bodies of men and women that had been disposed of in a similar fashion as the man James had found. Seconds felt like minutes as she sprinted closer to the baby, but she never got close enough. Another sound reached her ears- the aggravated voice of a man under a hood.
"ARG! Stop that incessant crying!" he yelled in a low, guttural growl. He looked threateningly at the child, seemingly unaffected by its age and innocence and screamed, "Avada Kedavra!" A sickening green beam of light shot out from the tip of his wand.
Then there was no noise, save for the crackling of the burning buildings. Soon a terrible, grating laugh joined the cacophony. Lily whimpered, at a loss for what to do, it seemed her motor skills had finally deserted her. Before one of the hoods could see her (and consequently deal with her as he had dealt with the baby), James darted out, scooped her up, and carried her into a close by alleyway.
"Don't do that!" He scolded. "Here, now you can't slip away again." He pressed his body against her so she was sandwiched between him and the wall. He was too flat out afraid to think about anything other than her safety, his brain- or, his glands, rather- didn't even register their close proximity.
Sweat beaded on Lily's forehead, but with James squashed against her, she had no leeway to move. Tears stung at the corners of her eyes, remembering what she had just witnessed. Her breathing turned heavy. James put a hand over her mouth to quiet her fearing that any sound would attract the hooded men. There they stood, panting ever so quietly, for what felt like hours, waiting for the hooded bunch to leave.
At the soonest moment they could get, they dashed to Honeydukes that they had first arrived in at the beginning of their trip. James didn't force Lily to close her eyes. Instead, they struggled through the tunnel and emerged on the other end. They headed for Dumbledore's office at a dead run.
"Licorice wands!" Lily wheezed and they gained entrance, Dumbledore saw their faces and immediately that the terrible was true.
"Sit down," he offered, though it was more like an order. They complied, unable to do anything other than what they were told at this point. Dumbledore's face betrayed the intense battles raging inside his mind, but it appeared one side finally won when he instructed one of them to tell him what happened. Lily found her voice first.
"Sir, we were in the village and... these people in hooded cloaks came. At least one was male, I heard his voice. They burned the building and cursed people... and the baby... he killed a poor little..." Lily choked up. She couldn't finish. James placed his hand on her forearm in a calming manner.
"Miss Evans, those people are called Death Eaters. They are followers of a man who calls himself Voldemort. They are a group of people who believe in the value of pureblood heritage. They think it's their duty to rid the wizarding world of magic folk from muggle descent."
"Like me," Lily whispered, barely audible. Dumbledore's eyes softened. He was torn between telling the honest truth and sugar-coating the facts. The truth won out.
"Unfortunately, yes, and they have made attacks like this before. Worse, they will do it again. That's why I called you to talk to me."
"B-but you didn't. We c-came ourselves." Lily stuttered.
"Oh? But do you recall that workshop I invited you to?" Dumbledore stared at them intently and suddenly his pupils understood. There is no workshop. There never was. He had been trying all this time to get them so he could warn them, although, a warning would never have done as much as seeing for themselves. After all, seeing IS believing.
"So, now that we know this... may we inquire as to why you've decided to share it with us?"
"That is the result of one of the most difficult decisions I've ever been faced with. You two, young though you are, are to lead the opposition."
Lily fell off her chair. "What?!"
"It's alright, Miss Evans, we all have that faith in you. Both of you."
James cleared his throat. "Not that I'm objecting, but why did you pick us? Why not someone older, with more experience? Why not... people with a more stable relationship?"
"I picked you two because you are smart. Understand that older doesn't mean wiser, I believe you to be mature enough. And, Mister Potter, a relationship between coworkers in this field needn't be steady. In fact, it is much preferred to have a passionate relationship. Ah, Miss Evans, hold your tongue. I did not specify which kind of passion it had to be, just as long as it's there. It doesn't have to be love. It could be competition, if you so choose." Dumbledore said sternly when Lily made to object.
"Furthermore, the two of you represent a sort of yin and yang balance. You are opposite in personality and background. James, as the man, is a pureblood and acts on heart and impulse. Lily, as the woman, you are muggle born and base decisions on logic and critical thinking. The equilibrium brings the best of both worlds together. Do you now doubt my decisions?"
Neither Lily nor James spoke. The Headmaster smiled grimly.
"It seems that I am asking a lot of you, I fear that I may be. But, in truth, I don't believe it to be anything more than what you can handle without the necessary preliminary information and training, of course. This is what I want you to do: over the next few weeks- months, perhaps- you must come up with a plan of attack. Fresh minds on this matter will do loads more good than us old'uns. The Death Eaters are used to our ways of thinking by now, that's why we need you to breath life into the Order.
"You'll plan for the attack as myself and others learn more information. You need to be ready quickly, though. The time could be next month or at the end of the year. There's no way to know for sure. Go, now. You may take sufficient time to adjust to the idea, but I urge you to prepare soon." He wet his lips and surveyed them carefully. Sucking in one long, shaky breath, he finished.
"Good night, sleep well." With that, Lily and James left, shocked. The pair stayed silent until they were almost at the common room.
"I most certainly will not sleep well after that." Lily huffed, more saddened than angered, really. James nodded in agreement.
"I feel as though I could never have fun again." He said somberly.
"And me as well."
"Do you ever have fun?" James asked, hoping that poking a little fun would lighten the mood. Apparently, Lily didn't appreciate his choice.
"I do, just not your kind of fun," she countered defensively. They reached the portrait. "You're all into pranking and flying about and kissing..."
James gave the password (pumpkin pasties) as Lily rambled on.
"... and all those awful, noisy, wild..."
The portrait swung open revealing the Gryffindor common room packed with students. Confetti shot out and they all yelled, "Surprise!" Lily's eyes were wide with alarm.
"Parties," she finished her rant softly.
"Happy Birthday, Lily!" Sirius said as he bounded over. "Do you like it?"
"It's... certainly something. Thank you, but I really need to go to bed. Sorry."
"Oh no you don't. Think of all these people you'll be disappointing." Sirius gestured towards the students dancing to the blaring music.
"Er... I don't think they know or care that I'm here. I hardly think they'd notice if I duck out." Lily saw the disdain on the girls' faces when they looked at her. Ah, the jealousy. It was in fact very true that none of them particularly relished the idea of celebrating Lily, but the cardinal rule of serious teens was that any excuse to party was a god one. They all knew they had to take advantage of it.
Lily dodged Sirius long enough to get to the stairs up to her dorm. Before she went up, James caught her by the elbow.
"At least try to sleep well, ok?" he asked, looking genuinely concerned.
"I... ok," Lily agreed. She then jogged half-heartedly midway up the stairs, only to turn around and go back. "Uh... thank you," she said to James' feet, "for everything." What she did next was completely unexpected. She reached her arms behind his neck and pulled him into a brief hug. James was so stunned, he didn't have time to react before she let go and ran away.
"You're welcome," he whispered to the emptiness in front of him, all thoughts of Death Eaters and fires gone from his mind now that those stupid butterflies had returned to his stomach. She had that way of making him forget things and be blissfully peaceful. He had a sneaking notion that one day that would get him in trouble, but he had no time to worry now. He was in the blissful state, so peaceful that he no longer noticed the thumping noise of the song or the bodies moving to the rhythm or that fact that Sirius had migrated to a corner and had proceeded to hold a snogging session with the first girl that wandered over. One only had to guess what was going on in his head.
'Good bloody thing Marla isn't a Gryffindor. Wait, Marla? Martha? Oh, it doesn't matter, she's done for anyway. Now... about this girl...'
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A/N: Ten pages, baby! I hope it was worth the wait. Ok, so, I'm always a bit self-deprecating about my abilities to write a scene like the one with the Death Eaters in Hogsmeade. Please, even if you say nothing else in a review, tell me how I did in that respect.
(Directed from in the story) I've gotten into huge debate on this past participle. Some people tell me you can only use 'was', but I've read it correctly edited using 'were'. If anyone cares enough to help me out with this... go ahead.
TeenTypist: I liked that line too... Ok, so earlier I couldn't remember if James or Remus was a prefect, but at the beginning of this story I just put it as James because I know he became Head Boy.
Swt Chry 2oo5: Thanks! You're my 50th reviewer!!! confetti and balloons
MorphManiac: Thanks, and I hope you got the one I sent for you to make up for the one that didn't show up...
Brighton Baby: Aw, Thank you!
Trumpet-Geek: Phew! I was quite worried! Thanks!
Sweetaccent: I'm glad you agree with me, and sorry this took so long, I'm a terrible procrastinator.
Foxy089: Yay! Thanks!
LilyLupin89: I dunno... sometimes people are just hyper, like me right now. You should have seen how fast I typed this thing!