Disclaimer: HA. Yeah RIGHT. You really thought I owned Harry Potter?

A/N: Oh dear. I haven't updated forever. High school started. PRIVATE high school. Catholic private high school. Which I hate. I've been going to private school since preschool. Someone explain to me what public schools are like? Well, school is so much work. I'll probably only be updating once every two months. You know, this concept of "homework" really must die.

I Love You, But I Hate You, I'm Stuck On You

Chapter Ten: The Portal

James didn't know what to do. His mind was in turmoil. Should he take Lily back to school, or take her to his house, or what? He finally decided on taking her to a secluded forest, so he could get some things off his chest.

He looked around for Lily, and saw her standing idly, staring into space.

"Hey, um..Lily? Can we talk?"

Lily took James' hand and they set towards a path nearby.

"Well, the Aurors told me nothing. And, um, well" Leaves crackled behind the couple. "What was that?" James whizzed around.

"It's just leaves, James. What were you saying?"

"No, someone's there. I can feel it. Thereâ€near that tree."

"James, please. Don't be so paranoid. You're acting so strangely nowadays. You really have changed. Lily observed, "You changed, James. I don't think it's very normal of you to change like this. In this week, you've said more than you've ever said in two years."

"Yes, yes I am overreacting." Someone whistled. "Who's there?" James shouted, running towards the trees where the noise was coming from, with a distraught Lily chasing after him.

And James ran right into a tree, and Lily followed close behind. This wasn't just any tree. It was the tree. Which happened to be a portal.

"J-James," said Lily shaking, "where are we?" James grabbed her hand, and she noticed the look of worry in his eyes.

"I don't know, Lily, but stay close, okay? I'm getting a bad feeling," he said.

They were in a graveyard.

Suddenly they heard a sound. It sounded like the crunch of a leave. James and Lily immediately turned around, and saw dark, cloaked figures coming out of the trees. They looked at each other, and James said, "Run!" They started the other way, but the cloaked figures came out of that side as well. The figures started walking towards them, and Lily and James saw that they were trapped.
Just then, a pale, scary-looking man with red eyes came out of the trees. "Ah, Potter, Evans." His voice sounded so eerie, so scary. Lily wanted to just wake up from this horrible nightmare.

"What do you want?" James asked the man.

"James, no need to have such a rude tone with me. After all, you don't want to upset Lord Voldemort, now do you?" said the man.
Lily paled. She started twitching. Muttering. This man had killed her parents.
Lily saw that James now staring at the man very hatefully. "What do you want?!?" James asked, showing that he didn't care who this man was. Lily saw a flicker of anger in those cold, gray eyes, but it disappeared.

"Oh so we're going to be defiant now, are we?" said Voldemort. "Release this boy," Voldemort said to the cloaked figures, who looked at each other, and then released James.
"Now, James, why are you acting so cruel to me? You don't even know me, but you should know that I am one of the greatest wizards alive," said Voldemort.
James walked up to him. There was no longer fear in his eyes, but instead anger and hate.
"I know who you are. You killed Lily's parents. You tried to kill my father. You kill people. You're not a wizard. You're nothing more than a murder," James said, and the anger filled up in Voldemort's eyes.

"How dare you," said Voldemort, glaring at James, who glared right back. Lily's heart sank.

Lily started weeping at Voldemort. He had killed so many innocent people. She struggled to get free from the figures holding her, and Voldemort saw this. "Ah, release the mud-blood as well," he said.
James pulled for his wand, but Voldemort looked at him and said, "I wouldn't do that James."

James glared at him. "And why shouldn't I?" he said

Lily walked up and stood next to James. "Because I still have to explain to you two why you are here." Lily and James looked at each other, and then back at Voldemort.
"Well, one of my followers is a seer. He was in a trance one day, while I was with him, and he made a prophecy. Two people in the future would fight me, defeat me, and keep me from rising to power. The first was a beautiful, young muggle, with red hair and piercing green eyes. She would come to Hogwarts, where she would develop powers that no other witch ever possessed before. The second was a handsome young pure-blood. Jet black hair and blue eyes. He was the heir of Gryffindor, and he would do things that no one has done before. When together, their powers would be undefeatable, and they could do things that no witch or wizard has done before. Their names were Lily Evans, and James Potter," Voldemort finished.

James had heard this many, many times before. But he acted as surprised as Lily.

Voldemort continued. "Well you see, I just couldn't just let this prophecy come true, and I couldn't let you two defeat me. That is why I brought you here. I have finished off your parents. And now, if I kill you, then the prophecy can't come true, can it?"

James felt sick to his stomach. He felt like he had already died. His parents were gone.
Lily fell to the ground, landing on a grave. So she was going to die today, was she? Without ever saying good bye to the people who mattered. Her parents. Elizabeth, Vanessa, Sirius, Kristin, Remus, Audrey, Petunia, (Petunia!?!?) and all her other friends at Hogwarts. At least she would see James before she died.

James saw Lily trembling, and felt himself shaking as well. He felt unbelievably angry. He wasn't going to let Voldemort kill the love of his life, or himself. He was not going to let Voldemort kill him, as he did his parents, because he refused to let his family suffer another loss.
"No, Voldemort, you're not going to kill us. You weak, little murderer. I won't let you. You're nothing but a pathetic man who is desperate for power!" said James.
Voldemort looked at him, seething. His eyes were blazing now. He looked at James with hate in his eyes that Lily had never seen before. James stared back bravely, without even flinching.
"Just for that," said Voldemort, in a low quiet voice, "you're going to die first."