Disclaimer: Most of it's not mine, and if it's yours I apologise for stealing it... unless you're J K Rowling, the theft was completely unintentional. If you are her... um, I'm sorry?

A/N Sorry for the delay in posting. Life's suddenly become busy. Enjoy the chapter.

Chapter Eleven

Lily tried pulling it. James pulled it. They pulled together. Lily tried the 'alohomora' charm. They both tried the charm together. They couldn't force the door, because it opened on the inside. The windows wouldn't open. They glass wouldn't smash. They couldn't climb up the chimney. Lily even tried unscrewing the hinges and removing the door, the solution that often worked in muggle books. It didn't. They tried the window in the bedroom… same problem. The door would not open. Finally, they collapsed, tired, onto the big floor cushions they had made use of last time.

"Do you get the feeling that this isn't a coincidence?" James asked.

"Somebody is up to something. Somebody keeps trapping us in here together!"

"Should we talk to Dumbledore?"

"Yes. Let's call him immediately!"

From the direction of the fireplace, came a voice, in more of a hiss than a whisper. "Call who exactly?"

James and Lily both whirled immediately, and stood. There was a face in the fire. Not a head, a face. A flame outline on the fire itself, red fire outlined the face and ears, orange and yellow gave it substance and three dimensions, and the eyes were blue flame.

"Who are you?" Lily and James both asked at the same time. In any other situation, it would have been funny. But there was something about this face in the fire, something deadly. It radiated evil. Lily and James knew it instinctively, and felt immediately vulnerable. Whether it was their own instinct, or feelings inspired by the face, neither knew, but they did know, with an absolute certainty, that they could do nothing against this being. They also knew that if they tried, they would die.

James gripped Lily's hand tightly, so they wouldn't be separated, just in case. They were Hogwarts's Head Boy and Girl, and each had to be strong, or, lacking real strength, put on a show of strength. They both did so, regardless of their inner fear. Apparent uncertainty and fear could easily mean death. Appear intimidating, and half the battle was won. They just hoped the other half of the battle wouldn't prove too strong.

"You won't be calling!" The hiss was certainly coming from the face, but the lips weren't moving, "You will stay here until I see fit! I see everything… your deaths are coming if you don't pay attention!" With that, the lips on the face rose in a cruel smile, and suddenly the fire was just a normal fire.

Lily allowed herself to relax slowly. James was sitting, staring at the fire where the face had been only moments before. Lily leaned over to him, and whispered in his ear.

"I don't know if that thing can hear us, but let's move to the bedroom where we can talk better," James nodded, and they moved into the bedroom.

It was cold, and they got in the bed, under the covers to keep warm. Lying close, but not actually touching, they talked things over.

"Was that Voldemort, do you think?" Lily asked.

"It's possible. Or maybe another dark wizard… there's another uprising, I know it. Dumbledore knows it too, bad times are ahead. It sound like some kind of lame prophecy, I know, but… I think we're in danger."

Lily didn't say her mental, Yeah, well, no shit aloud. Instead she said, "The question is, why? Why would anyone want to lock the Head Boy and Girl of Hogwarts into a cabin? Twice? It makes no sense."

"It's got to make sense. There's logic behind everything, especially things that seem illogical. Ever read Sherlock Holmes?"

"Yes, a while ago… why?"

"His saying was, eliminate the impossible, and whatever is left, however improbable, is the truth. Or something like that."

"You're saying that we go through figuring out everything that didn't happen?"

"No. What I'm saying is, he's got the beginnings of an idea… but it isn't practical. We'd be here all day saying what didn't happen, so let's go through what did. Even if it's unlikely, if it's possible, keep it."

"Okay," Lily was unsure, but it wasn't like they had any other options. Unless… "Let's try to call in on Dumbledore by the fire, anyway. Just to see."

"We'll do that. Then we can do lists… who could have done it, why they would have done it, etc."

"Sure."

They got the relevant powder from the fire, but couldn't even get through to Hogwarts. The cabin wasn't connected to the floo network, or they would have been able to escape the first time really easily. So they set about making a list, everyone who could have done it, why they had, and how they had, back in the bedroom, sitting on the bed. It looked like this:

· Snape: He hates both of us… don't know how he could have done it

· Malfoy: He hates us too, and his Dad has lots of money

· Voldemort: He's tried it once before, and he's got lots of power… but why?

· Marauders: As a practical joke… again, no idea how

· Lily's Friends: Again, practical joke, again, don't know how

"So… does that get us anywhere?" James asked.

"Not really," Lily admitted. "Who do you think probably did it?"

"Voldemort," James said promptly.

"It could be," Lily said grimly. Then she added, "You know they're starting to call him 'You-know-who?' They're afraid to say his name."

"It's another mark that he's gaining power. I wonder how far he'll get before he's stopped."

"I don't know, but… that it's him is likely. But why? Why does he keep locking us together in here?" Lily asked. And suddenly, James had a horrible idea.

"I think… oh God…" His face drained of colour. It scared Lily more than anything had in a long time, more even than the face in the fire.

"What is it?" She asked hurriedly.

"I just… I just thought… oh no… he can't…"

He looked shocked and anguished, but there was determination in his movements when he pried off the arm she had put around him.

"Lily, we can't."

"We can't what?" She was worried now, worried and upset. "What can't we do?"

James took a breath, and resisted an urge to comfort her. "I think… I think I know who and why." Lily wondered what it could be that had frightened him so much. Something was definitely wrong.

"It's suspicious, isn't it, that both times we're alone, in a secluded place, we're locked together for a long time? The first time… we decided we liked each other. This is the second," James looked away from her face, from her altogether, and looked down at his hands, fiddling in his lap. "I think it was Voldemort. And I think… he's out to set us up."

James's face was grave, and it scared Lily even more.

"Set us up? For a crime, or something?" She asked, confused.

"No. Not like that. Get us together. Make us fall in love. Get us to…"

"I get it," Lily interrupted. She could feel a hysterical laugh bubbling up, and tried to suppress it. Voldemort as a matchmaker! Then the implications of that thought sunk in. "No!" She refused to believe it. She would not believe it. "Absolutely not! He can't! Why would he even want to? There would be no point!" Because she suddenly saw where James's thoughts were heading.

"Lily… it's a possibility. And… when we next talk to Dumbledore… we have to ask him-"

"About what?" Lily asked, "What do we ask him about? Whether we should continue the way we are? No! I'm not having the headmaster tell us… tell us…"

She began to cry. Not crying described in every romantic fairytale the world wide, but shaking with sobs, violently angry.

It was too much for James. He lost his control, and immediately hugged her and held her, whispering garbled comforting words. But this time, Lily shook him off. Hurt, surprised, and not a little upset, James waited to see what she would say.

Lily composed herself rapidly and said, with a slight quaver in her voice, "James… maybe you're right. It might be a… a… 'plot.' Can we… think about this rationally?" She didn't want to. All she wanted to do was curl up in her bed at Hogwarts and cry her eyes out. Preferably with James. Again, she mentally reminded herself that she was nearly eighteen, and Head Girl, and she shouldn't be crying. "This is the second time we've been locked up here together."

"Yes."

"And each time we reached another stage in our relationship."

"Yes."

"And you're thinking that us getting together has something to do with him?"

"Yes."

"WILL YOU STOP SAYING YES!" Lily shouted.

"Ye- sorry," James said. He looked alarmed.

"Sorry, it just… never mind. Do you think he wants us to… get together?"

James nodded his head. Lily laughed. It was an improvement on the atmosphere, but not by much.

"So, we… separate?" Lily's voice started out strongly, but ended up in a whisper. It was too much. It was all just too much. Lily was so upset that she felt sick. Maybe not upset, precisely, it was almost like grief. It was a feeling she couldn't place, like despair, but more so. There was also something else… it was a feeling as if… something was ultimately wrong. Was she just kidding herself? Was she attempting to justify her selfish desire to stay with James? Then again, why was it selfish anyway? Maybe it really was wrong, splitting up with James just because she had a feeling that a megalomaniac wizard was matchmaking. It was ridiculous.

But Lily shook her head in defiance to her feelings. She was only seventeen; the wrongness would be purely psychological. Meanwhile, James was looking just as crushed as she felt. And then it was Lily's turn to have a revelation. With a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, she had to voice the thought that came to her mind.

"James," she started tremulously.

"Yes?" He forced a smile, but his eyes frightened Lily. They were so full of despair… indeed, if he felt at all like she did, they really were the windows to his soul.

"What if… what if Voldemort is…" Lily took a deep breath, and started again. "In the muggle world, there's a concept, called reverse psychology. It's when… you know when you tell Sirius not to eat something, because it tastes really horrible, and of course he'll go and eat it anyway? Wait, no, that's a bad example. Sirius would eat it no matter what you said." James smiled briefly, and their eyes met for a second before Lily continued. "Take… take Peter, for example. You tell him not to… oh, not to read a specific magazine article. He'll do it, either out of curiosity or of spite, but he will do it. Maybe that's what Voldemort's doing. He knows that if he seemingly sets us up, we'll realise it, being Head Students and all. So it's reverse, reverse psychology. Get it?"

"Kind of…" James said. "It's like… if he threatens us to not get together, we'll do it, because that's what he wants. If he tries to make it seem like he wants us to get together, then maybe we won't get together, on purpose."

"Yeah, that's about it!" Lily said. Her spirits had lifted, and James grinned broadly for a minute at the prospect of not having to end their relationship. Then his face clouded over. "Is there something else?" Lily asked with concern.

"Yeah, well, two things, actually. Firstly… what if it's reverse, reverse, reverse psychology? As in, he knows we'll figure it out, so he sets us up, so we think he doesn't want us together, when he really does."

"That's possible," Lily said doubtfully, "In either case, we'll have to talk to Dumbledore before we decide anything. Oh, and… it'll probably be embarrassing."

"Embarrassing is better than dangerous!" James said emphatically, and Lily smiled, inclined to agree.

"Was there a second thing?" Lily asked a moment later.

"Um… yeah. You know… actually, maybe danger is worse than embarrassment?"

"What, the danger you'll get from me if you don't tell, as opposed to the embarrassment you'll feel if you do?" Lily asked. She was joking… but it hit near the mark.

"Yeah, something like that. Actually," he cleared his throat, "If Voldemort doesn't want us together, it's probably for a good reason. There are a few possibilities… one… okay, I know I'm being a little full of myself here, but we're pretty strong magically, and maybe he thinks we'd be too powerful as a team? Then, there's marriage… you know what 'marital bliss' can do for the power of a witch or wizard."

"Uh… no, actually."

"Sorry, I keep forgetting you're muggle-born. It's when you're tied, bonded by love and marriage, your magic powers are generally amplified. Don't ask me to explain it, I can't, and everyone has a different theory as to why."

"Oh, right, I think I get it. Any other… ideas?" Lily privately knew there had to be a third; the theories already brought out into the open hadn't embarrassed him enough to make him as reluctant to speak as he had seemed to be.

"Well… there's also the possibility of… you know… children," And here James didn't blush. It was strange, he was all fidgety, and wouldn't meet her eye, but because of the charm, he wasn't blushing. Lily decided to view it academically and theoretically, as if it had nothing to do with her.

"Hmm… not to sound big-headed, but Dumbledore has said we're very powerful. I guess if we were to… have a child, he or she might have the best of both powers. And Voldemort is still on the rise, this child might come of age at the peak of his power. A bit far-fetched, perhaps, but possible."

"Yes," James said, slightly downcast. "And if Voldemort has a divinator, well, he or she could have foreseen something."

"It's a possibility. We need to talk to Dumbledore. Bloody hell I hate divination!"

"Mm. Drop it if we get out of here," James said.

"Yeah, if. But meanwhile… let's not change anything. Keep it as it was, yeah? With luck, Hagrid or someone should come in search soon. And… well, this whole relationship thing. Nobody knows what's going on in his weird mind. Let's just keep it as it was."

James and Lily spent the rest of the day worrying. They tried playing board games, playing cards, and reading, but nothing seemed to work. Eventually, they returned back to the main room to eat. They were just finishing their food, salad for Lily and another pizza for James, when again the face appeared in the fire.

It hissed, in a voice low and deadly, "Come here!"

Lily and James exchanged glances, and then came closer to the fire, gripping hands once more. The knelt, in a position to see the face well, but able to stand quickly if it looked like danger.

"Good… we're getting somewhere." The voice was soft, deadly, but strangely compelling. James realised it the same time Lily did.

"Close your eyes!" Lily said, as James said,

"Don't look at the face!"

They both grinned at each other for a millisecond, before shutting their eyes tightly.

"Open your eyes!" The voice called, demanding and ugly, but it was no longer compelling. And then, Lily suddenly realised.

"Get into the bedroom! Quickly! I think I've got it!"

They both turned, and opened their eyes as they were facing away from the fireplace. Then they ran for the bedroom, James opened the door, and they both went in. Lily slammed the door after her, and they quickly sat on the bed.

"What is it?" James asked, finally letting go of Lily's hand. She leaned over, to whisper in his ear.

"I think there's a listening spell on both the rooms in here. Let's take care of that first, then I'll tell you the rest."

"Okay. It's probably a charm… you try to cancel it out first, and then…"

"Hmm…" Lily said, thinking. A spell tuned into the room would be hard to cancel. A spell on themselves would be relatively easy to cancel, but Lily suspected that any dark wizard wouldn't have taken chances. So she cancelled any spell that might be on them, praying it would work. Then she created a shield of concealment, sight and sound, around the bed they were sitting on, just in case there were lip-reading wizards or witches. Paranoia was a good thing in dangerous situations.

"That should do it, I think." Lily told James.

"Okay… what did you do?"

Lily told him, and then began to tell him of what she thought was going on. "But I think I've got it. I reckon it's a dark wizard, probably this Voldemort, and he wants us together. Whether it's psychology, I don't know, but that's the not the point, I know how he did it. He locked the door somehow, and then he put a sound spell on the room, so no sound from outside could get in. He put a spell on the fire, too, an illusion of plain fire, warmth if the fire was to go out, and in some cases of the face. I expect we did get in contact with Dumbledore, but we couldn't see or hear him. What do you think?"

James nodded enthusiastically. "Yes! That's it! It's harder to actually block spells than it is to craft illusions, yeah, I think that's it! So what do we do?"

"I think we should create a fire here, in this room, and call Dumbledore. We'll get… oh, a disposable fireplace or something, and make a fire on the bed here. Yes?"

"Yes. Shall we get the stuff now?"

"Yeah. But cover your ears and don't look at the fireplace. Let's go."

They grabbed hands again, and got off the bed. The second they were off, blackness enveloped them. Lily pulled James back onto the bed.

"He's put either a darkness spell or an illusion of darkness on this room. Bloody hell… we'll have to shield this entire cabin from outside influences! We're not that strong!"

"Isn't there anything easier?"

"Not that I can think of."

"Me either. It's time to improvise. Transfiguration will have to do."

James concentrated, and then got to work. Half an hour later, with a lot of combined effort, they had a fire going in the middle of the bed, with Dumbledore's head in the middle of it.

Lily had charmed the top blanket to make it fireproof. Then, from one of the pillowcases, they had torn strips of cloth. Four of these were placed in the shape of a square. Lily's hair clips were strengthened and then pushed in the corners of the fabric square, to fasten the four together. Two larger pieces of cloth were attached to each side of the square, to form flaps that opened. Then James transfigured it, not without difficulty, into a wooden frame, doors that opened on a hinge. It was very good work, and Lily went from being envious of his Transfiguration talent to being awed. His work was amazing; she would have been able to manage wood, perhaps, but not of the strength, and clips to hinges would have been nearly impossible for anyone but Professor McGonagall!

Next, Lily and James gripped hands, and a spell combining their power reserves was put into place. It would make the next spell a lot easier. Between them, they used their knowledge of magic theory, an extra class taught only to the brightest of the Seventh years, to construct a spell that would allow the frame in front of them to act as a 'portal' to the cupboard in the other room.

Then the pillow itself, minus a pillowcase, was placed on the fireproof blanket, and set on fire. They successfully got powder from the cupboard (via the 'portal), and called Dumbledore into the fire.

Twenty minutes of discussion later, both sides had been updated. Dumbledore knew of all of Lily and James's suspicions, and he had told Lily that her illusion idea was right. They had got through to Dumbledore, but they hadn't known it. He also told them that some teachers had come to the cabin, and found out that magical moss was covering the entire front of the cabin. Professor Sprout was arriving as they were speaking, and they would soon be out.

And within an hour, they were in the forest. It was unreal, and somehow anticlimactic. Dumbledore himself removed the blackness spell, and they were flown back to the castle just as the sun was setting, being showered with praise for making the most of what they had, as well as their ingenious charms and transfigurations. Soon, completely tired out from all their magical draining, they fell asleep in the hospital wing.