Hello, my wonderful, faithful and slightly annoyed readers! (Okay, more than slightly) I know, I know...5 whole months without an update...But anyhoo, I won't bore you with all the details, so let's just say I'm back and in business! Chappies will come at a MUCH, MUCH faster rate now! I luuuurve you all for sticking with me through all of this, and for those who just keep on reviewin' and kicking my ass into writing (or at least trying to write)...well you get twice the luuuurve!!! ;) So here it is, the next slightly shorter installment of the Ice Queen! Enjoy! (And once again many, many apologies to vamperfly for not betaing it with her first ; I'm just so excited to have finally written something! :D)

-eventergurl88

Chapter 14- Into Battle

A blinding white light illuminated the clearing, stunning its occupants momentarily. Lily quickly scanned the situation.

/Right, dog, wolf, stag...what am I fighting?/ Lily asked anxiously after a moment of utter silence.

Merlin's beard, girl, not them! THOSE! Get moving! the voice shrieked angrily. Lily's gaze dropped downwards for a moment, seeing nothing. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed something large and brown speeding rapidly towards her.

/What the.../ she thought, quickly swerving the broom away from the leg of the furious Quintaped.

/Okay. That./ Taking another deep breath, she pushed her hands down the handle of the broom and shot downwards, aiming straight for the monstrous furry body.

As she dove, she felt adrenaline course through her veins and her heart beat a frantic tattoo inside her body. Blood roared in her ears like a siren.

Finally, she couldn't contain herself any longer.

"HERE COMES TROUBLE, YOU BASTARD!" she screamed, letting go of the broom completely and drawing her sword.

She struck the Quintaped with a crack, and flipped off to land on her feet. Brandishing both wand and weapon, she muttered the glowing spell and grinned manaically as both began to flicker with green fire.

"A little more than you bargained for, huh buddy?" she said conversationally to the stunned monster. "Now, I don't quite feel like killing you so why don't you just run along now."

The animal stared at her, seemingly bemused. A startled whine from behind her reminded her of the other mysterious animals. Turning, she faced the odd group.

"That would be your cue to run away, guys," she said, not quite sure why she was speaking. "I got it from here."

The stag cocked its head. It seemed oddly familiar to Lily, as did the other two. "What are you guys, anyways?" she said, stepping closer. The stag merely gazed at her, its dark eyes incredibly hypnotic.

Nearly mesmerized, Lily switched her wand to her left hand and reached up to stroke the stag's cheek. The animal half-closed his eyes as she came closer. She was even more startled when its' eyes snapped open and the pupils grew huge with fear.

"Wha...?" she began, but all the air had gone from her body as she was violently struck with a enormous leg and hurled into a tree.

James dodged the path of the Quintaped and watched, agonized, as Lily flew into the tree and slid down it, to land motionless in a crumpled heap. One of the beasts stomped up to her lifeless form, obviously intent on finishing her off. Something snapped in him, as he found himself bellowing and levelling his horns at the ring of monsters, stamping his hoof to give challenge.

Behind him, he heard Sirius whine again. Remus padded up carefully and nudged him, his intent clear.

/No! I won't leave! I can't!/ he thought angrily, turning away once more.

That's the spirit, laddie. the voice said forcefully. Now go kick some hairy ass!

Bellowing once more, James charged into the thick of the monsters, swiping left and right with his horns. Narrowly missing a crushing foot, he wheeled, kicking another, before rearing and screaming his anger.

The Quintapeds hissed in answer, forming a ring of stamping feet and biting jaws. James dodged this way and that, occasionally scoring a blow. However, it was painfully obvious that the stag would be second best in this contest.

Suddenly, twin snarls sounded from outside the ring. Sirius and Remus had joined the fight, and were biting their way into the center of the circle. James took advantage of the distraction to deeply wound a Quintaped as the two canines bounded to his side. Together, they faced the enemy, each screaming his defiance.

The monsters roared in unison, making the trees shake. Once again, they began their plan of stamp and bite, scoring marks on all three boys. James shook his head, the adrenaline wearing thin.

/We aren't getting anywhere! What are we going to do?/ he thought frantically, once again searching for an escape route. That thought cost him dearly, as a Quintaped stomped downwards, smashing one of his fragile legs.

James screamed, the pain of his shattered leg nearly driving him blind. Dimly, he heard the anguished howls of Remus and Sirius and felt the Quintaped lifting him up. Strangely, he felt calm.

/So this is it, then./ he thought through a fog of agony, his leg flapping uselessly beneath him. /Not so bad, really./

Boy, what are you saying?! You can do it, get out of there, come on, do something! the voice babbled.

/Too...late.../ James managed, as he felt himself begin to fall. The fetid breath of the Quintaped blasted him as he bid farewell to the world.

Amazingly, he kept falling. And falling. Somehow, he was slowing down. That's...odd... he thought dimly as he landed gently on what felt like solid ground. Grimacing with the effort, he opened his eyes.

And there she was. Ice pale, a slash of red down one cheek, a bloody sword held in the guard position and eyes hard as agates as she surveyed the corpse of the still-twitching Quintaped.

"You know, I really didn't want to have to do that." she said. Her voice, though steely, was like music to James' battered ears. Feeling his loss of control on his stag shape, he dragged himself to the base of a tree and regained his human form. Clutching his shattered arm gingerly, he stared, awestruck, at the sight before him.

There was Lily, Remus and Sirius to either side, nearly glowing with green fire. The remaining Quintapeds advanced gingerly, seemingly afraid.

"I know you understand me." Lily's voice boomed, making him jump. "Now, you can end up like your friend here or you can leave. Immediately."

The creatures shifted, seemingly undecided. "Obviously, you need some encouragement." she said to herself in that manic tone of voice. Suddenly, the nimbus surrounding her tripled in brightness. "Do you want to see what happens when I really get angry?" she roared, whipping lashes of fire at the Quintapeds. "Leave now and never return, or I will hunt you down and kill you like the monsters you are! GO!"

As if released, the creatures wheeled as one and stampeded off through the forest, smashing trees in their terror. James watched their retreat, pleased, but bent double as his arm gave him a painful reminder as to its condition.

"Ow." he said dully, as he fell in a dead faint.

Lily watched the creatures retreat, her legs trembling more and more with every second. Dropping her sword and wand with a clatter, she dropped to her knees and clapped a hand over her mouth, shaking.

/I'm a monster. I've killed something, I've snapped, I'm crazy. What will I do now? I can't go back to school, I'll kill everyone, but I can't leave, I'll kill everyone else.../ Her vision spun in crazy circles as she fought for breath.

Lily. Lily! LILY! the voice yelled. She nearly fell to the ground in shock. You're not a monster. You did what you had to do.

/But I ran at it and stabbed it! Blood poured out and it fell and looked at me and...Oh lord./ Lily retched as she stumbled upright, rushed to a nearby tree and emptied her stomach of its contents.

These are perfectly normal reactions, Lily.

"But I've killed! I'm a murderer!" she said.

Look, girl, it was you or it. the voice said impatiently. Now, you've got other things to deal with right now so get a hold of yourself. We can discuss things later.

"Other things? What..." Lily said as she turned around. The wolf and dog stared at her quizzically.

"Right." she said with a sigh. Warning her emotions to behave, she sat gingerly on the ground, grabbed her wand and beckoned to them. "Come on, guys, I'll heal you up."

The dog looked at the wolf, who licked its chops and stepped forward. Growling, the dog forced it back. The wolf, in turn, raised its hackles and growled right back.
"Huh? What are..." Lily began, but the canines began to fight. "Dogs? DOGS! Stop it this instant!" she shrieked, feeling at the end of her wits. "Stop it now..." she started, but broke down and began to cry, rocking back and forth.

"I tried, I really did, I can't function, all I can see is blood, gushing out, the look on its face, so surprised..." she babbled through her sobs, drowning in misery.

Come on Lily, snap out of it. the voice urged, sounding worried. But Lily paid it no heed as she continued to cry, nearly crazed with shock.

The sounds of the fighting wolf and dog faded away, and still she sat, rocking back and forth. Tears poured down her face and soaked into the earth as the images of death and agony kept replaying in her brain.

"Lil-" someone whispered. "Lily." She jerked, bolting to her feet.

"What is it?" she asked, her voice trembling. "Who's there?"

"Help me. Please." the voice asked, as Lily followed the sound cautiously, wiping the tears from her face. She nearly tripped over him when she realized who it was.

"James? What are you doing out here?" she asked breathlessly, all her previous misery pushed to the back of her mind.

"My arm...hurts...help..." he managed, looking at her feverishly.

"Your arm hur...oh my god." she breathed, looking at the mangled pulp of flesh and bone. "James, what happened?" Her voice rose in pitch, belying her anxiety.

"Someone...stepped on it." he said, somehow managing to grin.

"James Potter, you are coming back to the castle with me right now, going straight to Madam Pomfrey and getting this fixed up." she stated brusquely, carefully creating a makeshift sling with her cloak.

"Whatever...you say...Lils." he said lightly, trying to stand up.

"Don't even think about it!" she snapped as she levitated him carefully. "Don't injure yourself any more!" Trailing James behind her like a puppy on a leash, she found his broom and helped him carefully onto it.

As she was about to get on, he gripped her arm with his good hand. "Thanks." he said softly, as the moon fully illuminated the once-dark clearing.

Lily tried to think of something appropriate to say, but failed. Looking up into his eyes, she paused. Something was amiss.

James Potter's once ice-blue eyes were dark. A now-familiar, hypnotic darkness that had nearly gotten her killed.

Shaking her head, Lily could not help but grin, despite the situation. "Looks like you have a lot of explaining to do, Potter. Come on. Let's get you healed up."

Getting gingerly on the broom, she pulled him to her for stability and kicked off gently, soaring straight towards Hogwarts with all possible speed.