Disclaimer: Harry Potter, Hogwarts, or anything that has ever been mentioned in the Harry Potter books does not belong to me. I would like to own them, and make billions of dollars every year, but the only thing in this story that is mine is my plot, if you can call it one. I am simply one of those very sad people who obsess over something that isn't real. Thank you for your time.

Chapter Nine

Remus quickly filled James in on what they knew. Lily was somewhere outside of Edinburgh. She was unharmed, and simply being kept for information and such. That disturbed James, though. He knew Voldemort. He knew Voldemort's policy on aurors.

"Why is she still alive?" He asked softly. "She's an auror; they wouldn't care if she was dead when I came to rescue her."

Sirius and Remus exchanged glances, and then Sirius looked up at James. "Prongs, she was apparently promised to someone. David. He went mad after she dumped him, or something. Became a Death Eater, and all that jazz."

James stared, shocked. If she was promised, that meant that they had a chance. Even if they failed, she would survive. But the question was, would he rather have her dead, or with another for the rest of her life? He didn't know the answer, and he wasn't sure he wanted to.

"Are you sure you want to help me?" He asked the two. "We could all die, or something like that."

Remus met his eye with a fierce expression. "I have wished to die since I received my bite. I cannot put you, my best friend, through that same agony if I can help it."

"All right," James said, touched by the loyalty and understanding of his friend. "Let's get on with it. We have a Lily to save."

Lily woke, her head banging. She stared around once again at her cell. Everything was hopeless. Maybe she should just have never woken up. But it was too late now.

She raised her arms, bound at the wrist by a pair of bespelled handcuffs, over her head, stretching, and hit her hand on a metal spike. She cursed as it began to bleed slightly, and then had an idea. She ran her fingers over it, and then ran them back and forth across the wall. There were several of these spikes, and they were perfect for lock picking.

She knew that it was unlikely that it could work, but there was no use in not trying the idea. She gently slid one of the spikes into the keyhole, and listened closely as she jiggled around for a few seconds. Then, she was rewarded as she heard a small click, the sound of at least one tumbler rolling into place.

Magic the handcuffs, but don't bother making them pick proof. Just pure lazy if you ask me. She thought, and then began to grin wolfishly as she worked on freeing her arms. This was turning out much more hopeful than it had appeared before.

The three boys appeared at a lonely abandoned barn, with a farmhouse about half a mile away. Remus looked sure of his place, though James experienced some doubts. How did Remus know so well what was going on, and where they were supposed to go?

Sirius brought out the invisibility cloak, and the three walked, half crouching, toward the house. There was no one standing guard.

When they reached the house, James, still covered by the cloak, looked in, and saw a few young men drinking a few beers. He thought it could just be a frat house or something, but then, as one took a sip, his sleeve fell away to reveal a skull and serpent. This was the place.

"So, how do we go in?" Sirius asked, whispering.

"I think those boys are too drunk to notice much. Break the window and stun them, then run." James suggested. It wasn't perfect, but they didn't have anything else.

Fortunately, the window was a hair open, so Remus slid his wand in, and slowly stunned the three Death-Eaters. "Easy as pie," he said softly. "It shouldn't be this easy."

Neither Sirius nor James had a response. It worried them, too. But they slid open the window some more, and crawled/rolled inside. When they walked out of the room, they reached a long hallway.

"Coin toss for who gets a partner?" Sirius asked, but James wasn't in the mood for companionship at the moment. He pointed a way for the others to go, and went the opposite. He knew what he wanted to say, but he wasn't sure how to. He would cross that bridge when he came to it.

Lost in his thoughts, he didn't realize that he walked into a room at the end of the hall, until he heard the door slam. He turned around, and saw David Roboto standing there, a wand pointed at James's chest.

"My lord thought that you would come. Frankly, I am pleased that I was the one who found you. I always hated you, and now I will have the pleasure of killing you."

"Why do you hate me so?" James asked, attempting to reach for his wand.

"Don't bother getting it," David replied, spying his motion. "Reach any more, and I'll kill you now. Not that it would help. I have a spell that repels all but the unforgivables on me right now. And do you have to ask why I hate you?" He laughed bitterly, "You stole Lily Evans from me. You were always the spotlight. Wonderful, perfect James Potter did this, or did that. But I have the upper hand now. I have my Lily again, and you will soon die. Right now, in fact. Avada Ke-" But he was interrupted by a small whispering voice beginning the exact same words.

A rush of green light, and David toppled over, his last smirk still on his face. Behind him stood Lily. She stared at the body, as though she couldn't believe what she had done. Then she looked up at James.

"I was able to pick the lock. I didn't think anyone would be coming. I found my wand in the guard's pocket. I punched him. He wasn't very good. I guess they didn't expect me to escape." She stared down at the body again, and began to cry. "Oh, James, I hated him, but I didn't want to kill him. Oh James…" Then speaking became too much for her. And she just stood and cried.

James did the only thing he could think of. He crossed the room in two great strides, and held her in his arms, combing through her hair with his fingers gently. "I know you didn't Lily. It's alright, it's going to be fine."

Lily looked up at him with her big green eyes, and said, softly, "Thank you. For everything."

He stopped, wondering whether what he was about to say was appropriate, and then decided it didn't matter. "Lily, I love you. I always have I always will. I know this isn't the time, but I'm going to lose the courage. Will you marry me?"

Lily looked at him, shocked, but then replied. "Oh, James, I was so stupid to ever let you go. I'm never making that mistake again. Of course I will."

Then, a cold voice broke out from the darkness, "How joyous for you. But it is such a trajedy that neither of you will live to see that day."

Lord Voldemort stepped out of the shadows, his wand pointed at the pair. A door closed, and around 14 Death-Eaters surrounded the couple. They were really and truly trapped.

Oh, I feel evil again. That's okay though.

This is the proper point for stewing. A month sounds good to me, how about ya'll?

Now be good little readers and go review. But no anonymous flames. There are much nicer ways to tell me that something is wrong.

Now, to answer my reviewers,

EmeraldEyedEvans- naturally.

SiRiUsRoXmYpOKaDoTsOxS- Did ya notice in the first chapter where I said that the book Arabella is my Aabella's aunt? Just a thought.

NymphadoraTonks13- Just say supernatural deity thing and leave it at that. You'll get headaches otherwise.

ourlittlesecret7- Yes, he is. And there's nothing wrong with cheerleaders. Well, besides the fact that they're insane. Or at least the ones at my school are. But we're all insane anyway, so that could be it.

LostConscience- very well. Since you said please.

SweetSouthernGal- Thank you.

HP-Scriptor- Thanks. Should be fun.

Stella Blu- It's coming. Slowly, but surely.

PinkyTheSnowman- Now, Ronald is thick. But we love him anyway. Not as much as Remus, Sirius, or the twins, but we still love him.

Later, dudes,

Sally