Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. Anything you do not recognise from the either the films or the books, belongs to the author of this FANFICTION.
Summary: Lily Evans is a Vampire. When a Vampire Hunter kills her Sire, she is determined to track down the one responsible and kill him. She did not expect to fall in love in the process. L/J.
A/N: And finally we reach the stage where we meet James. Otherwise there really wouldn't be a point to it being a L/J, would there?
Forbidden Love
Chapter 3: Wicked Game
The sharp clipping of stiletto heels on a wooden floor was a welcome distraction from the tedious report James was having to detail. Glancing up he saw two slender legs walking in his direction, protruding from underneath a knee-length, pencil skirt. She smiled at him slightly and then turned down towards the cubicle to his left. The new secretary no doubt.
"Damn," he muttered, running a hand through dark hair. His eyes travelled back to the report and he let out a frustrated groan. Today had not been his day. In fact, this week had not been his week.
After a spate of vampire attacks in wizarding London he had been put under a lot of pressure to finish filing reports on the victims. He had to catalogue everything—where the bite mark was on the neck, the position in which they were lying, the name of the victim even. Pictures of a dead Montgomery Mason littered his desk.
He picked up his quill, dipped it in the bottle of ink and started scratching away on the parchment. He shouldn't really have been there writing up reports on attacks, he should be helping preventing them. Unfortunately the Head of the Department for the Control and Regulation of Magical Creatures did not see the need for him to be out in the field at the present time, apparently they had 'plenty of other, more experienced Vampire Hunters to do the job'.
--
"Um, Mr. Potter?"
"It's James actually, call me James." Looking up from the report he had just finished, he could see the new secretary standing nervously at his cubicle door. She smiled weakly and nodded.
"Okay then, Mr- James, sorry." She flushed slightly and cleared her throat. "A friend of yours is asking for you at reception, he says it's urgent." James frowned. If it was urgent then why would any of them bother coming down to the Ministry? An owl would be much quicker, or even using the method of communication between Order members.
"Right, right. I'll be there in a minute, I just have to go and file this report. Thanks, err-"
"Caroline." She pulled a face. "Most people call me Carrie though."
"Well, thanks then, Carrie," James replied, standing up and shuffling the sheaves of parchment together ready to be put in their card file. Caroline disappeared hurriedly, the sound of her stiletto shoes fading fast. He shook his head slightly. She was obviously one of those women that wanted to make a good impression and tried harder then they needed to.
The file room was extensive, cabinets and shelves filled to the brim with cases of vampirism, sightings, murders, known vampires- everything that had been filed in the past would be in there for future use. James, even though he had been in the job for the last three years, he was still unsure about where he was meant to file the reports. Eventually, he decided to add it to a cabinet labelled 'Death Credentials,' in the 'M' section.
He reached the department's reception desk barely five minutes later. Sitting on one of the long wooden benches legs slightly apart, elbows resting on them and his head in his hands, was Sirius Black.
"Sirius?" Sirius's head jerked up.
"You took your time." He stood up slowly and glanced around the deserted corridors, before allowing a small smile to appear on his face. "Had to pretend that my mother had died; it was rather difficult seeing that I wish she would, miserable old hag."
"Sirius-" James caught himself. "Why exactly are you here, then?"
Sirius shrugged nonchalantly. "I was bored. Remus isn't feeling that great after that nasty scrape with those Death Eaters and I don't know where the fuck Peter's got to."
"What about- what's her name? Annie?" James asked, feeling slightly irritated.
"Yeah; I think she's in Bulgaria trying to build up our international friendships. I don't think that idea's going to work but you can't blame the Ministry for trying," Sirius replied and then frowned. "You're not angry, are you?"
James shook his head slowly and ran a hand through his hair. "No. Look, mate, I know you've been through a lot with that family of yours but sometimes you still act as if we're still back at Hogwarts; that I haven't got a job and there isn't a war going on." There was a silence.
"And I think you've been stuck in the monotonous tread of life far too fucking long!" Sirius said looking away from James and back down the corridor. "What happened to being rebellious? What happened to not taking any shit from society and being forced into being pawns in the Ministry's war? What happened to you, Prongs?" His voice was harsh, biting, and bitter from the years where biased beliefs were forced upon him as a child.
James swore loudly. "What happened to me?" he exclaimed. "What happened to me? I grew up! I stepped back and saw the world for what it is. I know that it's mundane and boring to get a job and have to work everyday, but quite honestly what else is there to do? What else is there to rebel against that we haven't already?" He lowered his voice. "I joined the Order because I have little respect for what the Ministry is trying to achieve. I joined the Order to rebel against that fucking psychopathic Slytherin who's trying to destroy everything! What else am I supposed to be doing?"
"Getting laid by the sounds of it," Sirius said with a slight smirk.
"That's not the point, the point is-"
"That you need to have a little fun," Sirius interrupted. "Come on, Prongs! When was the last time you got it together with a girl?" James flung his hands up into the air.
"Sirius- just stop would you! You're not even listening to me."
"I am listening to you James, I just don't take much notice of it."
"That's exactly your problem," James fumed. "You never take any notice of anything that's important; like the fact I have a job!"
"Oh yeah? Well you never take any notice of your friends anymore, or aren't they important enough for you! Where were you last Full Moon? Eh? Where were you when Moony needed you?" Sirius retorted viciously, glowering at his best friend.
Before James could reply a strangled yell came from the other end of the corridor. "Potter!" Hurried footsteps soon followed and Henry Lloyd, his senior adviser, appeared beside them. "This just came in. I need you to go down there and help Fenwick, he's already drafted in Moody and Dawlish from Auror headquarters but they need another V.H. down there, immediately."
James nodded, taking the scrap of parchment and scanning it quickly. "Right, I'll get down there now." He stuffed the scrap of parchment in his pocket and looked towards Sirius. "I'll see you later, mate." Sirius grunted in reply as James walked away promptly leaving him and Henry in a deserted corridor.
"He's going to make a bloody good Vampire Hunter one of these days," Henry muttered to himself, pushing through a pair of double doors to Sirius's left.
--
The wind whipped wildly around James's face, throwing up his robes and hair in all directions. He cursed. It wasn't that he wasn't used to particularly windy situations, having been on the Gryffindor Quidditch team for five years he had had his fair share of turbulent games, it was the fact that he and several other Ministry personnel were having to carry out a hunt in the poorest weather conditions. It was with out a doubt a disaster waiting to happen.
Conley Fenwick was awaiting his arrival with impatience. His mouth was set grimly adding to the severity of his looks- the chiselled jaw and nose and near enough straight, dark brows. His companions were talking quietly to each other, rearranging their cloaks and fingering their wands as if expecting trouble. "Potter, good you're here." Conley said, sharply. "According to eye witnesses there's been some vampire activity around this area of late and we need to get to the source of the problem."
"And we better do it quick," growled an unimpressed voice from behind them. "I have better scum to be catching than vampires." Unmistakably, it was Alastor Moody considered to be one of the best Aurors the Ministry had ever hired. Conley pointedly ignored Moody and continued on with his form of attack. James was listening hard, nodding occasionally.
They would be entering the building in pairs from two different access points. Supposedly, they were meant to set up wards to stop anybody from exiting the building, near enough trapping any inhabitants. Those who gave up with out a fight were normally carted back to the Ministry for questioning; they were, after all, the ones who'd crack under pressure. They would then be sentenced to death. Those who put up more of a fight would be killed on the spot. It was the rules of the game James had decided to join.
Conley placed James with Moody, his dislike for the Auror blatantly obvious. James, however, didn't mind. Alastor was part of the Order of the Phoenix and unlike so many of the Aurors drafted in, was trusted by James.
"Haven't a clue why you lot need us to help you," Moody grunted. "More trouble then they're worth, vampires. Bloody ignorant sods at times too. Unless they're in league with the Dark Lord there is no point in us being here." They were weaving their way down the crooked alleyway by the side of the dilapidated building. A foul stench wafted on congested air.
"You know why you have to be here, Moody. If there aren't vampires in there, but Death Eaters what good's a stake and holy water going to be? We're not authorised to fight them." Moody grunted again.
"That maybe so, Potter. But both you and I know you're quite capable of dealing with Death Eaters in battle," Moody scoffed slightly, peering round the corner of the building and finding the back door with great gaping holes in the glass and put out wooden panels.
"I've had my instructions from Dumbledore," James murmured. "I'm not supposed to know how to fight Death Eaters and it'll stay that way thank you, Moody. At least in the public face of it all." Moody pushed the door open and muttered 'lumos'; the end of his wand produced a thin beam of light. After a sweep of the narrow passage Moody took a step into the building, James closely following, dark eyes sweeping the run-down interior. Old, yellowed wallpaper was peeling and giant chunks of what looked like Muggle plaster littered the floor.
Moody looked at the wall as if it were one of his suspects, then his eyes trailed down to the floor. "We can cast a ward on this wall, I'm almost positive it goes down right into the basement. It should travel along all right," Moody's voice was barely audible, yet James nodded all the same.
Alastor tapped the wall three times muttering a series of Latin spells under his breath. The wall rippled with a light yellow haze, gradually travelling in all directions. James had his wand out, listening intently for any sound of movement from any other rooms. Nothing.
Alastor nodded slightly, happy with the ward he had initiated. He turned slightly to face James. "Cast a heat seeking spell would you, Potter, that should narrow down who we're dealing wi-" There was a loud crash from down below which was quickly followed by a torturously long howl of pain. Without having the faintest clue where he was going James had leapt into action, Moody following closely. He had leapt over a pile of battered furniture and into a room that could have been a kitchen at one point. Turning down another corridor he saw a set of stairs, the opening dimly lit by a half moon filtering through a tiny window.
Whatever the commotion had been, it had defiantly come from down there.
----
A/N: Coughs. So what did you think? Was James all you imagined? Or disappointing? Now do you want me to continue with the second half of this event, or would you like to return to Lilith for the next chapter? It honestly doesn't matter because what's happening is two separate events, in the mean time anyway. They shall mingle (obviously) but not quite at this point.
I apologise for the swearing, but have never come across any twenty-three year old males who don't… I have changed the rating to be precautionary; there are things in coming chapters such as graphic violence, swearing, references to sex, and right at the end, possible self-harm.
AnniePADFOOT- I always like to think that it would be a struggle being a vampire. Not that I would know anything about being a vampire, of course. cough Nothing whatsoever. Lol. Originally I was going to have one of her race helping her, but then it kind of melted away in the light of things. There aren't really that many vampires. What you saw in the club was a very intimate covern of them. The rest? Well, they tend to keep in the shadows a little more and stick to their own business.
Neurotica5684- it was my pleasure in reviewing Truths. Now that is sheer brilliance, not this thing that I seem to be writing. Pitiful attempt it is. Lol. Yes, Lilith has turned to Lord Voldemort. Mistake if ever there was one, but she's blinded by hatred towards her own race and her Sire's killer. She really had no alternative (that she could see). Thanks for your review!
Stargodess127- Eminem's okay for a rapper, not that egotistical. Mosh, Cleaning Out My Closet and Stan are my favourite songs, but I'm much more partial to Green Day, etc. I'm really sorry to hear about your senioritis, but I do hope you get some writing done at some point! Lol. Thank you for reviewing once again, it's always a pleasure to read what my readers are thinking.
Mrssjesspotter- I'm glad you agree with me on the review situation. I always, ALWAYS try and review everything I read. I feel terribly guilty if I can't (which normally happens when comes up with some 'page cannot be displayed' in the review box.) It just doesn't feel right. I was reading your bio and you're from France, how cool! I've been to France a couple of times and it's such a great country! My ideas come from the disturbance that is also known as my brain. Lol.
LilyRoseEvans/Sierra- you changed your pen name! How cool! Yes, I suppose it does leave something for the readers to look forward to. I thought it would just add a bit of suspense to the whole drama!
Brooke Monroe- it's funny, everyone seems to like the name change! I wasn't sure whether people would accept it or not, but it seems they do! Anyway, much love goes to you for reviewing!
Whatever- Am I going a bit too slow then for your liking? I understand it can be really infuriating when a writer drags the story out so much, but I hope I'm not doing that. All of the chapters I have thus far are completely necessary, I can assure you. Lilith and James will definitely meet before chapter 10, possibly in the next few chapters. Anyway, thank you for your review!
M00nmaiden-I adore your story, it's just so original! Adam's first wife? Interesting, I didn't know that! I'm not a particularly religious person. I don't think I'm worthy of the Anne Rice quality comment, she's an idol for me, but thank you anyway, it made me blush! Hope you update soon!Thanks so much, and keep up with the fantastic reviews. They encourage me to no end!
FF
P.S. If you check out my bio, there's my website you can visit. Although it's not totally finished yet, I have to fiddle around with the backgrounds! I've also added some little tid bits about Shadows Falling and Forbidden Love to my bio. Anyway, Merry Christmas to you all, hope you have a good one!
Oh, and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, July 16th!!!
