A/N: One of my first fanfics. I don't mind criticism as long as it's constructive, so review away.
"Lily, take Harry and go! It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off!"
Voices...at the door...laughter, high-pitched and maniacal as the portal exploded inward, sending fragments of wood flying everywhere. It was all happening slowly, and seemed so very far away. Unreal, like one of those Muggle movies Lily had taken him to.
Lily!
The memory--was it a memory, it seemed so real now--was a poignant one. Green light flashing all around, Lily's body descending slowly, so slowly toward the floor as baby Harry cried. More laughter.
James screamed and sat up quickly, gasping into his knees, his first glance taking in the unblemished stone that enclosed him. He looked around slowly, wondering what in Merlin's name was going on.
Pain. Red light. A cackling voice. Agony, more intense than he could even imagine. He was being dragged somewhere. Away from Lily and Harry. His limbs flailed helplessly as he tried to make it stop. Light flashed again.
He looked around again. Everything was stone, even the bed-like platform he lay upon. He jumped to his feet, but a split second later his legs crumpled beneath him like so much cloth and he lay limp on the ground with his face pressed to the floor.
He managed to pull himself up into a sitting position. What was happening?
"Lily, take Harry and go! It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off!"
What was going on?
There were voices outside the door, accompanied by a high-pitched laughter that was unmistakable. Time seemed to slow as the door exploded, pieces of wood flying everywhere.
He pushed the memories away, but only managed to hold them off for a moment before they returned in full force.
He was stunned. He must have been. He couldn't move, couldn't feel, could only watch as green light flashed and Lily fell unblemished but unmistakably dead to the floor. Harry screamed.
What was happening to him? Why was he seeing the same thing over and o--
"Lily, take Harry and go!"
"NO!" James shouted, and the images and sounds vanished like a flock of spooked sheep. He looked around for the fourth time, trying to figure out what in the world was going on here.
He beat one fist against the wall, but the sound he received was that of solid rock. Groaning, he used the stone platform to pull himself to his feet. He ached all over, like he had been lying on that thing for ten years.
Silently, he looked himself over. He was dressed in a plain gray robe, and a thin band of metal encircled each of his wrists. Obviously cursed. He needed a wand. Where was his? What had happe--
"Lily, take Harry and--"
"No!" he shouted again, this time not quite as loud, and the memory went scurrying away again. What had happened to him? He could remember nothing past the flash of green light that sent Lily to the ground. Had that even really occurred? Maybe he was just dreaming. The sound of footsteps coming from somewhere outside his enclosure convinced him that now was most definitely not the time to find out. They must have heard him shouting.
He pulled himself back onto the stone pallet, laying his arms at his sides and closing his eyes. Heart hammering in his ears, he tried to mimic the rhythm of normal breathing.
The sound of stone grating on stone tore at his ears, and he had to fight to keep his face straight as someone stepped into the chamber. He managed to crack one eye open, but could see nothing but a deeply cowled black robe.
"Ah, Potter, if only you could see yourself now," chuckled a vaguely familiar voice. It whispered an ominous-sounding incantation and James heard the swish of a wand through the air.
"Lily, take Harry and go! It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off!"
This time, the memories could not be resisted.
