Retrieval Failure

Chapter 4:

Summary:

James Potter and Lily Evans are young, in love and soon to be married. Life is, for want of a better word, peachy. But the profession of Aurors is a dangerous treacherous business as James finds out to his disadvantage when he witnesses a Dark Matter he really shouldn't have. Instead of killing him, Voldemort deals his enemy an even crueller blow … by erasing his memory. James has no recollection of his life long friends, his beautiful fiancé or, most importantly, what it was he witnessed. It really is a complete retrieval failure …

A/N: Hey everyone, thanks for all the reviews, trying to update as quick as I can – I know how you guys hate my cliff hangers when I don't resolve them  If you like this chappie please review as they buoy me up immensely. Imitates being levitated off the floor a good six inches at the masses of reviews.

Lily sat at the kitchen table, staring blankly at her toast. The butter had sunk straight through and was dripping on to the plate because she had let it for so long after the toaster. Her tea remained stone cold in front of her as she stirred it with her mind elsewhere.

James was late. More than late. In fact, he had never been this late before without a damn good explanation and it was making her angry. What business did he have proposing to her and then leaving her on her own for a long time? And yet at the same time, Lily experienced a sense of foreboding. She had the slightest niggle in her mind that was slyly telling her that something was wrong. James had actually never been this late before. And whilst thinking this, if something wasn't wrong at all, she thought that she was going to beat him over the head with the spatula on the sideboard.

Suddenly a sound from the living room made her jump. She leapt to her feet and hurried into through the door, stopping short just of the fireplace. Sirius's head was sitting in the emerald flames, looking extremely worried. She knelt down by the fire place.

"What's wrong?" she asked him immediately. "Is it about James?" she added anxiously.

Sirius blinked. "Lily, you need to get dressed and Apparate to the office, right away," he said in a low tone.

"Why? What on earth is the matter?" she said, her voice becoming louder.

"Lily, please, just come into the Ministry and Dumbledore will explain everything."

But Sirius was scaring her now. "Sirius, what is going on? Why won't you tell me?"

But he shook his dark head and was gone with a sudden pop. All thoughts of breakfast abandoned, she raced up the stairs, threw on some old crumpled clothes, and Apparated as fast as magic would allow her to.

Sirius drew himself up from the fire. "I told her," he said. "She'll be here in a few minutes."

Dumbledore nodded. "I'm going to wait until she's here until I tell you all formally, but it should be known that we have a potential crisis on our hands here, and I ask everyone to remain as calm and as vigilant as they can."

Remus paced the length of the office whilst Wormtail sat motionless in one of the empty chairs by the window, chewing his thumbs. Also present were Kingsley Shaklebolt and Gideon and Fabian Prewett; brothers who also in the Auror Squad.

Lily arrived quickly throwing the door open, her face red, her hair flying vibrantly and her clothes hanging off her in a most untidy fashion. "I'm here, I'm here, what's happened?" she said urgently.

Dumbledore straightened up and cleared his throat. "Now everyone is here, it is with deepest regret that I have to tell you that ten minutes ago we received a cryptic message from one of Voldemort's Death Eaters referring to an incident in the old house on the hill where James Potter was supposed to be carrying out undercover work last night. The message implied that James was found by Voldemort and his followers."

At the sharp intake of breath from everyone in the room, Lily put her hand over her mouth and Sirius swore.

"Now as it is a very dangerous situation, we cannot move into the house until we have a proper Auror team assembled; it is very possible that Death Eaters may still be there. However, it is also possible that James is there too. Therefore, I have decided that we are to move in. I shall have the Minister mobilize a team right away, and I will ask Lily and Sirius to accompany us. We must move as quickly as possible. Is that understood?"

Lily nodded, her face white. Sirius put a shaking hand on her shoulder.

Remus stood up. "What do you want me to do?" he asked shakily.

"I need someone I can trust to remain behind here at HQ in case any further messages are relayed by Voldemort or in case you receive any updates that we need to be aware of."

"All right," said Remus. He looked at Wormtail. "Peter, you can help me." And they disappeared into a side room.

Dumbledore moved off swiftly to organise what needed to be done, and Lily sat down before she fell. Sirius stood in front of her.

"He'll be all right, Lils. I know he will," he said, though his tone appeared much more convincing than he actually felt inside.

Lily looked up fretfully. "But what if he isn't? What if he isn't even there?" she whispered. "What if they got him!"

Sirius shook his head, and repeated, "He will be all right."

The morning air contained a bitter chill as Lily, Sirius and the rest of the Auror squad traipsed hurriedly up the hill to the old house. Lily's feet slipped in the morning dew as she scrambled to get there first.

As they reached the top of the hill, the leader of the squad, Fabian Prewett, threw out an arm. "Hold!" he whispered, and the Aurors formed a line to surround the house. Lily knew this procedure but was too anxious to follow it directly for fear of James not being all right. Sirius too looked as though he were on a different planet.

They neared the door, and Fabian stood up right and took out his wand.

"Bindeus!" he muttered, and out of the end of his wand shot a shimmering purple haze; a charm which served as a barrier in case any Death Eaters inside attempted to escape. To passers by it may have appeared a very impressive bit of magic, but to Aurors, it was standard protocol.

"V formation, move cautiously!" hissed another Auror, one whom Lily was not on first name terms with.

They moved forwards quickly and quietly and were soon at the entrance of the house.

"Scour Combicus!" muttered Sirius, and this time, a red beam shot from his wand and through the door. It swirled around the room and swiftly out again, then shot straight back up Sirius's wand.

Lily looked sideways at him.

"It means there's no Death Eaters in there," he clarified. "Dumbledore taught me last week."

"Come on, team, let's move in," said Fabian and one by one, they filed in.

Eyes adjusting to the darkness, they saw the dingy hall area; their eyes lingered over the collapsed staircase revealing a great chasm in the middle of the floor. They searched down within it, all the rooms upstairs and down, they even tried a Locator Spell. But some part of Lily knew, even as she checked the same room for the fifth time, that they wouldn't find him here. James was gone.

A/N: Please REVIEW! OMG THE 6TH BOOK! SO SAD! GET READING!