Chapter 30 The Siege
The Death Eaters swarmed into the party, and the screams from their first victims sounded throughout the room as the attacks began. Lily gradually became aware that someone was tugging at her arm and snapped out of her stupor.
"Lily, come on!" James was near frantic. "Quick!" he added as Lily began to move with him. Hand in hand, they began to battle the panicked crowd, heading for the corner where they had left their friends. But most of the candles had been extinguished again, and it was slow going in the near-darkness, fighting the throng.
James had never felt worse in his life; he was terrified for himself, his parents, his friends, and for Lily, maybe for her most of all. But he was basically powerless to do anything about any of it, and that was almost as frightening as the bloodcurdling screams coming from the other end of the room.
Glancing frantically round for any sign of his parents, James wasn't watching where he was going very carefully. Suddenly he collided head on with something in front of him, the impact knocking him to the floor and wrenching his hand from Lily's as she fell too. Jumping to his feet, James drew his wand as quickly as he could, adrenaline and fear coursing through him.
"James?" A familiar voice asked disbelievingly. James peered through the gloom at the figure still standing in front of him.
"Sirius?" he finally exclaimed, incredulous. "Thank Merlin! Have you seen my parents? Where're Peter and Remus and everyone?"
"I left Peter and Remus back there with the others," Sirius informed James. "I came to look for you."
"My parents?" James repeated, relieved that his friends were all right for the moment. "Have you seen them?"
"No," Sirius admitted. "But they're used to taking care of themselves. They'll be all right, mate," he added comfortingly, giving James' shoulder a brief squeeze. "Where's Lily?" Sirius asked then, looking round.
James felt his blood run cold in his veins. "Sh - she was just here," he managed weakly, looking frantically round him. "Lily? LILY!" he called, his voice rising sharply in panic.
"Prongs." James felt two steadying hands on his shoulders and looked wildly at his best mate. "We'll find her," Sirius said levelly, "the important thing is Not. To. Panic," he emphasized.
Taking a deep breath, James willed himself into some semblance of calm. He didn't have time to panic when his girlfriend was missing in the midst of a Death Eater attack.
* * *
Lily had lost her hold on James' hand when they both fell to the floor. Unharmed, she had rolled out of James' way only to be stepped on by a panicked guest, which had knocked the breath out of her. The next thing she had known, she was flying across the room, slamming into a wall.
Dazed and reeling from the searing pain of first her fall then her unexpected flight, Lily looked up to see a black-robed, masked Death Eater standing over her, grinning like a jack o' lantern in the flickering light.
Hold on, Lily thought in surprise, feeling a flash of deja vu. She knew that catlike grin, had seen those psychotic eyes before with just that expression.
It was Bellatrix Black.
* * *
James and Sirius made their way through the crowds once more, wands drawn. The Death Eaters had gained ground; the screams were much closer now. James ans Sirius were barely on the outskirts of the fighting anymore; soon the Death Eaters would reach them.
Out of the corner of his eye, James saw a fleeing woman tumble to the floor, a hooded figure closing in on her. "Stupefy!" he bellowed without thinking and watched the figure fall.
"Nice one," Sirius was admiring.
"Have you seen her?" James asked anxiously, ignoring his mate's compliment.
"Not yet," Sirius wasn't quite as calm and confident anymore. In fact, he seemed close to hysteria himself. "But she's got to be here somewhere."
"Sirius, we have to find Lily!" The note of panic had crept back into James' voice. "If it's dangerous for us it's a hundred times worse for her! If anything happens to her, I - "
"Don't say it," Sirius cut him off sharply. "Don't even think it. This is us we're talking about here, the bloody best of the infamous Marauders. We WILL find her!"
Taking a deep breath, James headed once more for the back corner of the room.
* * *
Realizing that she was in fact facing her enemy lit a fire under Lily. Determined, she struggled to her feet despite the pain and drew her wand, meaning business this time.
"Time to meet your fate, Mudblood," Bellatrix hissed triumphantly, advancing.
"Is that you, Black?" Lily feigned surprise, a hard edge to her voice. "I don't know why I should be so shocked, really. About this Death Eater thing, I mean. After all, you've got the right mixture of cowardice and insanity."
Bellatrix's eyes flashed, but for once she remained calm. "Curious, Evans," she purred, inching forward. "That's just what that bitch Alice's parents said. About the cowardice, I mean," Bellatrix lowered her voice, gloating. "That's what they said before I killed them, but I think they just may have changed their minds at the very end."
Lily felt the color drain from her face. She clenched her hands, willing herself to stay calm; she had to be calm if she was going to survive this. But suddenly a wave of pure rage washed over her. Without thinking anymore about it, Lily hurled an incantation at Bellatrix, slamming her back into the nearest wall.
Shrieking her fury, Bellatrix moved swiftly forward, screeching her own incantation as she waved her wand at a tray of glasses. "Iaculo!"
Lily covered her face as the glasses shattered against the wall behind her, spraying her with shards.
"Impedimenta!" she tried, but Bellatrix only staggered slightly, cackling in triumph.
"Is that your best, Mudblood?" she sneered. Doesn't speak too highly for sainted Dumbledore, now does it?"
"Accio!" Lily pointed her wand at the rug under Bellatrix's feet. Bellatriz went flying, and the rug skidded to a neat halt at Lily's feet.
"Cute, Mudblood," Bellatrix was on her feet again, her voice deadly in its calm. "Let's see how your juvenile little tricks measure up against this. Crucio!" she said almost lazily.
Suddenly Lily's veins were on fire, the most intense pain she had ever felt in her life coursing through her body. She may have screamed, she didn't know. All she knew was the pain.
After what seemed like an eternity, the pain stopped and Lily rolled over weakly, her mind reeling, her body battered. She closed her eyes, afraid that she might be sick.
"Did you enjoy that, Evans?" Bellatrix taunted, avidly taking in all the signs of Lily's suffering. "Fancy a bit more?"
Lily's thoughts whirled in her head, desperately trying to decide what was best to do, how she could survive. Her limbs screaming with the effort, Lily raised her wand, pointing it at the nearby candles. "Nox," she whispered. The candles flickered, then died, plunging their corner of the room into darkness. Knowing that her advantage would last only a second or two, Lily scrambled to her hands and knees and crawled as fast as she could toward the little antechamber off the ballroom, staying close to the wall for support. Reaching the room, Lily crouched by the door, listening.
"No fair, Mudblood," Bellatrix suddenly filled the door, pouting like a disappointed child. "Still, what more can you expect of your filthy kind? You crawl away in the darkness like the contemptible weakling you are rather than stand and face your attacker."
"Takes one to know one," Lily managed to smile grimly.
"Iaculo!" Bellatrix spat in response, hurtling Lily into the opposite wall. She landed with a sickening thud, the wind knocked from her.
As Bellatrix advanced, prowling forward like a cat moving in for the kill, Lily tried to force herself to rise to at least her knees, but couldn't quite.
"I'm getting bored," Bellatrix explained calmly, her smile bloodcurdling in its jubilation. "It's no fun to play with things when they're broken. Any last words, Mudblood?"
"Yes," Lily managed to say in a somewhat even voice. "Romprio!" she bellowed, pointing her wand at the chandelier above. The rope severed obediently, dropping the chandelier right where Lily had intended, on top of Bellatrix.
Crawling out of the mess, Lily leaned against the wall and pulled herself, panting, to a standing position and surveyed the damage. Bellatrix had apparently been knocked out cold by the impact; she lay motionless under the brass frame and broken candles.
Lily was amazed; she never would have guessed that the chandelier would have rendered Bellatrix unconscious. This was a small room with a necessarily small chandelier; it was barely a quarter of the size of the enormous ones in the main ballroom. Lily had severed the rope to buy herself some time, to prevent Bellatrix from using the Killing Curse on her and maybe take her by surprise a bit, giving Lily a modicum of an advantage. But it was over. Lily had won, however narrowly. And Lily began to shake as she considered just how narrow that escape had actually been.
"It was in here, Sirius! Someone brought down the chandelier.......Lily!" a familiar voice exclaimed. In a daze, Lily watched as James crossed the room and tensed with pain as he enveloped her in a huge hug, squeezing her painfully battered body. "Thank Merlin you're all right! What happened?"
Lily took a deep breath and opened her mouth to tell him, but all that came out was a strangled "Ow!" James jumped back, looking horrified. As he slowly took in the fallen chandelier with the crumpled, black clad body under it and Lily's pale, shaken, pain-filled face crisscrossed with tiny lacerations from the broken glass, his face slowly drained of all color.
"Lily," James said in a quieter, more urgent tone. "You have to tell me what happened. Who is that? Are you ok?"
"Prongs!" Sirius had entered the room now. "I think it's gotten worse out there. There're more of them now, and our side is losing fast. We've got to get out of here - Lily!" Sirius noticed that James wasn't alone for the first time. "We've been looking everywhere for you! Come on, we've got to - " Sirius stopped abruptly as he saw the body on the floor and got a better look at Lily and James' faces. "What happened?" he asked, his face as solemn and tense as theirs now.
"It - that's Bellatrix," Lily managed, forcing the quiver out of her voice. "She came after me, and I won. Just barely," she added, grimacing as she wiped at a trickle of blood that had been making its way down her face.
Sirius and James digested this information silently. "Can you walk?" James asked finally. He looked positively sick.
"Yes," Lily forced her voice to be matter-of-fact, even though the very idea of walking caused the bile to rise to her throat again. "I'll manage."
James and Sirius eyed her skeptically, but just as James opened his mouth, Sirius began to speak. "I'll go and find the others," he said briskly, shooting James a look. "Why don't the pair of you wait here for us and then Morwenna can show us the quickest way out?"
With that, Sirius hurried out of the room, casting one more worried glance over his shoulder.
"Lily, tell me what happened," James asked again, and Lily slowly told him about her confrontation with Bellatrix, James interrupting her occasionally to ask questions.
"What about you? Are you all right?" Lily studied James, who waved away her concern impatiently.
"I'm fine," he replied firmly. "It's you I'm worried about."
"What's going on now?" Lily asked worriedly. "Have the Death Eaters gone?"
"Er - " James hesitated, not sure how to tell her. "It's actually gotten a bit worse," he admitted finally. "More have shown up. It's not like a typical attack for them; there are people here who are fighting back."
"James - " Lily hesitated. "Mr and Mrs Prewett are dead. Bellatrix killed them; she told me."
"Morwenna's mum and dad too," James sighed heavily. "Sirius and I saw them. We went all round the room looking for you, and we were helping where we could, but there were just too many, and the Marchbankses were already dead by the time we saw them. Killing Curse, I think," he added quietly.
Lily and James stood silently for a few seconds, James holding Lily more carefully this time, as they listened to the sounds of the attack, the screaming and wailing and shouted incantations, coming from outside the room.
"We've got to help them!" Lily said desperately.
"No!" James exclaimed. "We've got to get you out of here! You're in no condition to fight anyone, let alone Death Eaters who are hell-bent on killing you."
"I can't just listen to it," Lily's voice shook.
"We'll get out of here and find help," James said firmly. "That's the best thing we can do, or that's what my mum and dad have always told me, at any rate," he finished sadly. "Get yourself out."
Remembering his parents, Lily felt a pang of guilt. But before she could say anything, the sound of the door opening distracted them both.
Turning, Lily and James expected to see Sirius slipping back into the room, hopefully with their friends and James' parents in tow. But it wasn't.
Lily and James found themselves staring instead into the fathomless eyes of Lord Voldemort himself.
* * *
"What have we here?" Voldemort taunted in a high, cold voice, his amused, malicious eyes looking from one to the other. "Hiding, are we? That's not very courageous, is it now?" he chided. Lily felt the chills run up and down her back. What now?
James turned to face Voldemort fully, wand pointed firmly at the Dark Lord, his face unwavering. He tried to keep Lily behind him, praying that Voldemort wouldn't know who she was and that he would see and be distracted by the unconscious form under the chandelier.
Voldemort's eyes flicked to and finally settled on James. "You're the Potter boy," he said slowly, his smile widening. "Your dear parents have caused me no inconsiderable amount of annoyance, boy. It gives me great pleasure to contemplate how devastated they will be to learn of the death of their only son." Lily and James watched in fascinated horror as he raised his wand and opened his mouth.
"Expelliarmus!" Lily shouted with all her might, and watched in shock as Voldemort's wand soared neatly through the air and into her hand; Lily nearly dropped it in surprise.
"Well done," there was a note of amusement and something that might have been surprise in that chilling voice now. "But you see,"' Voldemort went on, still seemingly entertained, his voice taking on a mocking note, "you haven't even remotely inconvenienced me."
Voldemort waved his arm, and Lily suddenly found herself spinning at a dizzying speed in midair, high above the floor.
"Lesson one," Voldemort continued his taunting. "Not all magic begins and ends with a wand. Now," Voldemort lowered Lily and slowed the speed of her spinning, "shall we move on to lesson two?"
Lily stared coolly back at Voldemort, then felt the invisible force that was spinning her move her higher and higher into the air until it suddenly let go and Lily dropped back to earth with a resounding thud.
"Lily!" James exclaimed, unable to keep quiet any longer. He moved to where Lily had fallen, helping her to her feet.
"Lily?" Voldemort inquired, his eyes sharpening. "As in Lily Evans, the Mudblood Dumbledore holds in such high esteem? You have made bitter enemies, Mudblood," Voldemort hissed, summoning his wand back to him with a mere flick of his fingers. "Bitter enemies who mean to send you back to the filthy hell you came from in pieces."
James' hand tightened on Lily's arm, a silent signal. Not sure what exactly he meant to do, Lily tensed her body, preparing to run or give a hand or do whatever was necessary to ensure that they lived through this encounter.
"Perhaps I shouldn't deny them the pleasure," Voldemort mused. "But then," he smiled mirthlessly, "why should I deny myself the pleasure either?" He raised his wand once more.
"One of my 'bitter enemies' already tried to have the pleasure," Lily retorted disdainfully. "But as you can see," she gestured to Bellatrix's still-unconscious form, " the pleasure was all mine in the end."
An odd expression passed over the Dark Lord's face as his eyes raked over the prostrate figure on the floor, searching for signs of life.
This was all the opportunity James needed. "Conjunctio!" he cried, sending a well-aimed Conjunctivitis Curse into Voldemort's eyes, effectively blinding him. Wasting no time, James grabbed Lily's hand and practically dragged her into the main ballroom. James slammed the door shut behind them and quickly uttered the incantation for the best Sealing Charm he knew, which would of course be nothing but a minor irritation to Voldemort, but it would buy them a few seconds at least.
"James!" Sirius exclaimed, and Lily and James turned to see Sirius leading Frank, Alice, Peter, Morwenna, and Dorcas toward them.
"There's no time!" James shouted back frantically, motioning his friends away with his free hand. "Just bloody well run! We have to get out of here NOW!"
Not needing any further encouragement, the seventh years followed Morwenna across the ballroom, allowing her to lead them to the best escape route.
But it was too late. The Death Eaters had spotted them. Every Death Eater within hearing distance had abandoned their current victim and was making their way toward them. James glanced round wildly and realized with a start that they were some of the few left standing in the room.
Rapidly the Gryffindors formed a circle, ensuring that none of the Death Eaters would be able to sneak up behind them and faced forward, wands drawn. Morwenna gave a little sob and Sirius growled low in his throat as they approached, coming closer and closer -
Lily had to choke back her own sobs as she watched them coming. There were so many of them. Lily couldn't make out too many faces underneath the masks, but she was almost certain she saw Lestrange and Avery among them.
Next too her, James gripped Lily's hand and gave it a quick squeeze, which Lily returned. There was some comfort in knowing that she would die with James beside her and her friends around her. At least she wasn't facing this alone.
* * *
James watched the Death Eaters come with the knowledge that there was nothing he could do to stop them, and he was filled with an impotent fury. He reached for Lily's hand and squeezed it, feeling his heart swell in his chest and the familiar flip-flop in his stomach as she returned it. He wished he could have told her that he loved her before they died. It was only a small comfort that they would die together; whatever the poets said, there was nothing romantic about dying young. James would have preferred living to a ripe old age any day. His one consolation was that he'd be able to take some of these Death Eaters with him.
Suddenly Voldemort was there, and Bellatrix with him, looking indescribably excited by the scene in front of her. Voldemort laughed, causing the hackles to rise on the backs of the Gryffindors' necks.
"Kill them," he hissed, remarkably snakelike, "but leave the red haired girl alive."
Murmuring excitedly, the Death Eaters advanced with a bit more speed.
BANG!
The sound of the ballroom's main doors opening on one end of the room distracted everyone, and Lily could have sobbed with relief when she saw the Aurors filing down the stairs, wands drawn.
The ballroom was filled with the sounds of battle once more, but this time it was a bit more evenly matched, with as many Death Eaters as Aurors falling to the floor.
"Don't just stand there," a gruff voice near Lily's ear said. "let's get you lot out of here."
Lily looked up to see Mad Eye Moody, looking gravely back down at her. He and two other Aurors she didn't know were rounding up the remaining survivors, preparing to get them out.
"Miss Marchbanks," Moody barked, making Morwenna jump. "Which is the quickest way out of the house?"
"I - I'll show you," Morwenna stammered, wiping her eyes and trying to compose herself. "This way!" she said with a bit more authority, running the rest of the way across the room. The others followed her hastily, almost desperate to get out of the ballroom.
Outside were several more survivors, many being attended to by Healers. Lily watched as James, Sirius, Alice, Frank, and Morwenna began to scan the crowd for their families, hating the certainty that at least two of them wouldn't find them.
"James!" A voice called across the crowd, and James looked round, his whole face lighting up at the sight of both of his parents standing near the edge of the lawn. Grabbing hold of Lily's hand and nudging Sirius, James dashed across the grass, dragging Lily behind him with Sirius at her heels. Once he reached his parents, James was immediately enveloped in simultaneous hugs while Sirius and Lily stood back, grinning. Her face tear-streaked, Mrs Potter pulled Sirius and Lily both forward, and it was some seconds before Lily stood back again to watch the Potters question James and Sirius with a thoroughness worthy of her own parents.
Looking round, the smile on Lily's face faded away when she saw Alice standing with her brothers, her face frozen in horror, and Morwenna hugging her gran, her face crumpled in grief. Reality came crashing back on Lily; her entire body throbbed painfully, and she felt sick and exhausted and more than anything in her life she just wanted to go home to her own mum and dad.
"Here, dear," Lily looked round at the kindly face of one of the Healers. "Let's see what's wrong with you." She began to examine Lily's various cuts and scrapes.
James hurried over to Lily, the others close behind him, his face clouded with worry.
"She'll be just fine," the Healer said to the assembled crowd, "but I think she ought to go to St Mungo's just to make sure." With that, the Healer conjured a stretcher and pushed Lily onto it.
'No!" Lily exclaimed. "I'm all right, honestly. I just want to go home."
"Where's home, exactly?" the Healer seemed skeptical, and when Lily gave her address she shook her head.
"Muggle born, are you?" she asked knowingly, and Lily nodded. "I'm sorry dear, but I have strict orders not to let any of the victims go into Muggle London until further notice. We can't create an uproar and risk exposing ourselves to the Muggles, and besides, I really think you ought to go to St Mungo's."
"We can take her," James protested, putting an arm protectively round Lily.
"You could, but they aren't allowing any visitors at the moment for security reasons," the Healer was apologetic.
James looked as though he were about to argue, but Lily put a hand on his shoulder. "It's all right, James. You should wait here to hear from Remus and Kathleen anyway," she said reassuringly. "Could somebody send an owl to my parents?"
"Of course," said Mrs Potter warmly, her eyes still full of tears. "I expect we'll see you in a few hours then."
After several minutes of goodbyes, Lily finally found herself in the ambulance with several others, speeding toward St Mungo's with a speed that put the Knight Bus to shame. Closing her eyes in exhaustion, Lily prayed that Remus and Kathleen had gotten out safely and that the Aurors had somehow managed to corner Voldemort before he got away.
Voldemort. Lily shuddered at the thought of him but couldn't help remembering in spite of herself. His high, cold voice, his mocking words, his astonishing wandless magic and his suppressed jubilation at all the suffering around him.
But I made it, Lily tolde herself firmly. James and I both did. We made it together.
Somehow, as many times as she told herself this, Lily couldn't avoid the gut-wrenching feeling in the pit of her stomach that this was not the last time she would face the Dark Lord.
* * *
Author's Note:
Yikes! Who knew people would be so upset about the cliffhanger? Again, I really am sorry about that; I simply didn't have time to write anymore and I felt the chapter should end there anyway. But I'm sorry for causing anxiety; this was a fairly quick update though at least, right?
Thanks for all of the reviews, everyone, I really do appreciate them! It's great to know that people are reading/ enjoying my story. And just because I know I'll probably get questions about it, let me just say don't fear the worst for Remus and Kathleen (hint, hint). Sorry if you didn't want to hear that = )
And, Iloveanimals, to answer your question, I'm nineteen years old. I don't know whether or not that qualifies as "really old" in your book, but I hope it comforts rather than depresses you.
Anyways, an update is coming soon, and it'll hopefully be a bit lighter than this chapter (sorry it was so depressing, by the way). In the meantime, don't forget to review!
The Death Eaters swarmed into the party, and the screams from their first victims sounded throughout the room as the attacks began. Lily gradually became aware that someone was tugging at her arm and snapped out of her stupor.
"Lily, come on!" James was near frantic. "Quick!" he added as Lily began to move with him. Hand in hand, they began to battle the panicked crowd, heading for the corner where they had left their friends. But most of the candles had been extinguished again, and it was slow going in the near-darkness, fighting the throng.
James had never felt worse in his life; he was terrified for himself, his parents, his friends, and for Lily, maybe for her most of all. But he was basically powerless to do anything about any of it, and that was almost as frightening as the bloodcurdling screams coming from the other end of the room.
Glancing frantically round for any sign of his parents, James wasn't watching where he was going very carefully. Suddenly he collided head on with something in front of him, the impact knocking him to the floor and wrenching his hand from Lily's as she fell too. Jumping to his feet, James drew his wand as quickly as he could, adrenaline and fear coursing through him.
"James?" A familiar voice asked disbelievingly. James peered through the gloom at the figure still standing in front of him.
"Sirius?" he finally exclaimed, incredulous. "Thank Merlin! Have you seen my parents? Where're Peter and Remus and everyone?"
"I left Peter and Remus back there with the others," Sirius informed James. "I came to look for you."
"My parents?" James repeated, relieved that his friends were all right for the moment. "Have you seen them?"
"No," Sirius admitted. "But they're used to taking care of themselves. They'll be all right, mate," he added comfortingly, giving James' shoulder a brief squeeze. "Where's Lily?" Sirius asked then, looking round.
James felt his blood run cold in his veins. "Sh - she was just here," he managed weakly, looking frantically round him. "Lily? LILY!" he called, his voice rising sharply in panic.
"Prongs." James felt two steadying hands on his shoulders and looked wildly at his best mate. "We'll find her," Sirius said levelly, "the important thing is Not. To. Panic," he emphasized.
Taking a deep breath, James willed himself into some semblance of calm. He didn't have time to panic when his girlfriend was missing in the midst of a Death Eater attack.
* * *
Lily had lost her hold on James' hand when they both fell to the floor. Unharmed, she had rolled out of James' way only to be stepped on by a panicked guest, which had knocked the breath out of her. The next thing she had known, she was flying across the room, slamming into a wall.
Dazed and reeling from the searing pain of first her fall then her unexpected flight, Lily looked up to see a black-robed, masked Death Eater standing over her, grinning like a jack o' lantern in the flickering light.
Hold on, Lily thought in surprise, feeling a flash of deja vu. She knew that catlike grin, had seen those psychotic eyes before with just that expression.
It was Bellatrix Black.
* * *
James and Sirius made their way through the crowds once more, wands drawn. The Death Eaters had gained ground; the screams were much closer now. James ans Sirius were barely on the outskirts of the fighting anymore; soon the Death Eaters would reach them.
Out of the corner of his eye, James saw a fleeing woman tumble to the floor, a hooded figure closing in on her. "Stupefy!" he bellowed without thinking and watched the figure fall.
"Nice one," Sirius was admiring.
"Have you seen her?" James asked anxiously, ignoring his mate's compliment.
"Not yet," Sirius wasn't quite as calm and confident anymore. In fact, he seemed close to hysteria himself. "But she's got to be here somewhere."
"Sirius, we have to find Lily!" The note of panic had crept back into James' voice. "If it's dangerous for us it's a hundred times worse for her! If anything happens to her, I - "
"Don't say it," Sirius cut him off sharply. "Don't even think it. This is us we're talking about here, the bloody best of the infamous Marauders. We WILL find her!"
Taking a deep breath, James headed once more for the back corner of the room.
* * *
Realizing that she was in fact facing her enemy lit a fire under Lily. Determined, she struggled to her feet despite the pain and drew her wand, meaning business this time.
"Time to meet your fate, Mudblood," Bellatrix hissed triumphantly, advancing.
"Is that you, Black?" Lily feigned surprise, a hard edge to her voice. "I don't know why I should be so shocked, really. About this Death Eater thing, I mean. After all, you've got the right mixture of cowardice and insanity."
Bellatrix's eyes flashed, but for once she remained calm. "Curious, Evans," she purred, inching forward. "That's just what that bitch Alice's parents said. About the cowardice, I mean," Bellatrix lowered her voice, gloating. "That's what they said before I killed them, but I think they just may have changed their minds at the very end."
Lily felt the color drain from her face. She clenched her hands, willing herself to stay calm; she had to be calm if she was going to survive this. But suddenly a wave of pure rage washed over her. Without thinking anymore about it, Lily hurled an incantation at Bellatrix, slamming her back into the nearest wall.
Shrieking her fury, Bellatrix moved swiftly forward, screeching her own incantation as she waved her wand at a tray of glasses. "Iaculo!"
Lily covered her face as the glasses shattered against the wall behind her, spraying her with shards.
"Impedimenta!" she tried, but Bellatrix only staggered slightly, cackling in triumph.
"Is that your best, Mudblood?" she sneered. Doesn't speak too highly for sainted Dumbledore, now does it?"
"Accio!" Lily pointed her wand at the rug under Bellatrix's feet. Bellatriz went flying, and the rug skidded to a neat halt at Lily's feet.
"Cute, Mudblood," Bellatrix was on her feet again, her voice deadly in its calm. "Let's see how your juvenile little tricks measure up against this. Crucio!" she said almost lazily.
Suddenly Lily's veins were on fire, the most intense pain she had ever felt in her life coursing through her body. She may have screamed, she didn't know. All she knew was the pain.
After what seemed like an eternity, the pain stopped and Lily rolled over weakly, her mind reeling, her body battered. She closed her eyes, afraid that she might be sick.
"Did you enjoy that, Evans?" Bellatrix taunted, avidly taking in all the signs of Lily's suffering. "Fancy a bit more?"
Lily's thoughts whirled in her head, desperately trying to decide what was best to do, how she could survive. Her limbs screaming with the effort, Lily raised her wand, pointing it at the nearby candles. "Nox," she whispered. The candles flickered, then died, plunging their corner of the room into darkness. Knowing that her advantage would last only a second or two, Lily scrambled to her hands and knees and crawled as fast as she could toward the little antechamber off the ballroom, staying close to the wall for support. Reaching the room, Lily crouched by the door, listening.
"No fair, Mudblood," Bellatrix suddenly filled the door, pouting like a disappointed child. "Still, what more can you expect of your filthy kind? You crawl away in the darkness like the contemptible weakling you are rather than stand and face your attacker."
"Takes one to know one," Lily managed to smile grimly.
"Iaculo!" Bellatrix spat in response, hurtling Lily into the opposite wall. She landed with a sickening thud, the wind knocked from her.
As Bellatrix advanced, prowling forward like a cat moving in for the kill, Lily tried to force herself to rise to at least her knees, but couldn't quite.
"I'm getting bored," Bellatrix explained calmly, her smile bloodcurdling in its jubilation. "It's no fun to play with things when they're broken. Any last words, Mudblood?"
"Yes," Lily managed to say in a somewhat even voice. "Romprio!" she bellowed, pointing her wand at the chandelier above. The rope severed obediently, dropping the chandelier right where Lily had intended, on top of Bellatrix.
Crawling out of the mess, Lily leaned against the wall and pulled herself, panting, to a standing position and surveyed the damage. Bellatrix had apparently been knocked out cold by the impact; she lay motionless under the brass frame and broken candles.
Lily was amazed; she never would have guessed that the chandelier would have rendered Bellatrix unconscious. This was a small room with a necessarily small chandelier; it was barely a quarter of the size of the enormous ones in the main ballroom. Lily had severed the rope to buy herself some time, to prevent Bellatrix from using the Killing Curse on her and maybe take her by surprise a bit, giving Lily a modicum of an advantage. But it was over. Lily had won, however narrowly. And Lily began to shake as she considered just how narrow that escape had actually been.
"It was in here, Sirius! Someone brought down the chandelier.......Lily!" a familiar voice exclaimed. In a daze, Lily watched as James crossed the room and tensed with pain as he enveloped her in a huge hug, squeezing her painfully battered body. "Thank Merlin you're all right! What happened?"
Lily took a deep breath and opened her mouth to tell him, but all that came out was a strangled "Ow!" James jumped back, looking horrified. As he slowly took in the fallen chandelier with the crumpled, black clad body under it and Lily's pale, shaken, pain-filled face crisscrossed with tiny lacerations from the broken glass, his face slowly drained of all color.
"Lily," James said in a quieter, more urgent tone. "You have to tell me what happened. Who is that? Are you ok?"
"Prongs!" Sirius had entered the room now. "I think it's gotten worse out there. There're more of them now, and our side is losing fast. We've got to get out of here - Lily!" Sirius noticed that James wasn't alone for the first time. "We've been looking everywhere for you! Come on, we've got to - " Sirius stopped abruptly as he saw the body on the floor and got a better look at Lily and James' faces. "What happened?" he asked, his face as solemn and tense as theirs now.
"It - that's Bellatrix," Lily managed, forcing the quiver out of her voice. "She came after me, and I won. Just barely," she added, grimacing as she wiped at a trickle of blood that had been making its way down her face.
Sirius and James digested this information silently. "Can you walk?" James asked finally. He looked positively sick.
"Yes," Lily forced her voice to be matter-of-fact, even though the very idea of walking caused the bile to rise to her throat again. "I'll manage."
James and Sirius eyed her skeptically, but just as James opened his mouth, Sirius began to speak. "I'll go and find the others," he said briskly, shooting James a look. "Why don't the pair of you wait here for us and then Morwenna can show us the quickest way out?"
With that, Sirius hurried out of the room, casting one more worried glance over his shoulder.
"Lily, tell me what happened," James asked again, and Lily slowly told him about her confrontation with Bellatrix, James interrupting her occasionally to ask questions.
"What about you? Are you all right?" Lily studied James, who waved away her concern impatiently.
"I'm fine," he replied firmly. "It's you I'm worried about."
"What's going on now?" Lily asked worriedly. "Have the Death Eaters gone?"
"Er - " James hesitated, not sure how to tell her. "It's actually gotten a bit worse," he admitted finally. "More have shown up. It's not like a typical attack for them; there are people here who are fighting back."
"James - " Lily hesitated. "Mr and Mrs Prewett are dead. Bellatrix killed them; she told me."
"Morwenna's mum and dad too," James sighed heavily. "Sirius and I saw them. We went all round the room looking for you, and we were helping where we could, but there were just too many, and the Marchbankses were already dead by the time we saw them. Killing Curse, I think," he added quietly.
Lily and James stood silently for a few seconds, James holding Lily more carefully this time, as they listened to the sounds of the attack, the screaming and wailing and shouted incantations, coming from outside the room.
"We've got to help them!" Lily said desperately.
"No!" James exclaimed. "We've got to get you out of here! You're in no condition to fight anyone, let alone Death Eaters who are hell-bent on killing you."
"I can't just listen to it," Lily's voice shook.
"We'll get out of here and find help," James said firmly. "That's the best thing we can do, or that's what my mum and dad have always told me, at any rate," he finished sadly. "Get yourself out."
Remembering his parents, Lily felt a pang of guilt. But before she could say anything, the sound of the door opening distracted them both.
Turning, Lily and James expected to see Sirius slipping back into the room, hopefully with their friends and James' parents in tow. But it wasn't.
Lily and James found themselves staring instead into the fathomless eyes of Lord Voldemort himself.
* * *
"What have we here?" Voldemort taunted in a high, cold voice, his amused, malicious eyes looking from one to the other. "Hiding, are we? That's not very courageous, is it now?" he chided. Lily felt the chills run up and down her back. What now?
James turned to face Voldemort fully, wand pointed firmly at the Dark Lord, his face unwavering. He tried to keep Lily behind him, praying that Voldemort wouldn't know who she was and that he would see and be distracted by the unconscious form under the chandelier.
Voldemort's eyes flicked to and finally settled on James. "You're the Potter boy," he said slowly, his smile widening. "Your dear parents have caused me no inconsiderable amount of annoyance, boy. It gives me great pleasure to contemplate how devastated they will be to learn of the death of their only son." Lily and James watched in fascinated horror as he raised his wand and opened his mouth.
"Expelliarmus!" Lily shouted with all her might, and watched in shock as Voldemort's wand soared neatly through the air and into her hand; Lily nearly dropped it in surprise.
"Well done," there was a note of amusement and something that might have been surprise in that chilling voice now. "But you see,"' Voldemort went on, still seemingly entertained, his voice taking on a mocking note, "you haven't even remotely inconvenienced me."
Voldemort waved his arm, and Lily suddenly found herself spinning at a dizzying speed in midair, high above the floor.
"Lesson one," Voldemort continued his taunting. "Not all magic begins and ends with a wand. Now," Voldemort lowered Lily and slowed the speed of her spinning, "shall we move on to lesson two?"
Lily stared coolly back at Voldemort, then felt the invisible force that was spinning her move her higher and higher into the air until it suddenly let go and Lily dropped back to earth with a resounding thud.
"Lily!" James exclaimed, unable to keep quiet any longer. He moved to where Lily had fallen, helping her to her feet.
"Lily?" Voldemort inquired, his eyes sharpening. "As in Lily Evans, the Mudblood Dumbledore holds in such high esteem? You have made bitter enemies, Mudblood," Voldemort hissed, summoning his wand back to him with a mere flick of his fingers. "Bitter enemies who mean to send you back to the filthy hell you came from in pieces."
James' hand tightened on Lily's arm, a silent signal. Not sure what exactly he meant to do, Lily tensed her body, preparing to run or give a hand or do whatever was necessary to ensure that they lived through this encounter.
"Perhaps I shouldn't deny them the pleasure," Voldemort mused. "But then," he smiled mirthlessly, "why should I deny myself the pleasure either?" He raised his wand once more.
"One of my 'bitter enemies' already tried to have the pleasure," Lily retorted disdainfully. "But as you can see," she gestured to Bellatrix's still-unconscious form, " the pleasure was all mine in the end."
An odd expression passed over the Dark Lord's face as his eyes raked over the prostrate figure on the floor, searching for signs of life.
This was all the opportunity James needed. "Conjunctio!" he cried, sending a well-aimed Conjunctivitis Curse into Voldemort's eyes, effectively blinding him. Wasting no time, James grabbed Lily's hand and practically dragged her into the main ballroom. James slammed the door shut behind them and quickly uttered the incantation for the best Sealing Charm he knew, which would of course be nothing but a minor irritation to Voldemort, but it would buy them a few seconds at least.
"James!" Sirius exclaimed, and Lily and James turned to see Sirius leading Frank, Alice, Peter, Morwenna, and Dorcas toward them.
"There's no time!" James shouted back frantically, motioning his friends away with his free hand. "Just bloody well run! We have to get out of here NOW!"
Not needing any further encouragement, the seventh years followed Morwenna across the ballroom, allowing her to lead them to the best escape route.
But it was too late. The Death Eaters had spotted them. Every Death Eater within hearing distance had abandoned their current victim and was making their way toward them. James glanced round wildly and realized with a start that they were some of the few left standing in the room.
Rapidly the Gryffindors formed a circle, ensuring that none of the Death Eaters would be able to sneak up behind them and faced forward, wands drawn. Morwenna gave a little sob and Sirius growled low in his throat as they approached, coming closer and closer -
Lily had to choke back her own sobs as she watched them coming. There were so many of them. Lily couldn't make out too many faces underneath the masks, but she was almost certain she saw Lestrange and Avery among them.
Next too her, James gripped Lily's hand and gave it a quick squeeze, which Lily returned. There was some comfort in knowing that she would die with James beside her and her friends around her. At least she wasn't facing this alone.
* * *
James watched the Death Eaters come with the knowledge that there was nothing he could do to stop them, and he was filled with an impotent fury. He reached for Lily's hand and squeezed it, feeling his heart swell in his chest and the familiar flip-flop in his stomach as she returned it. He wished he could have told her that he loved her before they died. It was only a small comfort that they would die together; whatever the poets said, there was nothing romantic about dying young. James would have preferred living to a ripe old age any day. His one consolation was that he'd be able to take some of these Death Eaters with him.
Suddenly Voldemort was there, and Bellatrix with him, looking indescribably excited by the scene in front of her. Voldemort laughed, causing the hackles to rise on the backs of the Gryffindors' necks.
"Kill them," he hissed, remarkably snakelike, "but leave the red haired girl alive."
Murmuring excitedly, the Death Eaters advanced with a bit more speed.
BANG!
The sound of the ballroom's main doors opening on one end of the room distracted everyone, and Lily could have sobbed with relief when she saw the Aurors filing down the stairs, wands drawn.
The ballroom was filled with the sounds of battle once more, but this time it was a bit more evenly matched, with as many Death Eaters as Aurors falling to the floor.
"Don't just stand there," a gruff voice near Lily's ear said. "let's get you lot out of here."
Lily looked up to see Mad Eye Moody, looking gravely back down at her. He and two other Aurors she didn't know were rounding up the remaining survivors, preparing to get them out.
"Miss Marchbanks," Moody barked, making Morwenna jump. "Which is the quickest way out of the house?"
"I - I'll show you," Morwenna stammered, wiping her eyes and trying to compose herself. "This way!" she said with a bit more authority, running the rest of the way across the room. The others followed her hastily, almost desperate to get out of the ballroom.
Outside were several more survivors, many being attended to by Healers. Lily watched as James, Sirius, Alice, Frank, and Morwenna began to scan the crowd for their families, hating the certainty that at least two of them wouldn't find them.
"James!" A voice called across the crowd, and James looked round, his whole face lighting up at the sight of both of his parents standing near the edge of the lawn. Grabbing hold of Lily's hand and nudging Sirius, James dashed across the grass, dragging Lily behind him with Sirius at her heels. Once he reached his parents, James was immediately enveloped in simultaneous hugs while Sirius and Lily stood back, grinning. Her face tear-streaked, Mrs Potter pulled Sirius and Lily both forward, and it was some seconds before Lily stood back again to watch the Potters question James and Sirius with a thoroughness worthy of her own parents.
Looking round, the smile on Lily's face faded away when she saw Alice standing with her brothers, her face frozen in horror, and Morwenna hugging her gran, her face crumpled in grief. Reality came crashing back on Lily; her entire body throbbed painfully, and she felt sick and exhausted and more than anything in her life she just wanted to go home to her own mum and dad.
"Here, dear," Lily looked round at the kindly face of one of the Healers. "Let's see what's wrong with you." She began to examine Lily's various cuts and scrapes.
James hurried over to Lily, the others close behind him, his face clouded with worry.
"She'll be just fine," the Healer said to the assembled crowd, "but I think she ought to go to St Mungo's just to make sure." With that, the Healer conjured a stretcher and pushed Lily onto it.
'No!" Lily exclaimed. "I'm all right, honestly. I just want to go home."
"Where's home, exactly?" the Healer seemed skeptical, and when Lily gave her address she shook her head.
"Muggle born, are you?" she asked knowingly, and Lily nodded. "I'm sorry dear, but I have strict orders not to let any of the victims go into Muggle London until further notice. We can't create an uproar and risk exposing ourselves to the Muggles, and besides, I really think you ought to go to St Mungo's."
"We can take her," James protested, putting an arm protectively round Lily.
"You could, but they aren't allowing any visitors at the moment for security reasons," the Healer was apologetic.
James looked as though he were about to argue, but Lily put a hand on his shoulder. "It's all right, James. You should wait here to hear from Remus and Kathleen anyway," she said reassuringly. "Could somebody send an owl to my parents?"
"Of course," said Mrs Potter warmly, her eyes still full of tears. "I expect we'll see you in a few hours then."
After several minutes of goodbyes, Lily finally found herself in the ambulance with several others, speeding toward St Mungo's with a speed that put the Knight Bus to shame. Closing her eyes in exhaustion, Lily prayed that Remus and Kathleen had gotten out safely and that the Aurors had somehow managed to corner Voldemort before he got away.
Voldemort. Lily shuddered at the thought of him but couldn't help remembering in spite of herself. His high, cold voice, his mocking words, his astonishing wandless magic and his suppressed jubilation at all the suffering around him.
But I made it, Lily tolde herself firmly. James and I both did. We made it together.
Somehow, as many times as she told herself this, Lily couldn't avoid the gut-wrenching feeling in the pit of her stomach that this was not the last time she would face the Dark Lord.
* * *
Author's Note:
Yikes! Who knew people would be so upset about the cliffhanger? Again, I really am sorry about that; I simply didn't have time to write anymore and I felt the chapter should end there anyway. But I'm sorry for causing anxiety; this was a fairly quick update though at least, right?
Thanks for all of the reviews, everyone, I really do appreciate them! It's great to know that people are reading/ enjoying my story. And just because I know I'll probably get questions about it, let me just say don't fear the worst for Remus and Kathleen (hint, hint). Sorry if you didn't want to hear that = )
And, Iloveanimals, to answer your question, I'm nineteen years old. I don't know whether or not that qualifies as "really old" in your book, but I hope it comforts rather than depresses you.
Anyways, an update is coming soon, and it'll hopefully be a bit lighter than this chapter (sorry it was so depressing, by the way). In the meantime, don't forget to review!