A/N: Hola, duckies! I tried to get this one out asap. It's so much more interesting to write when I know people are actually READING…anyway, this chapter is dedicated to two people: my darling friend Edna, who just had her 13th birthday and Bat Mitzvah. I want all of you readers to sing Happy Birthday really loudly right now, for her. SING! I CAN'T HEAR YOU! Ok, sorry bout that. Moving on, the second person is Emmy, who called me back after I helped her cheat on a science assignment to tell me that she got a 95 on her math test. YAY! This might not seem so great, but the average grade in my math class is a C. And I'm in the SMART math class. Eep.Well, toodloo! Here's the super-long Ch. 13:

"Oh, shit," James whispered, shutting the door Lily and his parents, hearing the tone of urgency in his voice, drew their wands quickly.

"One," James said quietly.

"Two."

"Three."

The doors blasted open, showering those inside with bits of wood and metal.

Lily flinched as a splinter opened a cut on her cheek. There was silence for a moment, during which she was acutely aware of the lines of blood trickling down her face from various cuts and scratches. Then, all hell broke loose. Curses and hexes were shot in every direction, and soon it was utter chaos. Lily was slightly surprised to find that she did not freeze up, as she had feared. Instead, she found herself letting go of all emotion, and forgetting about everything unnecessary. She focused only on whoever was attacking her and pinpointing where the next attack would come from. Stunning a man in front of her, she whirled around to petrify another who had been sneaking up behind her. Suddenly, a line of fire appeared on her leg. She fell to her knees, crying out in pain. A man in dark robes stood over her.

"Say goodbye," he rasped, right before his eyes widened in shock and he toppled over, stiff as a board. James stood behind him, looking angrier than Lily had ever seen him.

"You ok?" he asked, all anger leaving his face and being replaced with concern.

"No," Lily said honestly. He helped her to her feet, and ignoring the puddle of blood forming on the floor from her leg, they walked back into the battle. Most of the robed figures had gathered around the huge fireplace, attacking the Potters. The couple was giving as good as they got, sending off hexes left and right. James looked at Lily, raising an eyebrow and grinning. She immediately knew what he meant, and nodded back firmly, grinning as well. Neither of their smiles was happy; they were smiles of satisfaction and hate, the smiles of those who have little to lose and choose to do the impossible anyway. They both knew that there was little chance that they would get out of this alive; they were fighting 15:1, not a good number in any situation.

"Now?"

"Now."

Lily and James shot banishing hexes at once, sending most of the men flying back into the roaring fire. A cloud of soot enveloped everyone present, causing all to have violent coughing fits. They all seemed to regain their wind at the same time, and the fighting began anew. The men that had been blown backwards into the fire clambered out of it quickly, and stumbled around the room, trying to put out the flames devouring their robes. Soon, the walls of the library were burning. Lily and James refocused themselves, both noting that there were at least 75 black-robed men still fighting. Where did they all come from? James had time to think, before he was drawn back into the fight. About five minutes later, they were still standing, and still fighting. Suddenly, James heard his mother's voice float over the room. "James! You and Lily get out of here! Take Sirius and the Lupins, go upstairs, find your sister, and get out! Go! We'll hold them off!" James hesitated in indecision, clearly unable to decide whether or not to abandon his parents. This cost him dearly, as a disarmed man swung his arm back and punched James in the eye.

"Stupify!" The man fell over, limp.

"GO!" This time his father's voice cut across the library, urgent. James hurried over to where Sirius and Remus were fighting back-to-back. The three of them struggled over to Lily and the Lupins respectively, and in time the six of them were fighting their way over to the demolished library doors. Spelling furiously, they gained the exit and sprinted up the grand staircase, away from the soot, flames, smoke, and heat of battle. The relative silence upstairs was almost eerie, as were the occasional muted screams that reached their ears, coming from downstairs. James walked quickly over to a small cabinet set into the wall, opening the doors clumsily in his haste. He handed out a button to each person, instructing him or her to say 'Take me away from turmoil and fear, help me make my escape and disappear'. One by one, they all spoke the rhyme, and one by one they vanished in a flash of light. Finally, James offered one to Lily, the last person remaining beside himself.

"No," she said flatly. "I'm not leaving without you."

"Lils-"

"Don't bother, it won't work. Resistance is futile. Let's go get Kelsey," she said. James sighed and walked down the hall, resigned to the fact that given the tone of her voice, it would be pointless to argue further. As he pulled open the door, he froze, eyes wide in shock. Lily, slipping around him to see what the holdup was, stopped as well. A black masked figure stood by the side of Kelsey's bed, wand pointed at the sleeping child's heart.

"Avada Kedavra," he said gleefully. There was a flash of green light. Even though Lily had never seen this curse before, she knew exactly what had happened. Dimly aware of James' anguished cry beside her, she watched as the man turned to face them.

"You're next, boyo," the man drawled, raising his wand so that it pointed at James.

"Avada Kedavra."

Though her arm shook, Lily's aim was true, and the black-robed figure fell to the floor, dead. Something inside of her had snapped. She was sick of it-sick of being helpless, and sick of standing by while people she cared about were hurt.

"Lily-"

"Not now. We need to get out of here first."

"Right." Picking up Kelsey's hand, which was still warm, she put one finger on the button, soon joined by hers and James'.

"Take me away from turmoil and fear, help me make my escape and disappear," James said. They disappeared in a flash of light, leaving behind an empty bedroom.

"Um…Lily? Is it possible to influence a portkey from the outside? Cause I think I just did…"

"Huh?" the full force of what had happened hit Lily full in the chest. James' parents…they were…they had to be…no. They were alive. They could have gotten out…but inside, a small voice told her that no, they were never coming back. They. Were. Dead. And Kelsey…well, there could be no confusion about her. Cradled in Lily's arms, the child's body got steadily colder as the wind whipped around them. Wait…wind? Where were they, anyway?

"Where are we?"

"That's just what I mean. I have no clue. The portkey was supposed to take us somewhere safe. I had assumed that would be the Ministry or something, not this godforsaken patch of scrub…the buttons are ancient, great-great gramma Satine spelled them…always knew she was a loony, but this is a bit much…" As James rambled on, Lily took a look around. They were on a grassy knoll, in the middle of nowhere, it seemed. She spied a river in the distance, twining like a snake across the land. And next to it was…a cottage? It looked like one, and it was their best bet, so Lily pointed it out to James. As they descended from the hill, James halted abruptly, nearly tripping Lily. "I'm the last one, then. The last Potter." He visibly paled, clearly realizing that he would never see his parents again, or talk to his sister. Burdened as she was with Kelsey's body, Lily couldn't do much to comfort him, but she tried. Putting the child gently on the ground, she went over to James and hugged him hard. He hugged back, clinging to her as if she was a rock in the sea of his sadness. The stayed like that for a few minutes, then James pulled away. "Let's go," he said hoarsely. He picked up his sister reverently, and they began the walk down to the river. The going was hard and arduous; by the time they got halfway there, Lily's feet had begun to throb; she had lost her shoes somewhere in the mansion. By the time they got to the shack, she was shivering as well; she was wearing only the jeans and tank top she had put on after her and James' walk earlier that night. That attire was fine for an evening spent before a roaring fire, but it did not work well in the wilderness. That night all seemed so long ago now…the sharp December wind cut into her skin, tossing her hair about her face and causing her teeth to chatter. Her injured leg throbbed angrily with every step she took. Flicking her wand wearily, Lily opened the doors to the shack. The light from their wands, which they had lit earlier, revealed that the building was some kind of boathouse. It hadn't been used in years; cobwebs festooned every corner, and dust rose in clouds beneath their feet. Four canoes were stacked beside the wall, and sticking her head out the back door, Lily discovered that the river flowed by barely a yard from the door. She gave this information to James, who had remained silent for the whole walk down. Lily hadn't minded; she had been deep in thought as well. They had placed Kelsey in a canoe when they arrived; now they wrapped her in canvas carefully and put her back into the canoe. Carrying it out to the water's edge, they slid it partway into the water. Lily walked over to her, and knelt by the girl's head, which they had left free of the canvas. "I didn't know you so well," she murmured, "but James loved you so you must have been a good person." She fumbled with the words, and then moved on. "You were the closest thing I've ever had to a sister. I swear to you, you will be avenged. Whoever those men are, I'll bet that this isn't the last family they'll murder." She backed away. James bent over and kissed her forehead, murmuring something to her. He moved away and used a simple spell to sew the canvas up over her face, and Lily helped him push the small boat into the water. "Incendio," James said quietly, pointing his wand at the boat. Flames began to burn merrily as the boat moved down the river. Lily watched the boat's departure, crying silently. Oddly enough, instead of the stench of burning flesh, the air was filled with the scent of roses. Soft, ghostly laughter swirled around them, tossed on the wind. A face seemed to form on the surface of the water: a lovely, feminine face, with long, swaying greenish-gold hair like seaweed, and a sad-but-sweet smile. The woman's face slowly became more distinct, and rose out of the water, so that her head was above the surface.

"Do not worry," she said in a voice that matched her smile, melancholic but peaceful. "Your sister will not be forgotten so long as this river flows. Go in peace, with my blessing. She will not be forgotten…" the woman smiled again and sank back into the water, leaving a circle of ripples in her wake.

"What," James managed, "was that? A mermaid?"

"No," replied Lily softly. "That was no mermaid. That was a goddess. My mum used to tell me about them, before…" she trailed off. "They're nearly extinct. They are immortal, of course, but definitely not all-powerful. They can be killed. Of course, what my mum knew, she had from a muggle perspective. But it got me interested enough to try to find out if it was true. I checked the library in my old school…they had a book on it. About two hundred years ago, magical folk thought that the gods and goddesses were all-powerful, but that was all they knew. Somebody voiced an opinion that they would all turn against the wizarding world someday. The idea caught on, and there was a bit of a massacre. Some survived, of course, and now we know that they're really just independent creatures, like centaurs. But to be blessed by one…the only people who ever get blessed by gods are heroes or…or heroes," Lily finished, looking a bit shocked at it all.

"Well, there's nothing we can do about it now," James said more firmly then he felt. "Let's get to sleep." They went back inside the boathouse and made up a bed, using canvas as the padding and sheets. When they finished, James turned around. "She was my little sister!" he cried, falling to his knees and running his hands through his hair. "My sister! She was so young! I loved her, and she died! I loved her!" Lily knelt beside him, hugging him hard.

"I know, I know," she soothed. Then her voice grew hard. "The only way we can make anything better is to do everything in our power to stop whoever did this. I guarantee that yours won't be the only family they murder. I think of it like this: picture a number line, with 0 in the middle and negative and positive numbers around it. When something bad happens, the mark goes to a negative. The only way we can get to 0 again is to do something positive. It's all about the balance." She felt James nod, and he let go of her.

"You must think I'm an idiot," he said hoarsely.

"No," Lily replied honestly, "I think you're the strongest person I know."

They set out from the boathouse at around 10 in the morning. Neither of them had been able to sleep; dreams of the mansion and the events that had occurred there presented themselves as the stuff of nightmares. So it was that midday found them trekking along the moor, feet bloody, bruised, and aching. Lily had bandaged her leg, but since neither of them knew any healing charms, there wasn't much she could do. She used a point-me spell occasionally, using it to direct them to Hogwarts. Soon enough, the castle loomed up on the horizon. Their eyes had deceived them, however; the castle was much farther away than it looked, and by the time they reached the school, it was going on 8 o'clock. The gates swung open soundlessly as the neared them; Lily and James were too exhausted to notice. Heading up the front path, they reached the great doors. Pausing for a moment, they both took a deep breath. One, two, three. They pushed open the doors and instantly all the sound from the welcome back feast ceased. All eyes turned their way, and people began to whisper. All of the teachers looked shocked, and they too were silent, except for McGonnagoll, who had begun choking on a swig of pumpkin juice. Madame Hooch was absently giving her the himeleck (SP) maneuver while gazing in shock at the two students approaching them. James gulped. As they walked down the hall, Lily found herself thinking, Sweet Merlin; we must look absolutely wretched…she checked off each injury as it came to her. Tiny cuts and scratches all over her face and arms from the flying door debris, soot from the fireplace, charred clothing and hair from the fire, her leg, which was still bleeding sluggishly, causing her to sway slightly as she walked, even with James holding her elbow so she didn't collapse, her bare feet, swollen and bleeding from the walk to the school, her jeans and tank top, ripped and burned in a hundred places (luckily nowhere incriminating), her eyes, which were red-rimmed from lack of sleep, and had shadows surrounding them… she was aware of the tear tracks that had cleaned a track down her cheeks. And James…he was in much of the same condition: cuts, blood, soot, tears, shadows…he had a perfectly lovely black eye, and winced with every step he took. Now that she thought of it, so did she. Probably not a good sign. As they neared the table, they noticed that the entire group of sixth-year Gryffindors had gathered around the table, and appeared to be harassing Dumbledore. They had, of course, stopped talking, but as Lily and James drew near their friends, three of the students found their voices.

"Thank God," breathed Remus.

"Sweet Merlin," Rhia said.

"Holy shit, Prongs!" That was Sirius (duh).

"Not now," James said firmly.

"Welcome back, Miss Evans, Mr. Potter," Dumbledore said warmly. He looked to be the only teacher capable of speech, including McGonnagoll, who was folded over the table, hyperventilating. "Might I have an explanation regarding your prolonged absence?" Despite his apparent carefree manner, James could detect a hint of relief in the old man's eyes. "Perhaps it would be better if we discussed it…privately," he said delicately. Albus nodded his head in agreement.

"Yes, that would be best, I can see," he said, half to himself. "If you'll excuse me," he muttered to the teachers as he pushed back his chair and stood. Without warning, Lily stumbled. So tired…it felt like all of her power was draining out, leaving her weak as a kitten…just a little nap…She crumpled to the floor.

"Shit!" exclaimed James. He had just caught sight of the bandage for her leg, which had become unwrapped somehow. Her leg, now without any pressure on it to slow the bleeding, now bled freely. Where she lay on the floor, a large puddle of blood was forming on the floor around her leg. Some of the more squeamish students turned green. James knelt by her side, not knowing what to do.

"Keep her talking. Whatever happens, don't let her go to sleep," a familiar voice said in his ear. James looked up to find that Rhia, Sirius, and Remus were kneeling on the floor as well. "If she falls asleep, she could go into a coma and never wake," Remus continued. "And be on you're guard. Blood loss does odd things to wizards…" No sooner had he said this than Lily began to shimmer. "Down!" Rhia yelled suddenly. "Down, down, down!" Everyone in the hall, including the teachers, threw themselves onto the ground, covering their heads. The shimmer turned into a constant, blinding light, and Lily began to scream. It was a horrible sound, one that felt like sadness, despair, helplessness…As it stopped, winds wrapped around the girl and leaves formed from nothing, to twirl around her body. Voices filled the hall, loud and booming.

"You useless whore! I spend hours a day working to feed you, and you spend my money on…books! I'll teach you a lesson no book can give…"

"I'm James. James Potter."

"I'm going, Billy, and I'm taking Petunia with me!"

"Go, with my blessing. She will not be forgotten…"

"She was my little sister! I loved her, and she died! I loved her!"

"James! You and Lily get out of here! Take your sister and go!"

"Another detention, Silverpaw? Tsk tsk tsk…you're coming up on our record!"

"Say goodbye…"Abruptly, the light went out. At the same time, every single piece of glass in the room broke: the windows, goblets, chandeliers… The students cautiously uncovered their heads, wary of any more explosions.

"Ah, yes…private would be very good, Mr. Potter," Dumbledore declared.

A/N: TADA! apologies go out to Emmy, whose cameo in this is now over.. :( tell me what you think! Loved it, hated it...

xoxoxoxoxo

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