Well, it took a while. I am so sorry! Urgh. Yes, I was busy. Ok, and I have another fic (u caught me Illusion, lol) but I am not abandoning this one! Even tho it doesn't seem popular, I love writing it so much that I am not going to stop! This chapter is also much longer than the other ones! So, I am sorry to all of u faithful reviewers, I hope that u enjoy this update, even tho it was a long time in the making!
Luv Ella2 (lol Moony.)
2nd of September: the night. Report Given by James Potter
We stepped out of the fire and into the Hogshead pub, Dumbledore, Hagrid and Margaret already there, and Aberforth standing behind the bar. Dumbledore spoke first. I think that he feared that if he didn't we would all stand there, staring at each other, scared, for the entire night. I fear that he may be right.
"Right. Thankyou for coming. Hagrid, you know the signal, now's the time." He said, Hagrid already half way out of the door by the time that he had finished his sentence. He grunted them a Farwell, clearly just as nervous as the rest of us, and held up a hand in a parting gesture, the door slamming shut behind him, the old hinges creaking ominously.
Dumbledore spoke to us quietly. He told us that we must wait in the Hogshead until Hagrid's signal came.
It didn't come for a while. Hagrid told us later what he did. He strode right into the Three Broomsticks. He gave a quick look around to see if anything suspicious had already happened. When it was clear that the Death Eaters had not yet made their attack, he gave a cheerful hello to the barmaid, and a far few other regulars that haunted the pub on a Friday night. Then, as fast a he could get away; he made an excuse about needing a quick breath of fresh air, and walked outside. Then he sent red sparks into the air, and forwarded back inside.
Dumbledore peeked out the curtains again, and saw the remains of Hagrid's red sparks still glistening in the sky as they fell to earth. He smiled a small, encouraging smile.
"They're not their yet." He told us, and walked to the door of the pub, pulling his cloak more tightly around him. We knew the plan. Wee were to take up our hiding places around the Three Broomsticks, and wait until we saw one of the Death Eaters. Then, we were to stop them entering the pub at all costs. Keep them outside. If there was to be a face-off then we didn't want it to happen inside, where the innocent people could be harmed easily. Best keep the fighting on the deserted street.
I stood behind the bush that Cardoc and I had singled out the other day, and I used a clever little spell to see right through it. The others took places all around, so that we were in a position to see the entire street, from both angles. We positioned Cardoc around the back of the pub, and we took the front. Dumbledore disappeared. I am not sure where he went.
It all started when I saw the hooded figure, coming from straight ahead. Then he did something extremely peculiar. He stopped, in the middle of the sidewalk, and crouched, as though he were peering around something. I tried to catch the others eyes, but they weren't looking. They hadn't even noticed the man, crouched there, suspiciously. I was getting a little scared now. Were the others so nervous that they had missed him, right there, in the plainest of visions? How could they not see him? How was I meant to stop him all on my own?
That was when it hit me. The tree. The tree that Cardoc and I had made invisible to us. This Death Eater was hiding behind the tree, and I was the only one who could stop him. I was the only one who could see him. Cardoc was all the way around the back of the pub.
I crawled up, around behind the tree, right around in a big circle, after concentrating hard on making myself disillusioned. The cloak worked its wonders, and I crept very slowly, as to not be seen, so that I was directly behind the man. He was a fairly large person, with one of his spade like hands tucked into his cloak, presumably on his wand, in case anyone snuck up on him from behind, in the dark.
I quickly performed the silencing charm on him, and he must have felt the charm, because, even though he didn't try to speak, he turned around quickly, and appeared to be puzzled, because he couldn't see who had cast it in the first place. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out, and that was when I stunned him, taking his wand, and leaving him on the ground. I went to turn around, to crawl over to Lily, and let her know what had happened. Instead, I thought that I had better fill Remus in forest. He should know and that way he could keep a record of it all later, with everyone's accounts. I thought that that would be a good job for him. Don't ask me why he isn't doing so now. That is a story that I shall get to in good time.
So I snuck out the mirror, and hissed into it what had happened, quickly. I only just had time to register Remus' shocked, absorbing features in the mirror shiny surface, before I shoved the mirror back in my pocket, and made to turn around again. I didn't get that far.
There was something long and thin suddenly pushed up against my neck, and it chocked me, the person holding it tight against my windpipe. It was a wand. I couldn't see the mans face, I could smell his breath, grazing my ear, and hear the rasping whisper of his voice.
"Lead me to the others." He hissed.
I was choking, and I knew that I couldn't hold soon for much longer. For a moment I thought of leading him away, but then, when I got out there the others wouldn't have a warning that they knew that the Death Eaters were there. They would be in just as much trouble as I was in now. I thought long and hard about leading him to someone who could take him on easily; Dumbledore, or Hagrid even. But that wouldn't be safe, or fair. And I could be leading a whole lot of Death Eaters to them.
The Death Eater sent a curse shooting out of his wand. I couldn't scream out for help. I couldn't talk. The curse had hit my neck, which wasn't protected by the cloak. Then he shot another spell, one that chilled the flesh of me exposed neck to the core, and made it freeze over in pain., I couldn't scream out in agony.
Before I knew it, there were flashes flying through the air, spells being fired, and curses yelled, bellowed, screamed, and chanted. I could hear Lily, and see, in the distance, by the dim light being emitted from the pub windows, her red hair dancing around as she dodged the spells, and the lights that ricocheted off her armoured body. I could feel, through the cloak, that Cardoc had been found. His feeling of great fear and dispar swept through me like a painful wave of horror, and I knew that he was lying on the ground, alone and unconscious. But he was alive. That was enough, for now.
"James!" Dumbledore yelled across at me. It was then that I realised the Death Eater had let go of me, and he was running for the pub, a curse shot at him by Lily. Dumbledore stowed his wand in his pocket as he ran over to me.
"James, I have heard something, and I think they may be planning to take the school. I don't know how they can hope to do this, but I can't be here while they are headed there. I hope that you understand." He said, fear etched into the old, creased lines of his quickly aging face. I was terrified now. If Dumbledore was scared then things were definitely not going well. He appearated, I don't know where too, but I assume that he has some way into the school. Anyway, that's not important. The import thing was, that we were alone, much more alone than we had been when the most powerful wizard ion the world had been fighting for our side. Then, it was just us against the Death Eaters. This was not a part of the plan.
Report Made by Remus Lupin about the events of the 2nd of September, 1978
I looked across at Ella, terrified. James was in trouble, and, by the sounds of it, no one knew. He had forgotten to close the mirror, and I wasn't about to let it turn black when I heard that on the other end. Lead me to the others…
The old, deep voice of the stranger that had wafted, muffled through the surroundings of James' cloak chilled my thoughts to the core, and it was only the fact that Ella was standing there, staring at me questioningly that made me control myself, and not suddenly apperate straight to Hogsmeade.
"Someone has James." I told her in a hollow voice that was not my own. Ella's pretty eyes grew wide, and I saw them harden in determination. I knew what she was going to do. She had much more force than even I did, and the yearning to do something was so fierce inside of me that I thought I might explode at any second; so I knew what Ella must have been feeling. I didn't need to know legilimency to work that out. The fiery expression masking the depths of her face told me that she was going to Hogsmeade. And, such was my own feeling of uselessness; I rushed upstairs, for I knew that this would happen all along. And I was hurting so much with the pain of inability that I knew much better than to try and stop her, and put her through that same hurt.
I ran back down the stairs, as fast as I could, holding my clenched hand tightly behind my back, Ella looking curious though her determination.
There was a second there, where I had second thoughts. What if he got hurt? How would I live with myself?
Then I realised that if she got hurt ever, regardless of whether it was my fault, I couldn't live with myself anyway, so I drew my hand from behind my back, and presented her with the last cloak that I had made.
It was a pale pink, and she gasped when I took it out. I felt a glimmer of pride, though I was too scared for her to show it. Ella wrapping it around her shoulders, and stared at me.
"You knew that I would go?" she asked, cocking her head to the side, her eyes wide.
"I knew that no one would be able to stop you. We're too much alike, you and me." I said, shrugging. She gave a dry sob, and buried her head into my shoulder. I patted her on the back, and kissed her.
Ella grasped my hand quickly, and then, without looking back, she ran to the front of the house, stepped outside the barrier, and appearated.
After that, Ella was gone. I was alone, in a very large house, holding a vacant mirror, which was now so full of screaming and useless jumble that I had to blacken it. I felt more alone than I had ever felt in my life, but now that Ella was there, I knew that we had more of a chance.
A report made by Ella Jones, about the events of the 2nd of September 1978.
Ordinarily, all that Remus did for me that night would have been recognised with great, elaborate sentiment. There wasn't time, however, for sentiment, and I was much to scared to even take more than a moment to splendour at his amazing understanding. I just let him hold me, for what I feared might be the last time, and I snuggled into his shoulder feeling the smooth, comforting weight of the cloak he had made me hang around my shoulders soothingly. Then, I turned swiftly, and made for the door. I felt heartless and foolish doing so, but I knew that if I stayed any longer I would grow much too comfortable, standing there, safe with him, while James and the others were in trouble.
I appearated. A sickly smell of smoke and blood singed my nose, and I blinked into the mass of lights and fog that was obscuring the horrid sight before me. Many more people had joined in the fighting now, and there were bodies lying on the ground. I didn't dare look too closely at them; for fear that the next one I stepped over would be one of my friends.
I could see Hagrid in the distance, fighting off three death eaters at once, not using magic, but swiping at them with his colossal hands.
I am an animagus. I can transform into a chestnut coloured horse. None of the death eaters knew that. I could use it to my advantage. As scary as fighting them without using a wand seemed, I had a better chance as an animal. I transformed on the spot, and charged at a large group of them, who were surrounding James, ebbing closer and closer at any minute, trying to corner him.
It was working. Their stunners bounced off his cloak, but he was growing weaker and weaker, and I could tell by the taunted expression on his face that his unsightly predicament was not his only worry.
I reached the group, and stormed them down, bashing each of the death eaters, using my head, my mane swinging everywhere in a fury of stringy hazel hair. I reared up, and kicked a couple in the hooded head. I lashed out my back legs.
James' eyes lit up, but there was something fighting in them, eating away at the edges of them, and I ducked down momentarily, allowing him to clamber quickly onto my back before the fallen death eaters could regain their stance.
We galloped around in a circle for a moment, and I caught sight of Dani in the distance, duelling a woman with dark hair, and heavily lidded eyes, her hood swinging around her shoulders carelessly. I couldn't see Sirius, Cardoc or Lily anywhere. James lean forward, and pressed close to my ear. I knew that he wanted to know if Remus was there, and I longed to tell him, but I couldn't speak, as a horse. I shock my head, subtly, but felt James relax on my back a little. Just a little. This was not what had been troubling him.
A report made by James Potter, about the events of the 2nd of September, 1978
I thought I was gone. Death Eaters edged in around me. And I could feel something else too. The cloak was telling me something. I could just feel it, underneath the surface of my panic at being surrounded by the five Death Eaters. Lily was in trouble. She was lying on the outskirts of all the fighting. They had left her now. They thought that he was dead…
A horrible thought crept into the edges of my mind, and I batted it away with as much force as I could muster.
Maybe she was dead…No, I told myself. The cloak would know. I would know, wouldn't I? She was alive, but not in great shape. I needed to get to her, and quickly.
The death eaters closed in even closer. They were creating a tiny circle, which consisted of me, my them, and their outstretched wands. I tried, with all my might to transform into a stag. It would be easy, if I was transformed.
It didn't work. I felt a faint press at the top of my skull, as if I were trying to sprout prongs, but nothing more happened. I was in too weak a condition. I needed a miracle.
As if on cue, a chestnut coloured horse came stampeding at us through the darkness. The Death Eaters didn't flinch. There were many unidentified figures flying at us though the darkness, and none had yet posed at threat to them.
This one would though. I knew that horse. That was Ella, and, unless I was mistaken, the hopeful, triumphant feeling that the cloak was shooting at my stomach was Ella as well. She trampled the Death Eaters down, and threw me onto her back. I fell forward, and wrapped my arms around her neck as we cantered off into the flashes of light and smoke, of falling bodies and screams of pain.
I wondered, with a start, if this meant that Remus had followed also. Ella, the horse, shook her head slightly. I took this as a no.
She began to slow down, and I spoke to her, for the first time.
"No! Keep going! Please! Lily's around here, she's hurt, we need to help her!" I cried, and I felt very inconvenient tears spring up behind my eyes, and I bit them back cruelly. I couldn't afford to be weak at a time like this.
The horse sped up again, and we kept travelling until the people fighting were scarce, and the smoky fog was all that still clung to the air, like a desperate attempt to continue the fight.
Ella did slow down now. I jumped off her back, and she transformed into a person again, her light brown hair flecked with blood. It was only then that I realised I sported a rather large gash across my back, and another down my right arm. It didn't hurt though. What hurt was when Ella let out a distressed wail, and knelt down beside a motionless body that lay on the ground.
Lily's red hair was lying in a pool of dirt and blood. Her cheek was slit with a large slash, and one of her arms was bent at an odd angle. She was still.
I bent down beside her and felt for a pulse. There was one, but it was faint. I tried to transform again. This time, it worked. I lifted Lily onto my back with my prongs, and Ella let out a little squeal of distress.
"James! You cant, your back!" she yelled at me, but I wasn't listening much. I needed to get her to somewhere safe. If I could get her to Margaret in the Hogshead, then we might be able to get her help.
The fighting seemed to have quietened down, and there were much less shouts coming from the front of the Three Broomsticks. The battle had died down a little. I didn't know who had come out on top. At the moment, I didn't care. All I wanted to do was make sure that Lily was going to be all right.
I transformed again, when we got to the door, and I heard Ella do the same behind me. I held Lily in my arms, and she draped limply over them, the cloak that Remus had created so carefully for her hanging, torn and ripped open off her lifeless form.
I opened the door to the Hogshead, and those inside jumped. It seemed to be a makeshift hospital. People were sprawled out on tables, with sobbing family holding onto white, limp hands. Margaret, who was quite handy at healing spells, was rushing among them fussing over everyone, and I exchanged a look with Ella. Lily had no chance of getting proper help in here.
We nodded, coming to a silent understanding, and I held tight to Lily, and Ella, she and I appearating to the front of headquarters. I was panting, from the strain of the side along appearation, but still took the front of the house at a run, and charged inside, Remus standing in the living room, terrified white face, pacing up and down the room, wringing his hands frustrated.
I fell to the ground, my legs giving way, and Remus ran forward to grasp Lily, who Ella had been helping to carry. He took her, and placed her on the lounge, standing over her and muttering spells and incantations that I hadn't ever dreamed of performing, and I had only read about in school textbooks.
Lily let out a low, rasping breathe, and then she lay still, but her eyelids fluttered hopefully this time, and she looked peaceful, the gash on her face repaired.
"What happened to her?" Remus asked me, softly, helping me to my feet and conjuring up a mug of butterbeer, and a stick of chocolate. I didn't touch them. I didn't take a sip of the drink or a bite of the chocolate. I stared at Remus, who seemed to be remaining so calm. I could hardly remember falling to the floor in the first place, but I must have. I lowered myself onto the floor, to kneel beside Lily, and placed all that Remus had handed me at my side. I stroked Lily's cold forehead, and tried to will her eyes to open, to comfort me with their green light. They didn't they remained firmly closed, and I became even more scared. I just hoped that she was all right.
"She'll be fine now James." Ella whispered softly, standing at my side. "You were great out there."
"So were you." I said, sincerely, tearing my eyes away from Lily, and looking at Ella, Remus' arm around her shoulders, which were still shaking slightly. I then registered a dull pain in my back, but nothing too serious. Remus looked at me enquiringly. He knew nothing of what had happened in Hogsmeade. I sighed, picked up the chocolate, and drew it to my lips. I began to tell of what had happened.
A/N: weird place to stop,. I know, but I was dying for you all to read this much! Hope that u enjoyed it! It's extra long, please please review me!
Thanks, Luv Ella xXx