Before it Began
By. SkyQuill
Summary
James knew he was in love at first sight, but what would it take for Lily to love him back? Read their story leading up to their deaths and discover the dangers they faced and the loves and friendships they shared.
Disclaimer
I do not own most of the characters and places or anything else that may seem familiar. J.K. Rowling has the exclusive claim to this as well as the general plot that formed this fanfic.
Chapter 12: Battling Ardour
James awoke with a wide yawn. Feeling grumpy he struggled out of his covers and got dressed. Sirius was still fast asleep on the cot beside him. I've got to get out of this house, James thought. Ever since the death of his parents, the house had seemed cold and empty. Feeling rather downhearted he avoided glancing at his parents old bedroom as he stomped downstairs and out into the back yard. Stifling yet another yawn, he hurried over to the broom shed and extracted his broomstick. Running a hand down it's handle fondly, he mounted and kicked off from the ground. The weak morning sunlight beamed down on James as he rose higher and higher into the air. There were no muggles for miles around so he had no need to worry about being spotted.
Sighing as he let the relief of flight wash over him, James let his thoughts turn to Lily. It had been nearly two months since they had joined the Order and they were still rowing. There had been only one Order meeting so far in which they were introduced to the other members. Lily had avoided him for the entire time which resulted in another row the day afterwards. He couldn't believe she had joined the Order! Doesn't she realize how much I care about her? I don't want her getting hurt but it doesn't look like I can change her mind... In his frustration, James flew in a few loops to let of his feelings. Now she's mad at me, James thought coming to a stand still in the air, what if she wants to break up? Oh you've really down it now, James thought angrily.
"OI, PRONGS!" rung Sirius' voice from the ground. James looked down to see his friend running across the yard to where he sat floating in the air. His eyes were still puffy and his hair was slightly mussed up. He had obviously just woken up. "COME DOWN HERE!" Feeling slightly annoyed, James flew down and touched back down lightly on the grass.
"What?" he snapped.
"There's no need to take that tone with me mate!" Sirius retorted, "I just wanted to know if you wanted to come out with me." James surveyed his friend shrewdly,
"Why?"
"Because I just got an owl saying my Uncle Alphard has died. Apparantly he's left me something in his will." Sirius responded.
"Oh, alright then. Aren't you upset?" James asked, taken by surprise by this unexpected news. Sirius shot him a shocked glance,
"Upset? My whole family was a load of- Well alright I guess my Unlce was quite so bad but still." James shrugged,
"Sorry." Sirius shook it off with a wave of his hand.
"Ah, don't be." Grinning slightly, James put his broom away and they both apparated.
00000
"How was Quidditch training Calli'?" Lily Evans asked as she strolled into the flat beside her two best friends. Callidora and Cadence looked up at her entry.
"Excellent!" Callidora responded grinning broadly, "The other chasers are really nice. I think we all make a good team." She had recieved a letter at the beginning of September telling her she had been accepted as a Chaser on the Kenmare Kestrals.
"And how was your first day of auror training?" Cadence asked. Lily shrugged,
"Good. We don't really get to do much at first. It's mostly studying and later we'll start taking our aptitude test and stuff. Alice is in my training group too. Frank's already a year up."
"Well that's alright then." Cadence responded. "More exciting then training those feather-brained hippogriffs." Cadence said moodily. Ever since she had learned she was not going to be able to become an auror,she had looked for a job where she could work with animals. She had finally found an opening last week on her Aunt and Uncle's Hippogriff farm.
"I would've thought you'd enjoy working with Hippogriffs." Callidora piped up.
"Well it's not so bad I guess, " Cadence replied with a shrug, "Today one of our females gave birth to a little baby hippogriff. He's so cute, I even got to name him!" Lily and Calli' exchanged bemused looks. They both knew Cadence really did love her job.
"And what'd you name him?" Lily asked.
"Buckbeak!" Cadence replied promptly, beaming around at them. "And he's taken a special liking to me too."
"Cool." Calli' said smoothly. "Oh by the way Lily, Alice and Frank stopped by earlier. They say there's another meeting tonight."
"Oh...Great." Lily responded nervously, surveying her friend. "Um, did they tell you, er why?"
"Yeah she said it had to do with auror training." Cadence spoke up. Lily relaxed, she was of course actually going to an Order meeting. Only her friends couldn't know that since Callidora had refused to join and Cadence wasn't invited. Lily had often wondered why Callidora hadn't joined. Perhaps it was because she had never been exactly skilled in duelling, which is why she never expressed an intrest in becoming and auror, or perhaps it was merely because she couldn't stand the stress of being at so much risk. Well, it was her choice and Lily respected that. If only James would respect her decision.
"Well I suppose i'd better get going then hadn't I?" Lily asked,snapping out of her reverie. "It's probably just our erm, stealth project." Cadence and Calli' nodded,
"Have fun!" they chimed together. Lily waved at them cheerily and apparated to headquarters.
00000
"Hey Lily!" Alice exclaimed happily when she arrived.
"Hey." Lily responded distractedly. Her green eyes had immediatly fallen on James who was chatting with Remus, Sirius and Peter. Scowling she turned back to her friend who had just been joined by her husband.
"Lily." Frank greeted her warmly and extended his hand. Lily shook it then asked,
"Hey do you know why we're here?" Alice smile faded.
"No, we're all waiting for Proffesor Dumbledore to tell us. But he seems really worried." she replied looking distinctly concerned. Frank put his hand on her shoulder and opened his mouth to add his opinion but just then Dumbledore entered the small room in which they stood.
"Welcome everyone. Now i'm afraid I have grave news. I was owled this morning by an anonymous death eater who threatened a mass muggle killing unless I resign from my post of Headmaster at Hogwarts." he announced loudly. His lined face seemed to be even more creased then usual. Several people gasped quietly at this pronouncement. "Now I have been working all day with a few people from the Ministry and we reckon we have a good idea of where they are planning to strike. Seeing as I will not step down."
"And where is that sir?" James called from the corner where he and the other marauders stood. Dumbledore bowed his head slightly,
"Well, I believe they are intending to kill several muggle families nearby. I have called you here to ask you to join me in this dangerous mission of stopping them." Lily felt a wave of fear and excitement wash over her.
"Please sir," a small witch who Lily knew to be named Dorcas Meadowes piped up, "Do you think they are planning on using giant influence? Or anything else?"
"We're not sure. Dumbledore replied, "But we must hurry. Anyone who is willing to ome please come forwards!" All twelve or so members that were there stepped forward. Lily moved forwards to join them when she suddenly felt someone grab her arm.
"What?" she asked James brusquely, wrenching her arm from his grasp.
"I don't want you going." he replied icily. Lily felt the color rising in her face,
"Well unfortunately for you it's not your decision!" James scowled at her.
"Please Lily! This is a really dangerous task we're setting out to do, I couldn't stand it if you got hurt again!"
"James! I'm just as competent as you! Or maybe you're so thick-headed you think your better then the rest of us?" Lily responded venemously. James seemed to deflate before her.
"It's not that!" he protested but Lily turned her back to him and marched forwards to join the staring crowd. Angrily, James kicked the wall and stormed back to his friends who were also waiting.
"Ready then?" Dumbledore asked, his eyes twinkling. There was a gradual assent of nods and he handed around a few port keys. Lily took hold of an old rag, sandwiched between Alice and a man nick-named Mad-Eye Moody. "One- two- three.." Lily felt the peculiar feeling of travelling by port key hit her before her feet were jerked from the ground and was surrounded by a whirl of color. Seconds later he feet slammed into the ground and she toppled sideways into Alice. Frank caught his wife the shoulders but Lily felt painfully to the ground. Looking up, she saw the other groups of Order members arrive from thin air beside them. The marauders and Dumbledore included.
"Shhh." Dumbledore whispered, his glasses flashing in the moonlight. Lily took Frank's offered hand and he helped her up. A hushed silence seemed to have fallen about the group. "Now listen here." Dumbledore whispered urgently as he turned to face them all, "We'll all split up and stand guard at odd intervals around the street. Try not to look conspicuous around any muggles okay? And if you see any death eaters send a message by the regular way and fend them away from the muggle houses." Lily and the others nodded. A weird sortof of excited fear seemed to be flowing through her veins now.
"Mr and Mrs. Longbottom, Alastor and Ms. Evans, you go and wait at the end of the street. Remus, James, Peter, Sirius and Dorcas, you go and station yourselves in the alley behind the houses. The rest of you come with me to the other end of the street." Dumbledore whispered. Everyone nodded and shuffled off hurriedly to their stations. Lily hastened to follow behind Moody. Alice and Frank followed closely in her wake. Fortunately the street seemed to be quite deserted.
"Now be very quiet!" Moody growled.
"Alright." Lily muttered in response as they reached their designated look-out spot. Her stomach churning, Lily peered into the darkness, her hand inside her pocket, clenching the handle of her wand. She could hear Alice's quick, scared breaths beside her. Moody and Frank stood quite motionless except for the frantic turning of their heads. Squinting slightly, Lily could just make out Dumbledore's group at the other end of the street. Suddenly an idea occured to Lily.
"Maybe we should conceal ourselves a bit more." she said timidly. Mad-Eye Moody turned to look at her. His small beady eyes seemed to be summing her up.
"Good idea." he finally growled, "I can see why Dumbledore invited you to join the Order." Flushing, Lily moved with the others behind a muggle vehicle.
"What's that?" Alice whispered sounding alarmed. They all paused. Nobody dared to breath. Sure enough, Lily could hear the gentle rise and fall of footsteps. Moody slipped his wand out from his cloak pocket and the others followed his example. A paralyzing sort of fear now become to over come Lily. Shaking slightly she looked around nervously. Her eyes scanning every inch of darkness for a sign of the enemy.
"There!" she heard Moody breath. Lily took in a sharp gasp of air. Only metres in front of them walked ten or so hooded death eaters.
"On three stunners." Frank whispered to the group at large. "One- Two- THREE!"
"STUPEFY!": Lily cried, her voice drowned amongst the others. It seemed the death eaters were expecting an ambush for they all managed to block the curses. In the brief moment before Lily became lost in battle she saw several more cloaked figures on Dumbledore's end.
"We're out-numbered!" she exclaimed, horror rising within her. Nobody answered and Lily had to duck to avoid a flash of green light.
"Impendimenta!" she shrieked aiming her wand at a very tall death eater. The figure was blasted backwards off his feet and Lily took the chance to stun him while he was distracted.
"Lily look out!" she heard Alice scream from somewhere behind her.
"Protego!" Lily gasped causing the red beam of light which had been inches away from her to be deflected. "Thanks!" Dodging and occasionally sending out hexes Lily managed to break away from the throng of wizards.
"We need help..." she muttered as she gasped for air. Summoning up the happiest memory she could think of she whispered,
"Expecto Patronum!" A silvery cat formed from the silver mist she had just emmited from her wand. She watched briefly as it's sleek body hurried off towards the dark alley. She had sent it to fetch James and his friend in the alley.
"Tarantallegra!" a female death eater's voice sounded fro under her hood. Lily whipped around and got hit full blast with the spell. Instantly her legs jerked into a crazy sortof of tapdance. She tried to aim a curse at her attacker but do to her frantic movements she couldn't take aim. Lily watched in panic as the witch raised her wand again,
"Avada Keda-" Just then James hurtled out of nowhere and threw his full weight at the woman. Remus hurried towards Lily an muttered the counter-curse.
"Thanks!" Lily breathed. He nodded briefly and hurried off into the battle. At the other end of the street Lily saw that Dumbledore had managed to subdue his group of attackers and was now hurrying towards them. Many of the death eaters at Lily's end seemed to notice this as well for they all began apparating with small pops.
"Good job!" Dumbledore panted as he arrived at their end. "Is everyone alright?"
"I think so." Sirius replied as he got up from where he had fallen on the road. Lily scanned the group. Several of them looked a bit worse for where but mostly everyone seemed alive and mobile. Frank was sporting a bloody nose, Moody was nursing several large gashes on his arm and Dorcas Meadowes had a large lump swelling on top of her head but otherwise everyone was okay.
"You all fought well and I thank you. I think we've managed to protect these muggles for now." Dumbledore told them calmly, "They won't try anything after that. You may go home now." They all nodded gravely and soft cracks filled the night silence.
"Are you alright?" Lily asked, striding towards Alice and Frank.
"Yeah, we're fine. you?" Alice asked wearily.
"Fine."
"Well, I expect we'll be seeing you soon then." Frank said, "Take care Lily."
"Bye." Lily responded softly as the two of them dissapparated with a large crack. Then hearing someone's quiet breathing behind her, she whirled around.
"Oh, James you scared me." Lily gasped. He smiled weakly,
"Sorry."
"That's okay." Lily replied, not quite meeting his eye, "Oh and thanks for saving my life."
"No problem. Look Lily I'm-" James began but Lily interrupted him.
"It's okay. I'm sorry I got so mad." James smiled even wider.
"I love you." he whispered wrapping his arms around her.
"I love you too." Lily responded and leaned forwards to meet his kiss.
A/N: Sorry about taking so long to get this up. It's just school starts for me tomorrow so i've been really busy getting supplies and stuff. Grade nine, sigh. Anyways this chapter is a bit more action-packed so I hope you all enjoy it! Sorry if it seems a bit rushed! I'll update soon.