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 27: In the Face of Flames
Callidora Prewett made her way between the stands hastily and headed for the changing room's on the opposite side of the pitch. She was five minutes late thanks to James' and Lily's stupid owl.
The big, white faced barn owl had arrived just as she was heading out the door so as to deliver it's letter. Already in a rush and in no mood to sit down and read, she had hurriedly grabbed it from the owl's beak and tossed it on the table, plannng to read it later. Unfortunately for her, the owl, known as Basil, had other ideas, mainly, to have his letter read immediatly. So impatiently, and under influence of razor sharp talons, she had taken the dratted thing and quickly scanned it.
Callidora and Cadence,
James and I have the most exciting news to share with you, as do Alice and Frank! You might be able to guess but we'd love to discuss it in person with you! Do you think you can both get Friday night off work and come over for dinner? Alice and Frank will be there and then we can all talk! Please reply as soon as you possibly can though because James and I need to know in advance when to book our night off from auror training.
Love Always,
Lily
Now as Callidora swung upon the doors to the Kenmare Kestral's changing room, she felt a peculiar curiosity about the letter. What was it that was so important that they actually had to be there for Lily to tell them? Surely it must be about there auror training, after all, Callidora thought, both the Longbottoms and the Potters were taking the training now.
Calli' shook her thoughts off quickly as she greeted her fellow team mates. They were a wonderful bunch and had provided her with quite a few new friendships but she still missed Lily and Alice. They, her and Cadence had all been so close before their lives got so tangled up in their jobs and relationships.
"I guess it had to happen sooner of later," Callidora muttered bitterly as she changed into her quidditch robes. The thing that was bugging her was that Alice and Lily were married, and Cadence in a serious relationship with Sirius, while she had had hardly any love in her life lately. She wouldn't have minded except for the fact that she spent a lot of time alone now. Cadence was always at Sirius' and of course the others were moved in with their spouses...
"Five minutes everybody!" team captain Marcus Wellforth announced loudly. There was a last minute flurry of activity as everybody scurried to gather their equipment. Callidora quickly jammed her Chaser gloves onto her forearms and hands and followed her teamates out the door and back into the sunlight.
"Alright everybody here?" Marcus asked, performing a quick head count. There was a murmur of 'yes' and he grinned broadly at them. "Well, we've got a big game coming up ladies and gentlemen. It's crucial that we win this one so I want to see you all playing at your best. Now when we get up in the air, I want to see some good quality playing. Beaters, take out the bludgers and work around the Chasers. Kay (the Seeker) let out the snitch as do the usual. Try some of the new manouveres were practiced the other day while you're at it. Warren, us Chasers are going to try and score on you. Any questions?" When no one answered he flashed them another wide smile and beckoned for them to begin their assent.
Callidora launched herself into the air and let the air blow through her hair joyously. On her broomstick, she felt impeccably light and care free, not a worry in the world...
"Calli'!" shouted Kenneth, one of the beaters. Callidora snapped her eyes open just to see a bludger hit her smack dab in the forehead. Tumbling off her broom, which thankfully, hadn't been too high off the ground yet, she felt her body contact the ground with a soft, thudding noise.
"Are you okay?" Kenneth asked, landing beside the fallen girl and helping her up. Squinting through blurry vision, Callidora viewed his worried face,
"I-'m f-fine!" she studdered, still feeling winded from her fall.
"I'm really sorry, I thought I was sure everyone was aware I was letting them out." he apologized. Callidora gave a shaky laugh,
"It's no problem, really. I wasn't paying attention." Kenneth smiled understandingly,
"Rough day?"
"So far, yes."
"Well maybe after practice I can take you out for coffee?" he asked lightly. Calli' felt a flutter in her stomach as she gazed into his soft, brown eyes. He looked adorable with his wind-swept honey brown hair and heart-warming smile, besides, he was absolutely the sweetest guy she'd ever met. How could she say no? Besides, hadn't she just been thinking about how unlucky her love life had been?
"S-sure! I'd like that." she finally replied, smiling earnestly.
"Great. Well we'd better carry on or Marcus will be on our cases. I'll wait for you outside the changing room?" Kenneth asked sweetly.
"Sounds good." Calli' assured him and feeling rather pleased, she hurried back to her broomstick and mounted it.
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"Come on Buckbeak!" Cadence cooed, offering a mushy bowl of who-knows-what to the adolescent hippogriff. The over-sized bird eyed his breakfast with contempt and trotted off to the other side of the pasture. Cadence sighed, wiping the hair out of her eyes. Hippogriff's matured slowly and consequently, Buckbeak was being weaned at a much later stage then most creatures.
"Having much luck?" asked Cadence's Aunt Merion as the woman came out of the barn, levitating two more buckets of mush before her.
"No," Cadence said shooting the bird a contemptuous glance. "He's still being a feathery git." Her Aunt laughed with amusement.
"Well no one said training and raising Hippogriff's is an easy job! I know this wasn't exactly your job of choice but you're good with animals, all you need is a little patience."
"Well I don't think a little patience is going to cut it. I think i'm going to need about a bucketful, he's just so stubborn!" Cadence insisted, determined to be in a bad mood.
"Just like you." Merion Summer's remarked slyly. Cadence peered at her Aunt's determinedly straight face with a forced offended look, but even she wouldn't have bought it.
"Oh I guess you're right." Cadence finally admitted. "Why do you bother with all this Hippogriff stuff anyways? I mean it's a cool job and all but I mean, it's not exactly common..."
"Well," her Aunt answered thoughtfully, "There's a surprisingly high demand for the sevices magical creatures can supply you know. The Ministry uses them occasionally for transportation of Azkaban convicts, although that's becoming increasingly less common, and then Proffesor Dumbledore of Hogwarts school asks for them occasionally for the school's Care of Magical Creature's courses. Someone has to raise and tame the beasts for this sortof of stuff and since your Uncle and I enjoyed working with animals, it was the perfect job for us."
"Hmm, interesting." Cadence commented disinterestedly. She spent a moment a of silence watching Buckbeak gallop around his pen, searching for his usual food supply of baby Hippogriff formula.
"Well honey, you'd better get home. It's getting late and with all those death eaters and dementors out..." Aunt Merion said with a shudder. Cadence nodded, relieved she didn't have to have another go with bribing a stubborn Buckbeak. I'll have to show him to Sirius sometime, they'd probably get along great, Cadence thought to herself jokingly.
"Well thanks auntie, see you tomorrow!" Cadence said, feeling much cheerier at getting off early. With a last wave, she apparated back to the flat.
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"You're home early!" a smiling Callidora remarked as Cadence let herself into the apartment.
"Yeah, Aunt Merion let me go early. How come you're so cheery?" Cadence replied suspiciously. "You didn't clean my room again did you?"
"No," Calli' laughed, "I don't think I have the courage to go in there again. But anyways Kenneth Warbeck asked me out today!" Cadence's eyes suddenly sparkled with interest.
"Really?" she gushed, "And who is he again?"
"You met him that once. He's the beater, the really cute one with the sandy brown hair and eyes..."
"Oh yeah. Hey enough drooling!" Cadence joked, smiling at her friend's obvious delight."So did you already go out or are you?"
"Both." Calli' said simply. "He took me to the local wizarding teashop and now we've got arrangements for Saturday night! Oh and that reminds me, we're going to Lily and James' place on Friday. There's a letter on the table."
"Really?" Cadence asked curiously, walking over to the table and picking up the sheet of parchment with Lily's handwriting on it. Quickly, she read it over. "That's weird. I wonder what it's all about."
"I dunno, "Calli said with a shrug, "Just make sure you get Friday evening off okay? I talked to Alice earlier and she wouldn't spill but it seems really important."
"Fine." Cadence said with a wave of her hand. Her Aunt Merion probably wouldn't even notice if she didn't show up Friday but she'd let her know anyways.
"Anyways i'm kindof hungry. You up for going out?" Callidora offered. "It's on me."
"Sounds good." Cadence replied with a grin. So quickly the two witches gathered their cloaks and headed off for a nearby, small restaurant.
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"I don't feel so well!" Cadence complained, rubbing her aching stomach as she walked. Callidora rolled her eyes as she strolled alongside of her over-fed friend.
"I told you not to order that extra dish of kidney pudding!"
"Yeah and I told you not to where a white cloak!" Cadence retorted, directing her gaze to the bright red stain that had appeared on the clothing just that evening from a glass of spilt fire whiskey.
"Whatever." Calli' said exasperatedly. The two girls were taking a short walk up the street in order to work off some of their food induced weariness.
As they headed further up the street, the crisp autumn air suddenly smelt of smoke and ash. Callidora stopped and cocked her head, noticing this as the air become hazy from smoke.
"What's going on?" Cadence asked, a subtle note of alarm in her voice.
"Shhh." Calli' hushed, pressing a finger to her lips. Both girls remained silent for a moment and soon the sound of panicked cries met their ears.
"Come on!" Cadence shouted leaping forwards into the run and heading for the source of disruption. Drawing wands as they ran, it soon become apparant to the pair of them that this was no innocent fire. The dark mark was soon to be found looming above a small cottage on the outskirts of the small town.
"Oh no, "Callidora moaned, eyeing the ruined muggle building with a great sadness. Hesitating briefly, they then charged towards the burning building.
"Aguamenti!" Cadence cried, brandishing her wand at a tower of swirling flames blocking the entrance. Water poured from her wand in burst and drenched the fire, leaving it a spitting pile of ash.
Callidora and Cadence cautiously crept inside the structure,praying it wouldn't come down on top of them.
"There's got to be someone in here!" Calli' shouted desperately, "We heard screaming!" As if on cue, a shrill scream was uttered from the upper floor. Cadence and Calli' exchanged a look of fear.
"Do you want me to go?" Cadence offered tensely.
"No, it's okay. I can take care of it, you go outside and guard the building from any death eaters that might still be around!" Calli' shouted in reply. The rushing noise of the flames blocked out almost all noise, making it difficult to hear.
There was no time to argue and reluctantly, Cadence turned back and made her way out through the billowing black smoke. She stumbled out of the house and let the autumn breeze refresh her burning nose which still stung from the acrid smell radiating from the cottage.
"Good luck Calli'!" Cadence shouted, her voice carrying helplessly in the breeze as she prayed for her friends saftey. For a moment she lay still on the heated grass, listening to the fury of the flames and her friend battled for her life and possibly the lives of others.
A/N: Sorry this chapter took awhile to get up. I had minor problems with my 'word' program although it only lasted a day. My main excuse is that I merely took a bit of time off. School work is so hectic I really just needed to take a break or risk writer's block. I feel this chapter was pretty good, I hope you all do too. I've got bit of a gap in my plot line to fill and I feel I should let you all get to know the other characters better which is why this and the next few chapters are going to be focused around Lily and James' friends. Well anyways I really hope you enjoy this and please drop a line and tell me what you think!
Oh and just in case anyone is interested, i've given this chapter the title 'In the Face of Flames' for two reasons. The most obvious is because of the fire at the end, and the second reason is because love can be a very fiery, passionate and entrancing thing, as is the fire, and Callidora might just be stepping into that. ;) Well ttyl