Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize and probably very little that you do not recognize.
A/N: This is the sequel to The Essence of Terror. While it can be read separately, you might benefit from reading it first. However, be warned that it is rated M. This, however, is a little fluffier and acceptable for most all readers. I am also posting the prequel to both stories, so check it out if you can.
"Innocence, though oppressed by injustice, shall, supported by patience, finally triumph over misfortunes!" – Ann Radcliffe, The Mysteries of Udolpho
James Potter wiped his sweaty on his pant legs once again as he approached Lily Evans' flat on the outskirts of London. He patted his pocket to reassure himself once more that the ring was still there. A year had passed since the tragic event of last year that still gave him nightmares occasionally. He still woke up sweating, seeing Lily's face become paler and paler as the blood seeped out of her wrist.
But that was behind them now. Morano was dead. On his way to trial with the Wizengamot, he had fainted, and by the time the Aurors had escorted him to St. Mungo's, he had expired. James, Lily, and their friends had mixed feelings about this: they had wanted him to suffer, but at least he was gone and could no longer harm them or anyone else.
It had also been only about ten months since he and Lily had started dating, but he knew he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, however long that would be, what with the war going on around them. It was Halloween again, and he knew it was the perfect day to propose, for, as he always told himself, "significant events always happen in my life on Halloween." He thought back to two weeks ago when he had approached his best friend, Sirius Black, for help…
"Padfoot, I need your help."
"With what?"
"I need to pick out a ring. I want to propose to Lily."
For a moment, Sirius looked as though he wanted to laugh hysterically, but he merely smiled broadly. "I'm very happy for you. Of course I'll help you. When are you going to ask her?"
"Halloween. It seems the perfect day, you know. We can have a happy memory of the two of us for that day, now."
Once again, Sirius looked as if he wanted to laugh, but James dismissed it as Sirius trying not to make fun of what would make his friend the happiest man on the face of the planet.
He took a deep breath as he rapped on the door to her flat and waited for her to open it. When she did, he smiled at her, leaned down to give her a quick kiss on the cheek, and said, "Hey, Lily, how are you?"
She smiled back and said, "I'm doing pretty well. Let me take your coat." As she took his coat off, she pulled his wand out of his back pocket, and, waving it at him jokingly, admonished him, "Don't let Auror Moody see you with this back there, or he will have you."
James grinned sheepishly and reached for his wand, but she withheld it from him, saying, "You won't need it this evening. I am cooking the Muggle way, so we are both going to leave our wands on the counter." James found this odd because it could present dangers if something happened suddenly, but he went along with it because he trusted his girlfriend.
She set his wand on the counter next to hers, turned to stir something on the stove, and asked him, "Speaking of Moody, how was the Ministry today?"
James, currently an Auror-in-training, saw Moody daily. "It was fine. We mainly did physical training today. You know, running for hours on end until we all drop from exhaustion and the like. I don't think I will be able to move properly for about a month."
"Good. Then you won't be able to react very quickly when I do this." Lily turned to face James, a gun in her hand. Surprise more than fatigue and soreness immobilized James at this point. When Moody had first told them about Muggle weapons, James had asked Lily about guns, and she had told him she disapproved of them, and she certainly would never use one.
"Wh-What are you doing, Lily?"
"What does it look like I am doing, idiot? I am pointing a gun at you. Now, I suggest you shut up and do what I tell you to do."
Astounded, James quieted, but continued to look at Lily apprehensively.
"For years, you made my life miserable. Now, after over a year of pretending to like you, I can finally get my revenge. You are going to die, Potter."
James saw the menacing look on her face, and knew it was realistic, but he could not make any sense in what was going on. He knew Lily better than he knew Sirius, even better than he knew himself. Nobody could keep up the façade of liking someone for that long only to try to kill that person after over a year of friendship and more. There was something wrong with her, but he did not know what it could possibly be. Maybe she was under the Imperius Curse? No, he knew she could throw it off sometimes, and in a situation like this, he would have been able to see at least a semblance of her trying to overcome the curse. He decided to try to talk to her and figure out what this was all about.
"Okay, Lily, tell me what this is all about. You know you can talk to me. What did I do?"
"You know what you did. You made my life miserable. You have forced me to hide who I am. With you gone, I will have my vengeance."
James still could not make any sense of any of this. Lily never would have hidden who she was for anybody, especially someone she claims to hate.
Seeing Lily completely unhinged made James nervous, and he said nervously, "I-If you wanted vengeance, there were so many things you could have done. There are things so much worse than death."
Lily's lips curled into a smile that was evil personified. "Exactly."