Title: Light
Author: Amelia Bedelia
Chapter Twenty: Marauder in Training

AUTHORS NOTE: To all those reviewers that enjoy reading long chapters – HAPPY BIRTHDAY! This chapter is not the usual 20, but is, in fact, a whopping 27 pages. (Yes, I surprised myself…) To all others that would rather have shorter chapters – think of it as a two-parter!

I hope you all enjoy this last chapter before Harry Potter and then Half-Blood Prince takes over all of our lives, and then I shall be back with a few more chapters! (Cross your fingers that they come out sooner rather than later…)

Chapter Twenty-One: Guest of Honor

"Let go of me!" James hollered, kicking and screaming.

"Shut your mouth, or we'll do it for you, kid," the large man said, his voice reverberating back and forth between the walls of the keep.

James kept silent. The two dark figures had each gripped onto one of his arms and held him several inches off of the ground. He fussed and turned, trying to make it as hard as possible for the Death Eaters until he was able to find an alternate route out of this mess.

"I'll take that."

James looked to his left, biting his lip as the Death Eater, who had sounded very much like a woman, stuck her hand into James' pocket, fishing around for any items James had. She took his wand and small picture of the castle.

"Did you need a picture reference to get here?" she asked, pocketing James' wand and holding the small picture up into the night sky, hoping for more light to see it.

James nodded, hoping to pass it off merely as a picture.

"You won't need it anymore, then," she muttered, throwing it into the fireplace they passed.

James merely blinked, hoping she didn't see any of his remorse at losing the map. He was thankful they had not found his broom in the keep to take as well.

"Hey," the large man said, "didn't our Master say someone would be joining us tonight?" He grinned at James.

"Of course he did. Everyone always joins us on special occasions," she hissed, turning towards James as well. "Most of them don't leave."

James looked over at the woman with her hood pulled over her face and glared sharply.

"Step," the man interrupted, forewarning the woman before she took a tumble.

James looked away, anger taking control of him. Relax, he thought to himself. Focus on the real task.

He nodded slightly to himself and looked down the flight of stairs. His jaw dropped.

"You think there are enough steps?" James asked sarcastically.

"What did we tell you, boy?"

James gave a deep sigh.

"The wife told me this morning that I'm not at a high enough status," the man said softly.

The woman on James' left side nodded. "Of course you could be higher. Instead of guarding, we could be out there torturing."

"Right," the man agreed, raising his voice. "I know if I worked at it, I could."

"Yeah, I just don't really care that much."

"Me too," the man said, nodding. "We could if we really wanted to, though, right?"

"Yep," the woman agreed. "But we're fine at this level…"

After reaching the seventy-first step – James had counted – they made a sharp right turn, following an open path. Several Death Eaters had passed them, nodding at each other as if they were friends they'd meet on a street.

"First floor?" the man asked, and the woman quickly shook her head.

"Top," she said. "This one's feisty."

James smirked. Thank you very much.

The man opened the door to a building in the center of the courtyard. James studied every possible detail about the building as he was dragged to the top. He stared at the wooden floor, slightly gaping at the intricate designs covering the banisters.

After reaching the fifth floor, they continued walking down to the end of the hallway. James looked into each room he passed, curious. The first room was open with a plain bed and nightstand. The next two rooms were open as well, showing stone walls and flooring and a small window, covered with bars. The fourth door was closed and, James figured, locked. He cringed slightly as he heard three loud bangs on the door, and a muffled voice calling, "I hear you – let me out! I demand freedom!"

"Loony," The large man muttered, shaking his head. "It's his fourth day in there. He's bound to leave soon," he said conversationally.

James swallowed, figuring the large man did not mean that the prisoner would leave alive.

The next door was the last in the hallway, complete with a window, a pair of dangling chains bolted to the wall, and a rotting corpse.

"No way," James shouted, beginning to kick and flail again. "I am not staying suffocated in a room with a dead guy!" He attempted to throw his feet onto the door frame, pushing away. His plan, however, backfired, nearly resulting in two broken legs from the force exerted from both Death Eaters to get James inside of the room.

"There's about to be two dead bodies in here. Would you prefer that?" the woman hissed, squeezing his arm.

James didn't say another word, as they chained him to the wall, several feet above the ground, leaving it impossible for James to sit. He immediately began to smell the odor of the rotting body drift over to him.

"Makes you want to puke, doesn't it?" the man laughed, kicking the dead body. "Don't worry," he said, "it's only a few days old."

James looked away from the body, trying to hold his stomach down.

"Here," the woman said devilishly, lighting a torch and setting it into a slot above the dead body, casting an eerie glow across the room. "We'll just set this right above the body, so you can see it perfectly clearly."

James didn't look back, but was silently grateful for the light. He had, in fact, been wondering whether or not he would be spending the night in the dark dungeon with nothing but a slight glimmer of light from the moon.

"We'll leave you two alone to bond."

Immediately, James began to swing his fists in an effort to punch the Death Eaters. The only object his hand came in contact with, however, was the air. The woman stepped tantalizingly forward, inches from the lengths of his chains.

"It isn't quite as simple as you thought this outing would be, is it? This whole rescuing thing just isn't your cup of tea; I don't believe you have it down yet," she hissed. The woman grinned fully, revealing a mouth with half the normal number of teeth.

Anger rose quickly into James' face. Taking a stab out of the blue, unsure of his chances, he wrapped his hands tightly around the two chains. Sizing up his target, he jumped high into the air, kicking the woman square in the chest. With an echoing thud, the woman was sent flying through the air, landing sprawled on the ground. The man rushed to her side, but a barbaric-like bearing of her teeth kept him a good distance away.

James felt his breath catch in his throat as it began to speed up. He was unable to predict his outcome. For all he knew, he was seconds from death and without a single prayer.

His eyes widened. The woman rose, ungracefully, to her feet. "You," she shouted, "will pay." Raising her head slightly, she spat onto his shoes and stomped out of the room, muttering faintly, "The Dark Lord shall have his time with the boy soon…"

The door slammed shut behind the two Death Eaters.

()()()()()() Breanna ()()()()()()

"That's it, right there," Breanna pointed, grinning. She took in a long, deep breath, exhaling all of her nerves and worries, slightly breathless at what they were all just about to do. "This is it…"

Sirius nodded, solemn faced. "Follow me," he commanded. "Fly low."

The three stayed on his tail, mere feet behind Sirius. He took a sharp turn and led them around the tall wall surrounding the castle courtyard. As they approached the next turn, Sirius slowed and stopped, landing beside his friends on the ground.

"Southeast corner," Breanna said, pointing out their location. "Bella, you watch the north side of the castle – try not to go too far west, otherwise the Death Eaters stationed at the gatehouse will most definitely see you. Also, James is, supposedly, in the keep on the north side, so you will most likely be the one able to alert all of us of his status. Sirius," Breanna addressed, "you're the northeast corner. If you look above the wall, you'll be able to see the bowling green, which is where most of the Death Eaters are congregated. Keep an eye on them and mention any suspicious activities to us. Remus, you will - "

"Wingardium Leviosa!"

The four students immediately felt themselves being lifted high above the ground.

A very tall man held his wand up high in front of him, obviously the one who had shouted the spell.

"I told you!" a squeaky voice behind the man shouted, jumping up and down in a long, black robe, trailing several feet on the ground behind him. "I told you I saw people on brooms!"

The tall man nodded, as if annoyed by the squeaky pest. "I saw them too. Otherwise I wouldn't have come out here."

The squeaky man made a noise of displeasure. He soon proceeded to lift his robes just over his feet, walking back to the gatehouse with his nose held high into the air and an attitude of arrogance.

"Well," the tall man started, "you all are just kids. Why on earth would you four be out here on a night like this?" He began walking towards the entrance, leaving their brooms behind. "I'm sure it isn't a coincidence, is it?"

Bella shook her head. "No, no," she said, "we live a few miles back there. We were just flying around for a bit after dinner," she lied smoothly, adding a sweet smile.

"Any other night," the man muttered, floating them through the entryway and down a dusty path inside the courtyard. "Had you said that to me any other night but this one, I just might have believed you."

Breanna swallowed, looking quickly at Remus.

"You lot were trespassing on private property," the man said, stepping inside a tall building. "This deserves punishment."

As the tall man stood before an open door, he waved his wand, causing the group to be thrown roughly into a spacious room that they all figured to be a jail cell.

"We were just flying!" Bella shouted, one last time.

He turned on his heel, giving Bella a small shred of hope, but soon waved his wand, shouting, "Accio!" sending all four of their wands to his hand before the door slammed, leaving them in solid darkness

A voice cleared, whispering hoarsely, "Is everyone alright?" It was Breanna.

"I'm here," Sirius said quietly, reaching out for where Breanna was, finding her hand. He held it tight. "Bella?"

"Present," she sighed, walking to the only source of light: the small window. "That certainly didn't go as planned…" She looked around the room and found Sirius and Breanna as they fell into a small patch of moonlight, as well. "Where's Remus?"

The three waited, hoping for a voice, but heard nothing. "Remus?" Sirius called, louder. He dropped to his hands and knees, feeling around in the darkness. He rolled his eyes at himself, beginning to think clearly. Dogs have better night vision…

Sirius quickly transformed into a large, black dog, getting used to the light, or lack thereof. He noticed Bella's look of astonishment – the very same adorable tremor she wore every time he transformed into a dog – and smiled slightly, noticing her attempt to hide it not so discreetly.

Sirius looked at the spot where they had been thrown into the room. Sirius found Remus, slack against the wall, clearly unconscious. He changed back into his human self and ran directly to his side.

He froze as he felt his knee drop into something very wet and very cold.

Sirius was kneeling in a pool of blood.

.-..-..-..-..-..-. Peter .-..-..-..-..-..-.

"Master."

Peter looked over to see a tall man quickly walking over. He passed Peter and bowed deeply before Voldemort.

"Four people were found lurking around the back, as you said they would be," he said, looking down at Voldemort's feet, and holding out four wands in his hand. "First floor, first door."

"Right on schedule," he spoke, grinning maliciously. "Lock the wands away with the other," he said to the tall man, looking around the small circle that was slowly forming before him.

Rookwood stared directly at Voldemort, taking in all of the features he had heard of in awe and fear. It was the face that haunted most wizards' dreams. His face, which had mighty wizards trembling in their shoes, was dark under his hood, a permanent shadow settled across it. His glowing, red eyes seemed to take in everything around him. Rookwood braved a glance towards Voldemort's eyes and was cowed by the power shining through. His smile was anything but warm; there had never been a time when Rookwood had seen a warm smile on his master's face. Nothing but evil etched into each line of his face.

Proud to be in his company, Rookwood jutted out his chest, attempting to attract his master's attention.

As Voldemort stepped further into the circle, he walked towards Rookwood. Pick me, Master, he thought desperately, trying to conceal his grin. Choose me – I will help.

Voldemort stopped and pointed, signaling to Peter, obviously loving to play with him. No! Rookwood felt himself crumble. He is no help! I can help!

"Deliver a message to your dear friends from me," Voldemort spoke quietly, to Peter, standing tall.

Peter swallowed hard, attempting to remain calm. They'd recognize me – don't make me! he pleaded silently. "Yes, Master," he said, nodding his head. Peter hesitantly approached Lord Voldemort, looking down at his feet.

"I want you to tell the girl that her parents – for the moment – are safe and sound. If they create chaos, the situation will change." He laughed, amused at the game he was playing with the children. "It's a little teaser for them, you could say. To keep them in check."

"My Lord," Peter said, raising his head slightly, and then looking back down to his feet. "I thought your intention was to kill them all in the end."

Voldemort laughed loudly.

"I don't believe I told you to tell them that piece of information."

------------Sirius------------

"Remus!" Breanna shouted frantically, trying to wake him from his slumber.

"He's unconscious," Sirius muttered, remaining calm for the time being. He cleared his mind of any doubts or fears for his wounded friend, and instead searched for his wrist in the dark, strategically positioning his fingers. "He has a pulse."

Bella took charge of the situation. "Move him into that little bit of light," she commanded, directing them towards a spot beside the door with a dim light from the window.

Breanna blinked furiously. No more crying, she demanded of herself, clenching her hands together in a death grip. Too many tears have been wasted when I could have helped. I'm strong. Not weak.

"Take his feet," Sirius said solemnly to Bella, dragging him into the light. Immediately, their vision of Remus was better, revealing a long gash at the back of his head.

Quickly, Breanna whipped off her Hogwarts uniform from over her normal clothes. She ripped off a sleeve and balled the rest of the uniform up, laying it underneath his head.

Sniffing bravely, she held the sleeve of her robe to the cut atop Remus' head, stroking his cheek lovingly. "Stay with us, Remus," she prayed.

"He probably hit his head on the wall when we were thrown in," Sirius said quietly, attempting to rid themselves of an awkward silence. He focused intently and changed back into a dog, running to the spot where they had found Remus, observing the remains.

"What is it, Sirius?" Bella asked, hearing sniffing from a dog.

After a few seconds, Sirius spoke. "Not a lot of blood. All we can really do, right now, is wait for him to wake up."

Breanna swiped viciously at her eyes, keeping tears off of her face.

"I think the bleeding stopped," Breanna said, acting much braver than she felt. "It shouldn't, hopefully, be too long until he wakes up. That is, assuming all he received was a minor blow to the head." She pulled the bloody cloth away tentatively. Slowly, Breanna held her hand up, flexing it. Pieces of dried blood splattered across her hand dropped in flakes to the floor. Her glazed-eyed expression did not register the gruesomeness of the situation, leaving her to turn back to Remus "Wake up," she whispered softly.

Sirius reached out to his left for Bella, sensing her shock at the fatal situation, and grabbed her hand, pulling her close. "We'll find a way out," he said. "I promise."

"We never should have come," Bella whispered logically, digging her head into Sirius' chest. Her voice came out muffled. "We should have told Dumbledore where the meetings were taking place. He would have known exactly what to do, and we wouldn't have come in as amateurs. We didn't know what we were really getting into…"

"Dumbledore would have given us a speech on jumping to conclusions again." He replied, shrugging. He had run out of ideas.

Bella nodded.

"Our main worry right now is getting out alive," Sirius said. "And we are not going to play a what-if or a we-should-have game."

Sirius felt Bella raise her head, obviously looking for something. "We could try sneaking out. But, of course," she sighed, deflating immediately, "the windows happen to have bars over them to expel that thought quickly. But I think that the number of wandering Death Eaters in the courtyard is getting lower and lower. Our chance of getting out while their meeting is taking place is greater."

"But," Sirius interrupted, "we still need to get our wands and the three Unspeakables."

"We could always try leaving without our wands. Those can be bought again," she said reasonably. "Our only hope, then, is that our brooms are still lying out of the castle, assuming that man forgot about them."

"All of which," Sirius agreed, "the outcome in unpredictable."

Sirius watched as Breanna got to her feet in the small moon beam, approaching the pair in a fury. "And how are you both thinking we'll even get out of here with Remus unconscious and bleeding on the floor, my parents locked up – assuming they're still alive –, and without any source of magic? Are you going to try wandless magic, but yet, still leave quietly?" Sirius heard several stomps of frustration, and then Breanna spoke again. "You're insane! There's no chance!" she cried.

The door flung open, revealing a short man in the doorway.

Sirius shielded his eyes from the bright light, looking away and holding a hand up to his face. Breanna turned, facing the figure bravely.

"What?" she demanded, eyes blazing.

"Message," he said simply in, what they thought was, a strained voice. He cleared it, looking in Breanna's direction. "For you."

Breanna crossed her arms, glaring at the Death Eater. "From Voldemort, I assume?"

He nodded, twitching compulsively.

Breanna blinked, attempting to act unfazed by the news. "Why does he want to tell me something? No," she corrected, shaking herself from the small daze she was in. "Why doesn't he come here himself. Is he not man enough?" she shouted, taking a step closer to the figure. Lowering her voice to a whisper, she hissed, "It's about my parents, isn't it?"

"Breanna," Bella warned, her eyes darting back and forth between Breanna and the man in the doorway. "Be careful," she whispered, bringing a hand nervously to her mouth.

The man continued, ignoring Breanna's aggression towards him. "The Dark Lord asked me to - "

He dropped to the ground.

The group was silent. "Uh – excuse me…?" Breanna looked back at the two behind her, confused. "Sir…?" She bit her lip and faced Bella in confusion. "Am I supposed to wake him…?"

"Would you be quiet?"

Breanna's eyes widened. She spun back to the door, face alight as a silhouette stepped into the light, cringing. "Remus?" she whispered softly, almost worried that if she were to speak to loudly, he would have vanished before her eyes.

The sandy haired boy smiled in pain. He held up his right shoe. "Never assume magic is the only thing that can get you out of tight situations."

Sirius laughed heartily. "You knocked the bastard out!" he shouted, grinning. "Smart thinking, buddy."

"And nice timing…" Bella muttered to herself, placing a hand over her thudding heart. She laughed, taking a shuddering breath, attempting to hide her fear at the previous situation.

"My little hero," Breanna giggled, wrapping her arms around Remus' neck and kissing his cheek.

"Ah," he gasped, touching the back of his head gingerly. "I might be a hero, but I still have one hell of a headache."

Breanna laughed, grinning at him.

"If I may interrupt this little powwow," Bella said, stepping forward, "I want to point out to everyone that the door is wide open, there are no Death Eaters standing in our way, and we really can't afford to lose any more time."

Breanna nodded, agreeing. "Let's go," she said, leading the group out of the door.

Sirius held up a finger, kneeling onto the floor. "Wait a minute," he called, reaching for the hood of the Death Eater sprawled on the floor.

"No," Bella whispered urgently, grabbing his hand. She pulled him, running for the door. "There's no time!"

-----------------------------------James-----------------------------------

"Dammit," James swore, letting his head drop to his chest in defeat. His legs were becoming very weak, about to drop out from underneath him from standing for such a long period of time. He had twisted and turned, trying as hard as he could to get out anyway he thought possible. For several minutes, he even tried willing his hand to be smaller, just so that it could slide out of the cuffs, but there was no use.

He had spent the entire time staring to the right of him, avoiding the sight of the dead body. His neck was beginning to grow sore.

Angrily, James kicked at the wall behind him, furious at the situation he had gotten himself into. I just had to piss them off…

He leaned against the wall, resigning to his fate. He hung his hands limply, high in the air several inches above his head. A huge gust of wind blew in through the small opening in the wall above the body. He let out a soft gasp as the torch flickered and died, plunging him into complete darkness.

James began to cough severely as the wind carried the smell of the dead body to his nose.

"Great," he muttered. "This is just wonderful." My life doesn't get much better than this, does it? James thought sarcastically. Miserable, alone, and inches from a gruesome death at the hands of Voldemort. He let out another choking noise at the smell. And a dead roommate. Spectacular.

Holding his breath, James turned to the window, hoping for a source of light. The sun had long since disappeared, leaving the entire courtyard black. Every now and then he would hear a soft murmur of voices. If he squinted his eyes, he could just barely make out an outline of a Death Eater. It was, now, rather obvious why they chose to wear black.

After several minutes of watching the grounds, James noticed something odd. There was a Death Eater standing mere feet away from the building James was locked in. He watched the dark figure curiously as the Death Eater stared directly up at the room James was in.

He swallowed, and bravely opened his mouth. "Hey!" he shouted, pulling at his hands once again. The chains began to rattle. "Hey, you! Let me out!"

Obviously, James knew that demanding to be let out would not actually work, but if the Death Eater was baited and chose to speak to him, he might be able to change his current future outcome. Or at least speed up the process of my death – I really have nothing to lose anymore…

James continued watching the Death Eater curiously as he continued staring up at James' window. The figure did nothing. "Hey!" he shouted again daringly, after several minutes of silence.

He felt his muscles beginning to cry out in pain. James was stretching his neck too far to the side in order to look out the window. He leaned his head back against the wall, relaxing.

Taking another deep breath, James shook his head, waking himself up from his slight slumber. He twisted his body around again, looking out the window.

Troubled, James squinted, but saw nothing.

There was a soft pop behind him, and James turned back to the door before him, fearful. He swallowed, realizing the Death Eater had apparated just on the other side of the door. He hadn't really thought that Death Eater would actually want to talk to him! What would he say?

Nothing to say, he thought, attempting to fool himself into believing he actually felt brave. I'd kick the shit out of him.

"Get in here!" James shouted, hoping his fear wasn't noticeable in his voice.

The large door creaked open and a figure stepped inside. Panicked, James wrapped his hands around the chains as he had done earlier, now as a precaution.

"Hey, buddy, get me out of these chains," he tried, hoping to get the man closer to him. James felt himself smile slightly in victory as the figure closed the door behind him and stepped forward, ignoring the fumes from the corpse on the floor.

"James."

A woman. James froze, curious. His hands released the grip he had held on the chains, allowing his arms to go slack. Slowly, James' arms stopped swinging, silencing the soft clanging of the chains. His smile had disappeared from view, now, replaced with a look of fear. "Yeah?" he questioned, taken aback by her knowledge of who he was.

The woman stepped into the moonlight slowly, taking each of her steps one at a time. Without a bit of hesitation, she reached up to her hood and pulled it down, staring directly into James' curious eyes.

No one could have mistaken the eyes.

No one could have mistaken the hair.

No one could have prepared James for this moment.

"Lily."

Remus

"It's left," Remus said, pointing to the door. "Don't you remember which way he went when we came in?"

"Yes!" Sirius shouted. "He went right, so we'll go right!"

Remus blinked and shook his head, looking at Bella. "And you're dating him?"

She rolled her eyes, following Breanna out the door and stepping into the dirt path.

"Which way to the gatehouse?" Bella asked as they stood in the doorway.

"Can't really see," Breanna muttered to herself, squinting into the darkness. The two girls stepped forward. "I think it's just over there, though…"

A red beam of light shot past the two girls. Both heads turned to their left in surprise, horror fleeting across their face.

"They've escaped!" a deep voice shouted, sending another spell towards them. Remus ducked back into the small alcove. He stuck out his arm, keeping Sirius tucked inside with him.

"What is it?" Sirius hissed, looking strangely at Remus. Several figures ran by, kicking up dust. Holding in any noises, Remus buried his face into his own cloak, shielding himself from the dirt.

The two girls immediately began running away from the Death Eaters, hoping to find cover quickly.

"Bella!" Sirius shouted, finally conscious of the situation at hand. He pushed at Remus, about to take off, chasing after the Death Eaters, but was quickly detained.

"Stop," Remus said firmly, holding him back by the collar of his shirt. "They'll be fine. They can easily outrun him." He gestured to the Death Eater's large stomach and short legs. "You can't save them without getting into trouble yourself."

Sirius grunted, succumbing to the fact that Remus, once again, was right. "Then what now?"

"Ah," Remus nodded with a smile. He pulled him in the opposite direction of the new found chaos.

"Where are we going?" Sirius asked, slightly nervous without the protection of his wand. "We don't have a chance fighting anyone else, if it wasn't those blokes back there," he shouted frantically, jabbing to the large men in the opposite direction. "We are screwed, Remus, completely - "

"First of all," Remus interrupted, holding a hand firmly over Sirius' mouth, "you had better learn to trust yourself without the help of magic. Relax, think things through. We'll be fine," he convinced him softly, carefully removing his hand. "You can't always rely on one help – use you brain."

Sirius swallowed, following Remus like an obedient puppy. "I was brought up in a house with magic," he hissed, quietly this time. "How the hell am I supposed to just forget all of that?"

"I didn't say to forget it."

Sirius rolled his eyes, scuffing his shoe into the path. "Remus, your fortune cookie speeches are getting very old very - "

Remus stopped in his tracks, wide-eyed. "Hide!" he hissed urgently, shoving Sirius to the side and into a thick mass of shrubs. The hit had taken Sirius completely by surprise. He was unable to show any grace whatsoever, leaving him to fall through the mess of twigs and leaves, hitting the ground face first. Sirius lay sprawled onto his stomach.

He narrowed his eyes as his friend jumped, cat-like, into the bushes, landing very delicately on the tips of his toes.

Groaning under his breath, Sirius rolled onto his back and clutched at his stomach. "Nice," he muttered, managing to pull himself up into a sitting position. "If you try that move again, I'm going to - "

"Would you rather have been sent back to that cell?"

Proving a point, Remus held open a small hole in the bushes, allowing Sirius to watch as a hunched Death Eater, trudged past slowly.

"Be glad he wasn't paying any attention. Otherwise, you would've been a goner without me." Remus allowed the branches to swing closed as he crossed his arms smugly.

Sirius brushed off his pants grumpily. He took a deep breath, wincing slightly as a pain briefly shot through his insides. "So, where are we going, genius?"

Remus stood and pointed to the tallest building, barely visible through the darkness. "The keep," he said, "to see if we can still help Breanna's parents."

!Lily!

"Hi, James."

James was motionless.

Lily looked down at her hands clenched together. Slowly, she took a small step forward.

"You stay back."

Lily looked up, fear in her eyes. Swallowing, she dropped her head, sadly. "I know," she whispered, just loud enough for them both to hear her words. "I was horrible last week; it was awful of me to just turn my back on you."

"And is this why you told me no? Because you knew I'd never approve?" James asked, backed against the wall. The familiar stench floated to James, but he made no effort to avoid it. Funny, he thought to himself miserably, that smell doesn't seem to bother me much anymore…

Lily looked a bit puzzled. "This what?" she asked, seeming to miss something.

James looked thunderstruck. "Lily! You're a – you're not bothered that I know?"

She blinked, clearly confused. "By what?"

James looked like he was about to pull out his hair. "You're a Death Eater!"

She covered her mouth, hiding a smile.

"James, have you ever heard of a disguise?"

Immediately, James' entire body went slack against the stone wall behind him, relieved from these words. "Lily, you knew how much my family is against the Dark Arts. You shouldn't have let me even think you were a Death Eater for a split second…"

"I never tried to trick you!" Lily dropped her smile and bit her lip. "But if I were actually a Death Eater," she started, wondering if she should even touch the topic, "would you have turned me in?"

James kept his head down, his face turning a brilliant shade of red. "No."

Lily blushed as well, glad that he was looking away. Hurriedly, Lily pulled out her wand and began attempting to break the locks on the chains keeping him in.

"So," James said quickly, attempting to ignore the fact that Lily was mere inches from his face. "How'd you get here?"

"Ah…" Lily held up her wand rather guiltily. "You see, I've been studying apparition for the past year…"

"Oh, have you received your license already?" James asked, trying to make a pleasant conversation.

Slowly, but surely, Lily shook her head.

James raised an eyebrow. He was unable to make up his mind about Lily; on the one hand, he was shocked the she would ever have gone against the Ministry's laws, but on the other hand, James was very impressed at her sharp learning skills. "Lily, you could have splinched yourself trying to save me."

"I've been studying for months," Lily muttered modestly. "Plus," she added at once, "I was also here to help the others."

"Whoa," James panicked, shaking his head as if he had not heard correctly. "Others? What on earth are you talking about?"

Lily smirked, dropping her wand to her side and taking a step backwards. "James, you and Sirius aren't friends just because you both love pranks – you guys love playing the hero. He couldn't just sit by, letting you walk to your grave."

"Where are they?" he asked. James began to sweat profusely as his face lost its' color. It's my entire fault if anything happens to them… "Wouldn't they have shown up now?"

She shrugged, sending another charm to the chains above his head. "I would have assumed the same thing."

James' eyes widened. "You mean they could be stuck in one of these cells too?"

Lily shrugged, backing away slightly, shocked by the sudden outburst. "For all we know, they're rescuing the prisoners right now! Don't panic – that's the very last thing we want to do," she said calmly, touching his shoulder reassuringly.

James nodded, looking directly at the door across from him. Too close, he thought, swallowing. She's way too close for comfort…

An awkward silence followed, causing James to cough in the opposite direction of where Lily stood several times as she sent many different charms at the cuffs on his wrist. After several minutes, Lily shouted, slamming her fist into the wall.

"I have no idea what kind of charms they put on this lock!" she shouted, eyes blazing. Taking one final chance, she stepped into a firm stance. "Step aside," she commanded sharply.

James did as he was told, stepping to the side of the wall, standing at an odd angle

"Adventum!" A blue light shot out of her wand. James gazed up at the bright light as it hit the spot where the long chain and the wall were connected causing the entire chain to fall out of the wall in one piece, connecting James' two hands together.

"Great," he muttered, holding his wrist out in front of him, dangling the long chain from underneath. "From above my head to below."

Lily glared at him. "Be glad you're even out."

He sighed, nodding. "Could you cut the extra chain off, at least, so I could move my arms a bit more?"

Lily shook her head. "If we're planning on walking out, you should at least make it look like you're still a prisoner, right?"

James shrugged. "I guess." He walked to the door and stood there without looking back. "Are you coming?"

Lily swallowed, staring adamantly at her hands. She began wringing them out of a nervous habit. "James, you do know I'm sorry, right?"

"Course," he said without hesitation. Scratching his head awkwardly, James spoke. "Are we going to get out of here or not?"

"No," she cut in, "I mean I'm really sorry. I never meant to hurt you at all."

He nodded. "I know you didn't. We're still friends. It's fine."

Lily shook her head, attempting to get direct eye contact with James. "No," she said firmly. "I don't want to be friends – at least – not just friends…"

James felt a smile creep onto his face, finding everything at the moment too good to be true. He turned, walking back to where Lily stood. He took her small hands into his chained ones. "Lily, this really - "

"And I had a really stupid reason for walking out on you," she added, saying it all very quickly. "It was selfish."

"It's alright, but - "

"I've felt so strongly towards you for several months," she whispered energetically, her green eyes shining with tears. She stepped closer, grasping onto his hands as if it were her last hope. "I was worried you would disappear as soon as you showed up in my life, and I just can't afford to lose anyone else I really care about."

"Lily, I - "

"I love you, too," she whispered desperately, holding his hand up to her face as a comfort. "I love you."

James grinned. Slowly, he ran his thumb across her smooth cheek and into her hair. "I couldn't be more thrilled," he said softly, leaning into a passionate kiss. It seared through Lily's body and soul, hitting each and every nerve with an earth-shattering bang. Finally, she could hear herself think, a kiss we both want at the same time. Lily wrapped her arms around James' neck, smiling into the exhilarating kiss.

After pulling away, Lily looked down. Slightly abashed, she immediately began to wring her hands as she had done before, but stopped. Why are you worried? Lily asked herself. It's James – there's absolutely nothing to be afraid of with him. Nodding affirmatively to herself, Lily grinned, swallowing and pushing all of her fears out of the window. She stood her ground, gazing lovingly into James' face as she reached for his hand again. "That was one hell of a kiss, Potter."

James nodded stupidly with a goofy grin on his face. He inhaled deeply, trying to catch his breath. "Right – of course – yes." He shook his head, holding out his arm. "Shall we?"

Lily pulled up her hood, held out her wand, and took a hold of his arm, acting as if he were a prisoner.

She opened the door, but they were stopped by a cloaked man standing before them.

"Excuse me," the voice from underneath a large, black cloak interrupted, "were you going somewhere?"

.-..-..-..-..-..-. Peter .-..-..-..-..-..-.

"Get up!"

Peter's eyes shot open. He felt a sharp kick delivered to his side.

"Knock it off," he groaned, rolling over. He grabbed at his stomach, looking up at the attacker.

"What the hell are you doing?" the familiar voice shouted, his wand hanging in the air.

"What?" Peter asked, rubbing his head. "What am I doing on the floor…?"

"You let them get away!"

"Rookwood, what are you going on about?" Peter questioned, sitting up. He felt the blood rush to his head, pounding.

Rookwood looked astonished. He stared incredulously at Peter for a few more seconds, debating how his mind actually worked, and then pointed into the dark room behind him. It all came back to him immediately.

Peter twisted around on the floor, searching desperately for his four friends – prisoners. Not good, he thought, blinking several times, hoping for this all to be a dream. Very, very bad – they escaped. Oh, man, I'm in trouble…

"Damn…"

"That's right," Rookwood shouted, making several hand gestures at the small boy. "They're gone and we don't know where the hell they went to!" He crossed his arms, smirking evilly. "You do know that you have to tell the Dark Lord now, don't you?"

Peter swallowed, reaching up to touch his throat. He winced, imagining his fate.

"Serves you right for taking my job," he muttered sourly. "I was supposed to deliver the message, not you." Rookwood looked at the squirming figure on the floor, narrowing his eyes. "You didn't even deliver the message, did you?"

"I didn't take your job," he whispered softly, surprised he was even speaking back right now. "Voldemort picked me – I didn't volunteer."

"Who the hell cares," Rookwood cut in. "You still took it when it was rightfully mine." The tall boy paused and crossed his arms, thinking back to his previous question. "Did you deliver the message or not, Pettigrew?"

Peter coughed uncomfortably, running a hand through his hair.

"Ha!" Rookwood shouted, grinning. "I feel sorry for you, Pettigrew." He shook his head. "I've been sent to bring Potter to the Dark Lord." Proudly, Rookwood raised his head triumphantly. "He must have been saving Potter for me, because of the challenge he knew you couldn't handle."

Peter nodded without arguing. He crawled to his feet.

"You better talk to the Dark Lord," Rookwood hissed, reminding him, again, of his doom.

"Yeah," Peter muttered, readjusting his robes slowly. "I'm going…"

!Lily!

Lily panicked, feeling herself clench at James' arm. She cleared her throat and bowed her head low, sure to keep her face covered. "To the Dark Lord," she said in a disguised voice.

"Now you're taking my job?"

Lily looked subtly from James to the Death Eater, confused. "I – what? I assure you," she said, attempting to act confident, "I do not intend to take your job."

"Well, you're doing a good job of trying to get up on his list," he muttered, grabbing James' other arm, and holding out his wand, threateningly.

"No," Lily said, beginning to feel her red-head temper rise, "I am just taking him to the Dark Lord as he told me," she said solemnly, pulling James away from the hooded man.

"He told me to bring him," the Death Eater said back dangerously, pulling on James' arm. "I will not be looked down upon."

"But," Lily interrupted, pulling back, "seeing as I'm already here, I'll just take him myself." She began to walk off down the hallway with James in tow.

James looked at Lily, shaking his head frantically. Lily ignored him. Her fear had long since subsided. She felt free of worry. The only thing she wanted now was James, and she wouldn't let anyone stand in her way.

"Why are you so persistent?" the dark figure asked, raising his voice higher and higher. He took several steps forward, blocking off her escape. "You're challenging me," he hissed menacingly, "and I have yet to figure out why. But," he assured, "I will."

Lily swallowed and stepped to the side, attempting to move around him. She dug her nails into James' skin. "Look here, buddy, I will not - "

"I don't know who you think I am," he said firmly, clearly shouting at the top of his voice, "but I don't think you realize who you're messing with!" He held up a hand defiantly, and slapped her through the hood of the cloak.

Lily froze. She felt the sting on her cheek, but made no point of attracting any attention to it.

"I will take him," the cloaked man said calmly, knowing that he had defeated her.

He grabbed James' elbow for the third time and dragged him, unwillingly, down the hallway. With a helpless look, James mouthed, I'm fine.

Lily watched, fear beginning to re-enter her body; she had been floating on air minutes before. After the arrival of the Death Eater, Lily felt as if she were invincible; nothing could hurt her, now. She hadn't felt threatened by the man at all, and lost any and all nerves she ever had before today.

As the two boys disappeared around the corner, Lily broke out into a cold sweat, realizing just what she had done. I stood up against a Death Eater and let him walk off with James…

In a rage of fury and a surge of new-found strength, Lily waved her wand and disappeared in a pop.

------------Sirius------------

"Are we there yet?"

"Sirius, no whining. I told you that before we started to climb these steps."

"I never agreed – did you once here me say I wouldn't complain! That's just not in my nature!"

Remus rolled his eyes.

The two sprinted from shadow to shadow, lurking in the darkness, consisting of two detours and three close calls.

Remus and Sirius skidded to a halt at the bottom of a long staircase. Both of their jaws dropped at the number of steps there was to climb.

Remus was the first to recover from the shock. "Here's the plan," he said through several gasps as they began running up the stairs, hugging close to the wall. "Look for James and Death Eaters."

"Check," Sirius muttered, hoping James had already gotten in and out safely.

"Then," Remus continued, peering over the courtyard below them, "if James is not there," he muttered quickly, trying to brush off the horrible situation, "we'll try to get the prisoners and let them out."

"And our escape route is…?"

"See that balcony coming out of the top, there?"

Sirius stopped, looking up into the darkness. He found a stone wall and followed it, realizing it went the entire perimeter of the castle.

"If we're able to get on there and go off to the left, we'll make it to the gatehouse, but the main challenge is Death Eaters guarding this wall. We'll speak to Breanna's parents or something to figure out if they have any better ideas. Technically, they have been here longer," Remus muttered. "They might know the landscape better than us."

"Oh, is that all we need to be worried about?" Sirius sighed, slapping a hand to his forehead. He quickly wiped off the perspiration dripping onto the back of his neck. "We're screwed."

"Hush," Remus said sharply as they approached the keep.

The two boys slowed their ascent, ducking low. Remus reached the top step cautiously, glancing from left to right for other visitors. "It's clear," he said to Sirius, still in a whisper.

Tiptoeing delicately, Remus and Sirius hurried across the floor, entering an open space. Remus was thankful the sun had set, leaving no lights to find them.

"Mr. Roysen?" Remus called into the darkness. "Mrs. Roysen?"

Sirius waited, frozen to the spot. No voice called back. He slowly stood from his crouching position and walked into the center of the open room. "Mrs. Starnmen?"

No answer.

"I swear; this is where Breanna said they were supposed to be – didn't she?" Sirius looked in the general direction, finding Remus with his ear pressed against the wall. "She said the keep, right? Or maybe she said - "

"Quiet."

Sirius closed his mouth, hoping to hear what Remus seemed to be hearing. Trees, he found himself listing as he heard the sounds, birds, other footsteps…

"Remus," Sirius interrupted, panic covering his face. "Remus – I hear footsteps."

"No, no," Remus corrected, "they don't sound like footsteps. They rather sound like vibrations, as if someone is talking…"

"Look, there's someone coming!" Sirius pulled him away from the wall so that he could hear the clicking of a pair of shoes heading their direction. "I don't know what it is you heard, but we have got to get out of here!"

"We can't!" Remus hissed, slipping out of Sirius' grip. "They're here, I can hear them!" He examined the wall that he was standing at, pushing at it and feeling for corners. "Their voices are coming from behind this wall. There is some sort of hollow space back here…"

Sirius quickly jumped beside his friend, helping out as well. If we can get inside, we can escape the footsteps…

"Dammit," Remus hissed kicking at the wall. "There has to be some sort of way to get inside."

Sirius began shoving his shoulder into the wall, hoping to budge it. "Maybe they password protected the door."

"Unlikely," Remus grunted, moving further down the wall. "This castle was built by Muggles, so there shouldn't be any password doors at all!" He rolled up his fist and pounded at the wall with every word, becoming very frustrated. "Stupid – secret – door!"

"I agree," Sirius muttered, dropping on his hands and knees. He focused intently, willing himself to become big and hairy, yet again. Black fur sprouted from his skin with a mere tickle, and he felt a long tail protruding from his backside. Eagerly, he pounced at the base of the door, smelling around for a track.

Give me any little smell, he begged, sniffing at the floor. He stopped at a familiar scent, pausing. Remus, he thought, ticking his name off the list. I need an unfamiliar scent. Give me anything… Sirius found himself circling the entire room at a fast run. He slowed at another scent.

James.

Sirius ignored the scent and continued, focusing on the task at hand. Come on… Sirius begged, Perfume would be a nice giveaway…

It wasn't until Sirius was nearly face to face with Remus, where he begun, that Sirius found it.

It's them! he rejoiced, wagging his tail. He backed up, sizing up the stone wall, and with a pounce, he jumped full force into the wall.

It moved!

Remus immediately jumped into action as well, helping Sirius at the location he had found. It took a few pushes, but the door finally opened with a solid thud.

Sirius was the first down the steps with Remus quickly on his heels. They were both in awe at the size of the place they had just found. The stairs had taken an immediate turn, circling around the outer rim of the room, all the way to, what Remus assumed, was the basement.

Sirius, the dog, stayed in the lead, panting. He was growing dizzy at the speed he was traveling. Already, Sirius had traveled around the tight circle four times, while Remus was still on his second.

Light! Sirius thought, letting out a series of barks, echoing in the tall room. He looked quickly over his shoulder and saw Remus closing in on them as well. While in motion, Sirius shifted back into his human form, not caring to explain to any others why he was an unregistered Animagi.

"Mr. Roysen!" Sirius shouted, running into the open room. He grinned at the sight of the missing Ministry members, but stopped short, very confused. "What happened?"

Remus had now skidded to a halt behind Sirius and looked upon the scene with unmasked horror.

The circular room revealed a single fire pit in the center of the floor, burning brightly. The light filled the room with an eerie glow, casting odd shadows and strange shapes. Surrounding the pit were five wooden pillars nearly twice their size, presumably used during the 1600's. Tied to the pillars were the three Ministry workers, two of the three with limp figures.

"They're gone." Charles Roysen's voice cracked. "Gabriella Starnmen," he whispered in gasps. "My wife." He choked on a dry sob.

"They're dead."

Sirius dug his hands into her pocket. He quickly found what he was looking for and pulled out the object: a small pocket knife. Sirius wasted no time and walked to Mr. Roysen's side, cutting off the ropes wrapped around his body.

Remus approached the two women's lifeless forms and checked for their pulses. "What happened?"

"The Death Eaters were sent to kill each of us on the hour. Gabriella was killed at eight. Cecilia at ten – just a little while ago." Mr. Roysen took a deep, shuddering breath. "My time is at midnight."

Sirius managed to saw through a thick line of rope, hugging the man to the pole. As it cut loose, the majority of ropes fell to his feet, leaving the rope behind his back. Sirius sawed away.

"Why?" Remus asked, stepping forward. He placed a gentle hand on Mr. Roysen's shoulder and examined his head, looking for cuts or bruises. "Why do they have you locked up here?"

A loud thud echoed throughout the room.

A look of horror attached itself to Mr. Roysen's face. He swallowed. "They're back."

"Hide!" Remus hissed to Sirius, frantically. "They can't find us, again!"

Sirius dove behind the pole adjacent to Mr. Roysen's and then realized his mistake.

The ropes, he thought miserably.

"What are you doing?" Remus whispered as Sirius jumped back into sight, reaching for the ropes.

"They'll know we're here!" Sirius immediately began to wrap the rope hurriedly around Mr. Roysen's body, hoping not to get caught by the intruder. Holding his breath, Sirius had wrapped until two loose ends were left. Quickly, he tied them together into a sloppy knot. At least it should hold for the time being…

Without any time left, Sirius spun in his spot, directly behind the pole of Mr. Roysen. He closed his eyes and attempted to stop his chest from taking in heaving gulps of air. Don't find me, he prayed, swallowing loudly.

There were three final steps as the intruder paused. There was a small shuffle and then a voice. "Mr. Roysen?"

The man behind Sirius gasped in delight. "Lily, darling!"

Both Sirius and Remus stepped out from their spots, dumbstruck. "Lily, what are you doing here?" Sirius shouted. "You told me you weren't coming!"

She shrugged and walked swiftly to Mr. Roysen's side. "I found an alternate ride."

Sirius shook his head, smiling. He went back to work, cutting off Mr. Roysen's ropes.

"Who on earth are you boys, anyway?" he asked, sounding slightly confused at the moment.

"They're my friends from school," Lily explained. "The boy behind you is Sirius Black, one of our good friends."

Sirius stepped out and grinned briefly.

"And this," Lily continued, pointing to the blushing boy, "is Remus Lupin, Breanna's new-found love."

Mr. Roysen did a double take. "Boyfriend, eh?"

Remus nodded, swallowing.

"Mr. Lupin," he said. "Considering you are risking your life to save me, you must be a great guy." He smiled weakly. "She chose well."

"Thank you, sir," Remus nodded, glad the awkward situation had passed.

"Call me Charles," he said in a deep voice.

"Of course," Remus said softly, scratching the back of his neck.

"Done!" Sirius exclaimed, proud that he had remembered to bring along his trusty pocket knife.

"Thank you," Mr. Roysen said, grateful of the bind they had gotten him out of. He rotated his wrists and massaged them, hoping to get rid of the red, rope burn.

"Should we…?" Sirius pointed to the other two bodies, wondering whether or not he should cut them down.

"No," Mr. Roysen sharply cut in, dropping his hands solemnly to his side. "What we need to do right now is get out alive. If we're able to, we can send a Ministry official back to retrieve them later."

Lily nodded and turned towards the stairs. "But we have to help James," she said.

"How do you know where he is?"

Sirius cut in. "I know he's in at least some sort of trouble – I smelled him upstairs."

Remus nodded without any explanation to Mr. Roysen whatsoever. But this didn't keep him from asking questions.

"Hold it," the adult interrupted. "Back up – who is James?"

"Best friend," Sirius explained. "He's the one Voldemort wants."

Mr. Roysen looked troubled. "But he – not him…"

Lily stepped off of the stairs with an apprehensive look on her face and approached her best friend's father. "What is it?"

His eyes filling with dread, Mr. Roysen shook his head slowly.

"He's not the one they want…"

.-..-..-..-..-..-. Peter .-..-..-..-..-..-.

"Master."

Peter dropped to his knees, bowing down. He was tempted to kiss his master's shoes.

"What is it, boy?" Voldemort hissed, sounding very similar to a snake.

Peter pulled himself to his feet again, fearing the words about to come out of his mouth. "Master, I have failed you."

The tall man looked down without speaking. Peter took this as a sign to continue.

"Upon reaching the prisoner's chambers, I was knocked unconscious and unable to deliver the message to the girl."

Voldemort's eyes narrowed even closer than they were already.

"The four escaped."

It was now that Peter could see his master grow upset. He walked across the circle and gestured to the group of Death Eaters. "Four prisoners have escaped due to a stupid mistake," Voldemort explained loudly. "You are to find them – bring them alive."

Six Death Eaters walked off, bowing to their master as they left.

"Now," The Dark Lord said softly, turning to face Peter, "what are we going to do to fix this problem so that it never happens again?"

The small boy swallowed. He began to lower himself to the ground but Voldemort interrupted him.

"Stand!" he hollered, approaching his victim.

Peter froze. He felt like he was about to cry.

In a flash, Voldemort's hand shot out of his cloak and locked itself around Peter's neck, choking him in a death grip. "Will it happen again?" Voldemort shouted in a raspy voice.

Unable to breathe, Peter shook his head desperately. Can't – breathe…

"My Lord."

Voldemort dropped Peter to the ground and looked up for the source of the sound, allowing the rat to crawl away.

It was Rookwood, followed closely by a struggling black-haired boy.

Perfect…

Rookwood had, apparently, levitated the chains high above James' head, as if he were still hanging from the wall. His feet were dangling several inches off of the ground.

"Get the hell away from me!" James shouted, pulling at his chains, attempting to swing in the opposite direction.

"He's a bit feisty," Rookwood said quietly to the Dark Lord. Maneuvering James into the center of the circle, Rookwood dropped his wand and allowed James to hang in the air. Turning to the Dark Lord, he grinned underneath his hood. "Take good care of him, Master."

Voldemort did not need to be told twice. He stared directly at James, smirking. Both sets of eyes were locked on the other, and neither moved.

Voldemort spoke to the group.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he announced, "meet my guest of honor."

AUTHORS NOTE: That's it! Few more chapters and we're finished, people! (Hard to believe, I know…) Let's try and push the end result of the story to 1,000 reviews! You all have no idea how much that would make my day!

REVIEW SECTION:

Silver Gaze: Nope, it's not abandoned! (Although it sure did look like it for nine months, didn't it? Haha!) In fact, I believe it should be quite the opposite, because I believe I have ideas for the rest of the story. I don't think there should be terribly long waits between chapters anymore, hopefully! Cross your fingers! Thanks for the review!

Frenga: I'm so glad! The best story ever:D That makes me very happy! Thank you for reviewing!

OneTreeHillCharmedFreak: Nice name:) And thanks a ton for the review!

Poopie Head: Alright, I'll try for more comedy, but it isn't a very comedic time at the moment… Thanks for reviewing!

Magoo: Thanks for the rating, Magoo! And thank you for reviewing!

Amy Bliss: It was a bit depressing, wasn't it? But thanks for the review! Hope you enjoy the rest of the story!

Jennifer Cole: Yes, a cliffhanger! (My specialty…) And considering your review, I'm thinking you probably liked the chapter… Haha! Thanks for the review!

AyCee: You should really read the books! They're amazing! The sixth book comes out this Saturday, so try checking that book out! I guarantee it – a good read! Thank you for reviewing, EVEN if you don't read Harry Potter religiously… Haha!

GinnyWeasley418: Drama is just beautiful, isn't it? Haha! I'm glad you like how I balance the humor and tragedies, because that's one of the hardest parts to get! I'm glad you like the mixture! Thanks for reviewing!

Manda: Did you see the kiss? Did you:D They finally did it! Haha! Thank you for reviewing!

NEXT CHAPTER: Honestly, it isn't planned yet, but I'm sure they'll still be in Carisbrooke Castle… (The general thought is there, just not the specifics…)

Again, thanks to everyone, you all are incredibly wonderful:)

Enjoy Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince!

Yours truly,
Amelia Bedelia