Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Please, don't make me say it again… It get depressing after a while.

A/N: Hey Guys! So, here is chapter eight, just like I promised! It's probably kind of crappy since I'm sleepy, and it's late, and I have the most ridiculous Bollywood song stuck in my head, but give it a shot anyway, considering the fact that this is the chapter I've had most fun with and it is also by far the longest. So go ahead and read and review. (Don't forget the review part.) =D

Lily paced up and down the backstage area trying to calm her nerves. It was the day of her recital. Three weeks had passes since the day she spent with her friends in the sun, and nothing (thankfully) had disturbed the typical suburbia of their neighborhood for those days.

She tried to steady her breath as she readjusted her pointe shoes and fixed the straps of her dress in the mirror. It was a beautiful dress at that. It was a light green dress, and was longer on one side than the other. It hugged her torso, to her waist and the skirt was a mesh-like material, and it puffed out into a calf length skirt. The whole thing was covered in a silver glittering powder that would surely glitter in the lighting on stage.

It was beautiful. "Five minutes, Miss Evans," Madame Fontaine called. Lily gave a tense nod and began warming up. She slid easily into her splits and held them for a minute. She continued to do that with her other leg, and down the middle. She warmed up her arches like her life depended on it (And considering the amount of pointe work going into her solo, it probably did.)

"It's time!" Lily heard, along with may whispered 'good lucks', and 'break a legs' Lily moved to center stage and took a deep, calming breath. The lights came on, and she had to blink a few times to regain her vision. The pause between the lights and the music seemed to stretch on for ages, and Lily couldn't help but feel a little bit self-conscious.

In the audience, she saw the dimmed lights glint off the rim of someone's glasses when she froze. She knew those glasses. They were as much of a trade mark to the wearer as his Quidditch jersey. What the hell was James Potter doing here?

But then it hit her. James Potter wouldn't be here unless he suspected something. And Potter, being the idiotic Gryffindor he was, had to come here and "take care of her."

She discreetly studied the entire first row. Yes… It was just what she thought. All four Marauders were sitting right there, front and center. Arrogant gits, Lily spat in her head. Her best friends were sitting in the front row, shooting half-confused, half-furious looks at the boys. Thank fully, her parents were there took, looking at her with such looks of pride, that she knew she couldn't let herself disappoint them. Her foot hand twitched with nervousness.

But wait… No time to worry about that now. The music was coming on. Screw the Marauders, and hang the pressure; it was her time to shine. And shine she did. The dress did indeed shimmer with each movement she made, and each of her movements was perfectly timed with the music. Her toes pointed and flexed of their own accord. She leaped as if gravity was optional. She felt wonderful, until something snapped her out of her dance induced trance.

She was using a doorknob to spot her turns so that she wouldn't get off track when she saw it begin to turn. At first she thought it was just because she was dizzy from spinning, but she saw the door open slowly. Too slowly for it to be any late coming parents or audience members.

So it could only logically be…

"Everybody, get down!" she commanded at the top of her lungs just as the first spells were shot at her. She ducked out of the way of all of them and tried to frantically scramble backstage to grab her wand.

She scraped her elbows and cursed the sheer puffiness of the dress as she crawled on her hands and knees back stage. She had always wanted to be and Aurror and this was her first hands-on experience in battle, but by gum she was doing it in pointe shoes.

Wand… where in Merlin's name was her wand? Finally! She exclaimed as her fingers made contact with solid wood.

"Not so fast, Darling," An unfamiliar drawl droned at her. She didn't have to look up to know that he was a Death Eater. This time, she didn't even hesitate. She sent a nasty blasting hex right at the bloke's face.

"Stay down!" She snapped the little five year olds waiting for their chance on stage. Terrified of the general noise and explosions going on around them, they crouched. Lily ran forward back onto stage and towards the thick of the fighting. Potter was holding off two cloaked figures and Black was dueling expertly with one great big brute. Marlene was doing an interesting mix of muggle fighting and dueling, but it was downright effective. Mary and Alice were holding off a grand total of three Death Eaters. She scanned the room for her Parents and Petunia. Her mum was herding the younger children to the doors to help keep them out of harm's way and her father was helping carry away the babies who couldn't walk.

Further across the room, Petunia was battling a dim looking fat bloke with a make-up bag. She had pulled out her eyelash curler and was wielding it confidently like she could kill him with the flick of a wrist and the uneducated dunderhead looked like he believed her. (Lily was convinced that Petunia had got that move from an old spy movie they had seen as small children.)

Lily laughed at her big sister, but still admired her bravery. Lily shot a stunner straight at the man Petunia was battling and it caught him in the side of the head. Petunia looked to see where the help had come from, and caught Lily looking at her. Petunia's lips twitched upwards, but Lily cut her off by gesturing frantically to the door across the auditorium. Petunia nodded and made a das to the door.

Lily decided that she could take a Death Eater off of Mary and Alice's hands.

"So glad you could join us," Alice said sarcastically, as Lily sent a Petrificus Totalus at an approaching woman clad in all black.

"No problem," Lily gasped back to her friend. Someone tried to grab Lily's throat but she elbowed them in the gut. Freeing her throat and causing enough of a distraction for someone to shoot them. She couldn't tell anymore.

"Most of the muggles are out!" Marlene shouted over the din. "Your mum and dad insisted on staying behind and making sure that all the kids are secure."

"Alright," Lily yelled back, as shot a Curse of the Bogies at a woman trying to sneak up on Black. "Where are they now?" She added.

"Backstage!" Marlene shouted sending someone's body flying with a well places repelling charm.

"Petunia?" Lily asked, throwing up a shield charm just in the nick of time.

"She's gone outside to get help," Marlene shouted. The two girls both threw some blasting hexes at a cloaked figure headed their way, successfully sending them crashing into a door.

Curses flew, hexes were shouted light fixture's shattered, and Lily's bun had come out at some point and her hair kept flying into her face, but she couldn't stop. Some curses hit her and others, she deflected or ducked. It was far more intense than any Defense training she had ever received. Pain and exhaustion was being overridden by adrenaline, and she was grateful. Some part of her brain told her that she was going to be in pain after the battle was over, but she didn't hear it, nor did she care; she was in full on survival mode.

Somewhere in the haze Lily heard a new voice, and she spun to face her attacker, but was surprised to see that it was actually an Aurror squad led by none other than Albus Dumbledore himself.

Terrified to see the tall, bearded headmaster, the cloaked figures began disapparating out of the auditorium, leaving their wounded behind.

Cowards, Lily thought contemptuously. She lowered her wand, and paused for breath.

Just as he was about to refill her lungs with much needed oxygen, when she realized that there was a curse headed straight for her but it was too late. Her world went dark and she crumpled to the floor.

A/N: So… what do you think? I think you should leave me some feedback and review and stuff!

Love

Ice