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Flirting With the Enemy

By; Sierra Sitruc

Email: ChristmasAngel87@hotmail.com

Chapter 7 Imprisonment

Lily was asleep in her private cell, her fellow Death Eaters surrounding her, in their own tortures almost identical to hers.

It was a place between dreams or more likely nightmares and reality. While they slept they would dream of all the horrors or upsetting experiences they'd gone through, meaning they were dreaming the reality of what they'd lived in the past, but sometimes in their dreams those unthinkable things they'd done would change to become much worse then they had been in the first place.

A person cannot go without sleep and that was the only reason people in these cells were sleeping at all; if people could go without sleep they would have.

While the Ministry cells Lily was in were not as bad as Azkaban; it seemed to give you a glimpse of what your future would be like there.

Lily already knew what drove people to insanity in Azkaban, she'd heard Death Eaters talk about it, and how you must avoid it at all costs. In Azkaban you could hardly tell the difference between reality and a dream, since it all seemed the same. Whilst you were awake the same memories would haunt you as they would in your sleep, but easily being asleep was worse, everything you'd done- say your mother died from a long sickness and when you were asleep that same memory would change. Instead of her dying peacefully in her sleep she would be screaming and yelling at you. Saying unmentionable things, blaming you for her pain and suffering, and while you hear these things you heart is breaking. After night after night of similar experiences hearing loved ones degrade you, you would eventually be overwhelmed with guilt and sorrow and somewhere along the way you decide you don't want to live anymore, You feel hopeless and without hope a person's will to live is gone. Then the insanity kicks in and you die.

There were worse dreams that could haunt a person. Living your worst memory over and over would easily drive a person to that point of madness. Maybe such as the memory of a small mistake which led to deaths and heartbreak? Maybe memories of the all out humiliation, that feeling of mortification you felt would become ten times worse and would never leave your mind. Or the feeling of grief when you lost the person you cared most for, although that feeling never leaves you even without Dementors with you, the feeling is so unbearable you wish to be put out of the misery you emotions are putting you through.

All these are only ever present feelings that will not leave your mind. You become frustrated and miserable. With no way to escape the worst feelings of human emotion, there is no love or hate. Those two emotions are the ones that can save you, but most people while in his place of ever impending doom those emotions are trapped in the far corners of your mind, and you have to have a VERY strong will to ever have them back.

(A/N How was that? I was trying to describe it as best I could and I just couldn't describe it the way I wanted- I hope you are able to figure out what I meant.)

As Lily and the four other prisoners slept, if one had come in and walked through the hallway you would have wanted to leave as soon as possible.

That person would hear moaning and screams of human torment. The sounds of their discomfort would enter a person's ears and make them share their suffering. The Dementors are the only creatures able to cope with these sounds, as they enjoy it- and no one is sure if they have ears.

And as a person would walk among the cells, they too would soon feel painful memories enter their minds, but they are lucky they aren't in sleep, because sleep is one of the worst experiences in a Dementor's presence.

So one would not be able to guess how Isabella Patil walked straight into this hall way and walked directly to the cell of her best friend. Lily's cries reached Isabella's ears and hurt her soul, so ignoring her own pain; she entered the cell and awoke the sleeping Death Eater.

As Isabella did this Lily screamed out and looked up.

"Isabella?" Lily thoughts were spinning as she looked up at her best friend, and she wondered if this were another dream or if in fact her friend was there.

"Yes?" Isabella looked concerned and frightened. Isabella would have been a great Gryffindor if she had not been in Ravenclaw, because going into a room with Dementors takes a lot of Bravery indeed. "I came to set this mess straight, as soon as I read in the Daily Prophet that you and Potter had returned I rushed over here."

"Huh- how?" Lily was still not in her right mind and was painfully shoving a memory of a colossal fight with Isabella in fourth year.

"I apparated, something you have yet to learn to do. It's the reason you are here in the first place! You couldn't apparate." Isabella said, trying to cheer Lily and herself up with humor. Noticing Lily was not amused, she gave her, her real reason. "If you must know, I've come here to help prove you innocent and to talk to you for a moment, I shouldn't be here alone, I'll most likely get in trouble, but Dumbledore said it would be all right…I have the feeling you aren't listening to me." Isabella said as she saw Lily's emerald eyes were staring into space and had a glazed look to them. Isabella's only response was a few tears falling down Lily's face. "Lily, are you okay?" Isabella asked gently.

Lily finally looked at her, "Izzy, you know I never meant to hurt you when I went out with Michael." Isabella looked confused for a moment and then she understood what Lily had been thinking of. Them mention of her old nickname made her remember, that nickname was only used when Lily wanted something, or was just being friendly.

"Those damn Dementors." Isabella muttered, "Lily remember I forgave you about that in fourth year! Remember Michael actually liked that Felicia girl."

"I really didn't mean too, I hope we can still be friends." Lily said, looking desperate. Isabella was hurting, just to look at Lily like this, and Isabella want to go punch that James Potter for putting her here.

"Don't worry Lils, we'll figure this out. I won't let you go to Azkaban without a fight. I'll help you." Isabella said firmly, and decided to go talk to Dumbledore.

"Wait, Isabella." Lily said sitting up in a hurry, her eyes seemed more focused then before. "Don't get mixed up in this, I don't want your reputation to go down with mine."

"Lily, don't even try that stuff with me. I'd go through hell for you. I love you to pieces. I'm going to talk to Dumbledore now. Good luck." Isabella said, and hurried out, not looking back. The screams had ceased, because the prisoners had woken up, now a female's whimpers could be heard and she called out 'Daddy!' Isabella shuddered, and her decision to get Lily out of there was confirmed. She couldn't let Lily be there, it was breaking her sprit already.

Isabella passed a Dementor and gave him the finger before walking swiftly up the stairs, and went through the door where a wizard guard let her pass. He'd been the same guy to check her to go inside.

Isabella walked swiftly to where Dumbledore had said he would be going. She finally found a door labeled 'Lounge Room' and entered. Inside she found Professor Dumbledore talking calmly with James Potter who was looking stressed, and seemed to be answering a lot of questions.

"Ah, Isabella- I assume you talked to Lily?" Dumbledore asked, and James seemed to eye Isabella cautiously as he recognized her as Lily's best friend who he'd heard much about.

"Yes, she's- she was talking nonsense! Talking about something that happened in fourth year like it had happened today! I got a few distinct words…but oh this is terrible! Why didn't she tell me?!" Isabella cried out, sitting heavily in a chair and the tears began to fall, not as bad as when she'd heard Lily was a Death Eater…that hadn't been pleasant for her.

James looked at the woman before him, and could tell she cared about Lily deeply. They'd obviously known each other for a long time, and were very close.

"Isabella, I assure you it hurt her deeply to keep it a secret, she must have thought it best to do so." Dumbledore said quietly, and patted the woman on the back.

"I-I just don't understand why…how'd this happen? Is it really true? Is she a Death Eater? It has to be a mistake!" Isabella sobbed, but tried to regain her dignity. She hated crying in front of two men she hardly knew, and one she didn't particularly like at all.

"She is a Death Eater, Isabella. Not exactly by choice-." James and Isabella both stared at Dumbledore, waiting for an explanation, but received none. "It's no mistake, I can not tell you the details now, and you may hear them in court when the truth potion discussion is represented in court."

"Please, Professor take her out of there! If- WHEN she's proven innocent she won't be the same. She's going to die in there!" Isabella said vehemently.

"I'm sorry, but that is not in my powers to do that." Dumbledore said calmly, and Isabella turned to James who had been waiting silently for her to leave.

"James, can you get her out? Put her some place else?" Isabella pleaded her voice distressed and strained. James sighed heavily, wishing to himself that he could.

"No, I can't or-." James stopped himself from saying 'I would have already'.

Isabella let out a shriek of anger and turned back to Dumbledore. "IS there ANY way to get her out?!"

"No, Isabella, please stay calm. The trial is in two days, she'll be fine- IF proven innocent." Dumbledore told her. With that Isabella stormed off, she did not want to wait that long. Her best friend would die- if not physically then mentally- if something was not done.

James was continuing his talk with Dumbledore.

"Please continue with what happened." Dumbledore ordered.

"All right, we were sleeping again, and I remember my feet were terribly sore from walking all day- Lily seemed quite fine." James left out the fact that he'd carried Lily for most of the way. "Then Death Eaters came around and one of them- obviously a friend of Lily's instructed us where we could go. I decided it was better to listen to them, then out run all of them. So we came to the house instructed and were taken in. Then that same Death Eater came up and tried to get Lily to leave with them. She refused, and so I believe she's loyal to the Ministry more so then the Dark Lord and shouldn't be sent to Azkaban." James said quickly and then filled in the rest of the details of the story of how he and Lily had gotten to the ministry and why it had taken so long. "So Professor, do you think with all the signs that she won't turn on us…that maybe we could do something else with her…I'd hate to see a perfectly good ally be put to waste…" James' voice trailed off, and prayed Dumbledore didn't see the real reason for his actions and thoughts on the situation.

"She's your friend isn't she?" Dumbledore asked. James was shocked and started sputtered and fidgeted under Dumbledore's watchful eye.

"Uh, no sir. We're enemies- how could I be friends with her since I didn't know her before hand?" James asked, nervously staring at his hands.

"Well, I've never seen you so concerned about a Death Eater's case before… Last conversation we had like this, every chance you got you cursed all death eaters to hell, if I'm correct?"

James blushed, and answered, "Well, I did talk to her…a bit, and she seemed perfectly nice to me…I err…well- no feelings are in the way of this trial." James said firmly.

"Okay, that's good because I don't know how you'd feel if I told you that if she's sent to Azkaban or proved helpful to our side and is turned into a spy you will become an Unspeakable. That would mean many things. For one, having a friend sent to Azkaban wouldn't be a pleasant experience for you, and becoming a spy would make it impossible for her to see you again, and it wouldn't matter because you would be an unspeakable. Though if she's proven innocent that promotion will not happen, I just talked to Moody about it."

James stared at Dumbledore unable to believe the predicament he was in. He desperately wanted to be an Unspeakable. It had been his dream since he was at Hogwarts. They were paid well, and it would be wicked fun, but if that meant Lily's life ended up with becoming a spy and having to continue her duty as a Death Eater or worse sent to Azkaban where her life would surely end… He could not bare to see her go through that, innocence was what she wanted and what he wanted for her, but she made the choice to become a Death Eater- was it not her fault? Should she take the blame for what she chose?

James' thoughts confused him, and Dumbledore watched him patiently until James decided to speak.

"If proven innocent I don't get the promotion?" James asked for confirmation.

"Yes, you will continue work as a regular Auror; don't ask why because I don't know. So how does being an Unspeakable sound to you?" Dumbledore asked James while James went and got a much needed cup of coffee.

"Sounds…great, but you talk as if she is already being shipped off to Azkaban." James said eyeing Dumbledore suspiciously. Did he know something James didn't?

"Well, I should be the one to tell you this, being as I interviewed the girl-." James started to violently choke on his coffee. "Are you okay James?"

"Yes- fine, fine, it tastes horrible like some kind of…poison!" James said going to a mirror that was hanging in the room for no reason at all. He checked his tongue and noticed it was bright red and looked raw, was it poison?

"Let me see that James." Dumbledore ordered, James weakly obliged, feeling sickly already- would someone poison his coffee, or was it intended for someone else? Dumbledore observed the coffee with his eyes and then cast a quick spell and it confirmed what he thought. "James, we'd better get you to St. Mungo's quickly-." Dumbledore stopped speaking, because James wouldn't have listened anyway, he was out cold on the floor.

(A/N I actually stopped writing here, but decided I would write a tad more…when I became bored.)

Dumbledore quickly levitated James out of the room, in a hurry bumping people out of his way the whole time.

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James was throwing up all his insides at St. Mungo's while the Medical Witch cast several spells to get the poison out and to stop his throwing up.

"Mister Potter, it seems you caught a case of Wizard Flu." She said, James looked alarmed. Wizard Flu was much worse then muggle flu, because it made all food and drinks become poison to a human's system. That would be why James was so badly affected by the coffee. "You'll be here for a while we treat you and stop you from- regurgitating your stomach acids." The nurse wrinkled her nose and gave James a spell that finally stopped it for good.

James lay down on a bed, and groaned as the sickness took affect on him. He felt very tired and dizzy as he watched the red headed nurse buzz around the room. Making the antidotes he'd need whenever he wanted to eat and whenever he felt dizzy- like he did then.

He fell asleep and heard the nurse talking about how she had the same Auror who had taken in the Death Eater prisoner to her friend who was probably another nurse.

James was feeling a bit out of place, and the nurse, with red hair looked exactly like Lily, because the world to him was blurry. Before he went back into unconsciousness, he murmured loud enough for the nurse to hear "Lily…"

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The woman, who had just been mentioned, was feeling very miserable and sick as well. She hadn't eaten all morning. It was lunch time, and Lily wearily received a plate of food from a Dementor which she was reluctant to take.

She noticed there were five Death Eaters, one at each cell with a person inside. When the Dementor came near Lily she was disgusted, and her mind was filled with sorrow as she remembered the deal she'd made with Voldemort.

Lily looked at her plate, which was a perfect balanced meal if there ever was one. She didn't feel hungry at all, but took a sip of water that burned her throat and made her choke.

Dizziness took over and she fell into unconsciousness, the Dementor didn't notice her state of being and she lay there on the floor. Helpless and with a bad case of Wizard Flu.

She'd been laying there for a while, when Dumbledore came in. He was correct to think that the two had caught the Wizard Flu from the Arachanuba. They had filthy nests that carried diseases around. Lily would certainly get it as well.

He wasn't sure what to do, since she had obviously eaten something, he decided he would have to get her out of there, but what would the ministry say? If he didn't do something quick she would surely be dead.

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Chapter 8--