Disclaimer: I don't own a thing.
A/N I had a bit too much fun with Remus Lupin in this fic...Damn I love him!!
Terribly sorry for the wait I hope you know, but I was having quite the busy month, and I got into a scuffle with a case of writer's block. I just didn't feel like writing. Before I knew it...It'd been a month since I'd even written anything that was in my journal. I'm very upset with myself, but there's nothing I can do about it, but I have a new keyboard and I'm going to try and write some on this chapter, it may be inadequate to my standards, but sometimes you just have to suck it up!
*
Also, I actually got questions! I'm so happy, because I've always wanted to do this...*big goofy grin* It was really interesting question, but I had thought it out somewhat--so I can *answer* this question (somewhat) intelligently.
Q. if Voldie's pulling Lily's soul out of her,
can't lily pull it back?
From: vourshtygal
A. Well, if Lily was stronger then Voldemort, then she would be able to, but we all know that's quite impossible! That's how it was decided who was able to go back to life and who was going to stay in the 'limbo' area. The stronger witch/wizard was the one able to pull the soul out of the other. Get it? No matter what, Lily's not stronger than Voldemort, it's just a fact we have to live with and write out--and it makes it all easier for me to follow--yes I could make Lily stronger than Voldemort, but then it would be very silly that she would have died at all--or for this entire story to ever have taken place! (which is already very unlikely anyway)
Q. also if Lily pulls her soul back, won't she get Voldie's as well?
From: vourshtygal
A. Good question, I mean--it's a brilliant idea, but once again--Voldemort's stronger than Lily, so he would just tug more than she could tug him. If it was in present Harry time, then I believe Lily would win--because he's still kind of weak and dead-ish...But, this isn't and everything is CrAzY.
Q. what does Remus have to do with it all?
From: vourshtygal
A. Remus? Oh my lovely Remus...Well if you look into it, it has to be very specific in what happens in the ceremony, and if one little thing goes wrong--there will be a glitch in it all. Making things possible that weren't possible before...As you will very soon see, in this chapter. What went wrong was that the werewolf had never tasted human blood, Voldemort and most of the Death Eaters (I say most, because Peter knew) didn't know that James was an Animagus, if they'd have known, they probably would have sent Isabella in with Remus instead of James...Err...get it? Specific details, and one was messed up...Err--now you've probably figured out this chapter! But all the same, that's that, and I'm hoping that I'll explain it later--remind me, because I'm no professional you know! So, Remus was the key to their escape (which I hoped you already figured out...)
Q. You're a horribly evil tease....you know that?
From: Gyaradosntd
A. Yep, I knew that! :-D
Q. WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?!?!?!?!?!?!
From Sierradogbaby
A. Look and find out! LOL! Hey, your name reminds me of mine--my dog's name is Sierra...Err--does that make any sense?
Q. You still didn't explain how Isabella got to where Lily and Remus are. Will you explain in the next chapter?
From: Lily Lupin
A. Nope, but I really didn't think it was important how Isabella and Sirius got there--how did Lily and James get there? Portkeys, remember? Same way for Isabella and Sirius! If you want, I'll try and mention it in the coming chapters.
Q. Are there any more good people going to be death eaters???
From: akutenshi
A. Maybe, maybe not! I'm not telling!
~*~
Last chapter review:
In last chapter we found out that Isabella Patil was a Death Eater along with her twin brother, Sirius is off to the Ministry and Patrick Patil has many of their wands. Isabella and James found some brooms after James caught up to her after her running down the halls like a crazy person, and Remus and Lily met up and were about to meet someone...But who? Well, sorry, but you don't find out who just yet.
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Flirting With the Enemy
By
Sierra Sitruc
Chapter 23 United At Last?
"Do you want to see if Lily's alive or not? He could have left her there--you never know. He could be using the power on that spot to kill her," James said thoughtfully.
"I'm going, I'm going!" Isabella growled, forcing herself up from the ground and getting on a broom. "Where now?"
"Up, of course."
"I know that--Oh." Isabella looked up to see a hole in the ceiling. James climbed onto his broom, and Isabella followed suit and they pushed off. Hoping to find some sign of Lily...
They'd flown out without any difficulties, surprising as James was so weak in magical abilities, but he managed to still fly amazingly. Isabella and James flew across the fort, and were awed by it's size. Just seen in the moonlight, it gave off a haunted vision. It was just as large as Hogwarts, but it was more of a prison. Stone towers shot up in every direction, and there wasn't a window in sight--or a way out, just that one hole they'd flown out of. It was eerily beautiful, the light of the moon silhouetting it, giving it a glazed impression.
"Brilliant," James muttered; as he flew off in the direction he figured was the right way. "I don't know if this is the right way!" he called to Isabella.
"It's the right way," Isabella shouted back. "I can tell; the ground is sinking."
"That's--great!" James hollered, and then they stayed quiet--mainly because they didn't exactly enjoy each other's company, and they couldn't fly close enough to have a good conversation anyway. James was secretly hoping Isabella would decide to fly back, and Isabella was secretly hoping James would fall off his broom.
The desert was named with good reason, it just portrayed death. Black sand everywhere as far as the eye could see. The moon and stars the only light, it was like a painting in its beauty. James's thoughts slipped to thoughts of Lily... Could she be out there somewhere? James' heart ached, just thinking about her lying dead out here... alone.
They flew long into the night, James gripping his broom tightly to prevent his dosing off into sleep. He glanced at Isabella who was hunched over her broom and was starting to slip off. "Isabella! ISABELLA!" he yelled again, and she gathered her wits, and gripped her broom better.
"Sorry," she mumbled, but James didn't hear it, as he was staring intently at the ground, which had been gradually descending in a centered point.
The sun dawned in the sky, and slowly the lands began to clear in image, and James saw something--a group of bodies lying on the ground scattered in different directions. He sped his broom up, and lowered it until he was only a foot off the ground.
It was an odd sight, but he didn't pay much attention as he threw himself on the ground and ran to Lily's side. Her body was stiff--like a dead body... James shivered, and grabbed for her hand and was surprised to see it was warm... He looked closer, and saw that she was breathing softly.
"She's alive! She's alive!" he cried, and Isabella rushed and sat beside him--the two kneeled over her, looking over her with great interest. Happiness flooded through them.
Isabella placed a finger to Lily's neck, and felt a pulse. "It's confirmed! She is alive!" Isabella said jovially, and she started to cry with overwhelmed glee. "Oh it is a great, wonderful morning." She sobbed into her robes, tears flowing down her cheeks as the uncontrollable emotions vibrated through her.
James glanced at her briefly, before examining Lily for injuries. "Go check to see if there are any other survivors--of this ceremony..." James said distractedly to Isabella, who rolled her eyes at him and stood up to examine the creatures that lay around.
She began mentally checking off who was alive, and who wasn't in her mind. A siren--dead...a giant--dead, a very handsome man...alive! "Someone is alive over here!" she called to him, about 10 feet away, "And damn if he isn't the best looking man I've seen in a while," she added quietly to herself, taking in the sandy brown hair and perfect face, besides the cuts up and down his cheeks, and his very nice body--if she had anything to say about it.
James stopped his examination of Lily, and looked over at her. She studied the man in front of Isabella--and a look of recognition crossed his face. "That's Remus Lupin! My best-friend--I knew he'd survive." James said, relieved, but still didn't move from Lily's side. He hovered over her protectively, and watched amusedly as Isabella examined Remus--a bit too thoroughly if James did say so himself, Remus was going to hear about that later...
James didn't find any broken bones on Lily--no dangerous cuts--he observed she'd gotten a severe cut on the side of her face, but it had been healed--so nothing needed to be fixed--not that he could, because his wand was still gone...
Lily suddenly made a noise, and James took on a look, not so different from a mother hen. "Lily? Lily? Can you hear me? Are you alright? Are you in any pain?"
Lily's eyes squinted as she stirred; she locked eyes with James, and smiled weakly at him and mumbled quietly, "My prince charming--here to rescue me?"
"You could say that," James said, staring into her emerald eyes with concern, and petting her hair.
"Where's Remus?" Lily asked, sitting up finally. She felt incredibly weak, but her interest in her new friend was stronger then her physical pain.
"Remus?" James asked, confused a moment--he leaned back on his heels and answered, "Over there with Isabella. He's still unconscious--or so I hope, as it looks like she's got her hands all over him." Lily followed James gaze, and smiled gently at her friends.
"It seems Isabella's taken a liking to Mister Lupin." Lily sighed happily. "I'm sure he'll like her too--that'd be nice--for those two to get together."
"I don't know how well that would work with us--Isabella seems to hate me," James said disdainfully, casting a wary look at Isabella. Lily would have smacked him had she the heart.
"She doesn't hate you, she just didn't like you--capturing me and all that," Lily said, waving him off as he tried to help her walk over to Isabella and Remus.
"Well, to tell you the truth, I didn't like capturing you either," James said, but Lily wasn't listening to him. She seemed very concerned about Remus' welfare. She didn't even want to know what had happened to James since they'd last seen each other! The last time he'd seen her, he'd been off to be eaten by a werewolf for all she knew--and she didn't seem to care a bit about him now...
James paused his torrent of thoughts, and knelt beside his friend, "Hey, Remus?" James said, shaking his friend's shoulder.
Who's in love with the big bad wolf? Lily thought amusedly, staring at her best friend who was currently almost drooling over Remus.
"He might not wake up for a while, he just transformed back you know," James said, trying desperately to put Isabella off his friend, by adding the werewolf bit in. James knew it was wrong of him, but this girl despised him--and he didn't want her hanging around with him anymore then she had to... Unless Lily was with her... Damn this attraction to redheads, he cursed himself.
"Hmm," Lily said, biting her bottom lip in thought. "I hope everything worked all right--I'd thought if either of us had difficulties coming back, it'd be me--seems like something went wrong," Lily said absentmindedly, as she studied Remus.
"Coming back?" Isabella and James asked simultaneously, and glared childishly at one another when they did.
"Oh--long story," Lily said, looking nervous. "I don't want to talk about it." She continued her fretting over Remus, her red hair falling in her face, James was entranced for the moment by her beauty and Isabella conversed with Lily about Remus, finding out if he was a nice guy and if he was seeing anyone.
"I don't know anything Isabella! Ask James, he's known Remus since his first year of Hogwarts," Lily snapped at her friend, tired of the silly- no, petty- questions.
"I'm not asking Potter." Isabella grumbled.
"What--what's going on?" Remus asked suddenly, sitting up and blinking at the light that had started to fill the skies.
"Remus!" The three exclaimed.
"Yes? Lily--" Remus said, abruptly remembering what had just happened.
"We need to talk," Lily said firmly.
"Yes--I'm glad you made it back! I was worried you wouldn't..." Remus' voice trailed off as he noticed Isabella and James looking at the two confusedly. "James, it's good to see you," Remus said, flashing a half hearted smile and changing the subject.
"What happened to you two?" James asked, nodding between Remus and Lily.
"A lot," Remus answered cryptically. "What happened with you--? Who's she? And what's she doing here?" Remus asked, nodding to Isabella, a look of interest on his face, Isabella prayed it was an agreeable kind of interest...
"I don't think we have time to sort this all out," Isabella said, casting a glance back in the direction they'd come from. "Sirius is still in there--"
"Sirius is here?!" Remus asked shocked, and Lily looked just as confused.
"Uh huh," Isabella told him, "We were captured at the same time--but it got us here, which is good because we were able to help... somewhat." Guilt rushed through Isabella as she remembered it was her fault Lily had been recaptured in the first place, she pushed the thought from her mind as she countered that it hadn't been entirely hers, how could she and Sirius have known Forneli Wilkes was a Death Eater?
"Before we start explaining, we need to get out of here--and fast," Lily said, standing up weakly. "I have to see Dumbledore immediately."
"Why?" Isabella and James asked.
"Don't ask questions--Lily's right, she has to see Dumbledore quickly, before it's too late." Remus said gravely, pushing himself off the ground, his bones creaking and he grimaced in pain.
"If Lily goes to see Dumbledore--she'll be sent to Azkaban for sure!" Isabella cried, and James looked like he agreed with her 100%, when it came to the matter of Lily, he and Isabella were on the same level--except their feelings were formed from opposite motives...
"That can't be helped, this is far more fatal than just me dying," Lily said earnestly, and looked around the area and shivered. "I want to leave this place as soon as possible before something...happens."
"Alright--oh shit! Why didn't we bring extra brooms?" James groaned angrily at himself, and Isabella looked just as displeased.
"We'll have to pair up then," she said carefully, and then an idea hit her. "Remus can ride with me and Lily can ride with James, I'm sure you won't mind, will you James?" Isabella asked tauntingly, not a bit of friendliness in her tone. James glared, but didn't disagree.
"Lily?" James asked, nodding towards his broom. "Lily?" James tried again.
"Hmm? Oh yes--brooms, escaping..." Lily said, her eyes were distant, and it was obvious she had a lot on her mind, so James didn't question what had happened to her in the Ceremony, and just left her to her thoughts.
They paired off, and mounted the brooms and took off, the sun was higher in the sky and they had to make it back before nightfall...
~*~
Sirius Black looked around the Ministry, and looked about as people rushed around in every direction. There seemed to be a panic in the system and he could only guess what it was. He felt instantly tired, but knew that he had to get help for his friends first.
Your friends? Another voice countered somewhere in the back of his mind.
The thought stirred up more thoughts on what was going on, that Death Eater...Why had he been helping Isabella? Obviously they had to be friends--or relatives. He brainstormed on who it could be, and something that specific Death Eater had said to him pushed its way forward in his mind, "Of course, anything for a fellow Gryffindor..." he had said to Sirius, just before he'd apparated.
The haunting words echoed in his muddle of ruminations, the voice had been young--not much older then himself and probably not too much younger. He had gone to school with him--who had been in Gryffindor? Who had known Lily in Gryffindor? The Death Eater had seemed to care for Lily, in the way he talked about her with Isabella...
Patrick Patil. The name leapt out of its dusty settlement, and made itself known.
Isabella's twin brother, the same dark blonde hair, blue eyes...It all made sense too, Lily, Patrick and Isabella had all been this little group back in school, they'd done everything together, and once he'd caught Patrick and Lily snogging in the Gryffindor Common Room...He'd kicked Lily out, for being a smarty pants Ravenclaw.
How could Patrick have turned to the Dark Lord's side? Then again--how could Lily?
Another thought occurred to Sirius, if both Lily and Patrick were Death Eaters--what would have stopped Isabella from turning as well? Why wouldn't she join as well? Wouldn't her best-friend and brother easily convince her to join? It made perfect sense, and it made a lot of things Isabella had said to him, more understandable. Isabella was a Death Eater, and he'd let James go off with her alone...
Sirius' heart pounded in his chest, and he felt a wave of sickness go through him. He had to get back to that place as soon as possible, before it was too late.
~*~
They'd been flying for awhile, when Remus' sharp eyes picked up black clouds formulating together in the distance, at the same time they all noticed that the wind was picking up in speed, making it extra difficult to steer their broomsticks.
Both girls tightened their grips on the riders in front of them, who were controlling the broomsticks. James was trying not to be pleased about the weather's effects, but a goofy grin was on his face, having a pretty girl holding onto you for dear life didn't happen very often.
The pleasantness didn't last long for James however, because soon the dark clouds were upon them. The sky blended with the ground in its blackness and all they could do was hope they were flying in the right direction, Lily had pulled out her compass, but none could read it. The rain came down hard and furious, and pounded through their robes.
Lily and James were aware that they had lost sight of their friends, and prayed for the storm to pass quickly. James held his grip on the broom, a look of determination in his eyes as he continued to struggle through the storm.
"Why don't we land!?" Lily yelled in his ear, to have her voice heard over the howling winds.
James tilted around, and shouted back, "I don't know which way is down!"
Lily had no response to that, and they pushed through to what James thought was the correct direction. The rain stung their eyes, and soaked them, and all James could think about was the rain around them and getting back to the fort.
This carried on for hours, the storm raging around them, angry ghosts showing there faces by tipping their broom and throwing up sand. The rain was coming in every direction, and no matter which way you looked, it was in your face.
The two were desperately wishing to find the castle, and, very abruptly, they did.
With a great crash, the broom collided with a stone wall of the large fort, sending Lily and James, both tumbling to the wet black sands; the only witness a laughing ghost who took joy in their dilemma.
~*~
A/N Well, if THAT wasn't difficult...Goodness, I thought I'd NEVER get it done! Sorry if it's not very good, but oh well.
Next chapter:
Top secret things that I can't tell you, but I'm sorry to say, that you might not like it...
PLEASE REVIEW! I'll love you forever, and get the chapter out quicker! I'm much faster with motivation!!
*~Sierra~*