A/N: AAHHHH!! ATTACK OF THE LONG CHAPTER!! Hem hem, sorry, more at bottom…

Flawless

Chapter Six: Fall From Paradise

It was around three o'clock in the morning when Lily woke suddenly. She'd heard a rustling noise coming from somewhere outside her room. She grabbed her wand as she cautiously crept out of bed. Tip-toeing down the hallway, she stopped in her kitchen, hearing more unnerving sounds. Lily's pulse sped up, her heart hammering. She switched in the light, flooding the room with a yellow glow. She stood still, her eyes wide.

Lily was breathing shallowly, trying hard to stop her legs from shaking. Getting a strange feeling, she whipped around to face the gleaming windows. Her eyes glazed over them, trying to detect movement, but it was pitch black outside. Not able to shake the feeling, Lily slowly ambled to the front door, leaning her back on it.

I am not hallucinating. She thought to herself. Lily closed her eyes, collecting her thoughts. Suddenly, a loud pop! was heard, making Lily jump. She turned; her wand in front of her. Just do it! She told herself, trying to build her confidence. Just open the door and see who it is! God dammit Lily, don't be so weak! She took a deep breath, bracing herself and trying to cool her nerves.

Lily gulped, taking one more minute to calm herself.

Now or never.

She gripped the doorknob, the cool metal sending a tingling sensation through her arm. Slowly, she twisted it, feeling nauseas. Lily swung the door open quickly, a swig of Gryffindor courage running through her veins. Lily sighed, recognizing the wizard standing in front of her.

"Brandon!" She exclaimed, letting her wand arm swing down. "What the bloody hell are you doing here; it's the middle of the night!" She reprehended. Lily crossed her arms, setting her jaw.

"'Lo Lily, nice night isn't it?" An eerie grin was plastered on Brandon's face, his black robes billowing in the light summer night's breeze. A tremor ran through Lily's body and she suddenly felt quite self conscious, more than aware that she was wearing merely a tank-top and boxers. He tried to push past her, his wand held in front of him.

"What are you doing here?" She asked again, her voice low. Lily's fear was beginning to be replaced with anger. How dare he show up after yesterday?

"I was strolling along with me friends and we decided to pay you a little visit." Brandon's smile was still evident, a strange glint in his eyes. Lily swallowed loudly; his friends weren't exactly the nicest people.

"What friends?" She asked, peering around him. "No one else is here Brandon." Lily said matter-of-factly. The dark street was barren except for the few cars that dotted the street.

Something isn't right.

Lily stepped outside, closing the door behind her. Pushing past Brandon, she went down the stairs, walking into the middle of the street. Lily took a deep breath, the moist summer air filling her lungs. Something clicked in her mind as she looked out around the street. It was oddly…dark.

"Brandon, where happened to all the street lamps?" She whipped around to talk to the boy. "Brandon?" There was no one at the stoop anymore, but Lily could see an unnatural green glow above the roof of her house. She stumbled backwards, trying to get a better look at whatever was on the top of the house. The gravel stuck to her feet as Lily realized that she has not put any shoes on. She lifted a foot, brushing the sharp points of the rocks off of it. Lily backed up further, her eyes going wide as she saw what the glow was coming from.

The dark mark was above her house.

Shit.

Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit.

Lily's mind went blank for a moment, her body rigid. She shook herself out of her reverie quickly, her brain still on overload.

Petunia!

Shit!

Lily ran back into the house at top speed, tearing through the living room. She sprinted through the hallway, skidding to a halt in front of Petunia's room.

Shit.

Petunia.

Without thinking, Lily swung the door open and dashed into the room.

"Pet!" She yelped, jumping onto the lumpy bed. As she landed, a muffled 'oof!' was heard.

"What the bloody hell are you doing Lily?" A blonde headed girl emerged from underneath the plentiful blankets. Lily attacked her sister with a hug, knocking her over.

"Oh Pet, I was so so so worried-the mark is here-and-"Lily stopped suddenly in the middle of her rant. "You have to go, we need to get out, Brandon said-"

"Lily, what are you talking about?!" Petunia was utterly confused now, looking at her sister's frightened face with wide blue eyes. Lily got off the bed, tugging Petunia off as well.

"Look, I don't know who, but someone is going to come here, we need to leave before-" Lily cut off, a loud knock coming from the door. Lily paled, digging her nails into Petunia's arm. "Hide." She whispered coarsely, pushing her little sister slightly.

"What-" Petunia began to ask as she stumbled.

"I'll explain later, but we have to live if there's going to be a later, alright Petunia?" Lily's emerald eyes bore into Petunia's icy ones. The younger girl nodded silently. "Good." Lily said shortly, taking Petunia's hand in hers and dragging her towards the closet. "Please stay in here Pet, don't make any noise, I'll try to hold them off, but I don't know how long…just, stay here, yeah?" Lily was biting her lip, trying her hardest not to panic in front of her little sister. "Be careful!" Lily enveloped her in a crushing hug before she closed the closet door and went to find Brandon.

As she got to the living room however, Lily stopped abruptly.

"Hello Lily."

Lily knew that cool sneer from anywhere. Gripping her wand, she turned cautiously.

"Lucious." Lily hid her fear as she came face to face with Lucius Malfoy a boy she had gone to school with. He had graduated when she was in fourth year, but he had spent those four years terrorizing Lily to a pulp. "What are you doing in my house?" She asked firmly, holding her wand so tightly that her knuckles had turned white.

"A little birdie told me that you needed to learn a lesson so I just…stopped by…" He said smugly, spinning his wand between his fingers.

"You know, if you had any manners, you wouldn't come calling at three o'clock in the morning. Didn't your parents teach you anything?" Lily snapped rudely at the Death Eater in front of her. Lucius' eyes iced over as he pointed his wand at the girl.

"Yes, well, they did teach me some things…"

Lily's eyes widened and she had no time to raise her wand as a red jet of light sped towards her. It met her shoulder and Lily crumpled to the ground. She let out a startled gasp as pain enveloped her, sending her mind into a frenzy.

"Stupefy!" A voice yelled, coming from the doorway.

Malfoy fell, his eyes closing. The distraction gave Lily a chance to stand, getting a hold of herself. Suddenly, an arm was around her neck, cutting off her air supply.

"Move and I'll kill the mudblood." Brandon called out to the mysterious figure, sounding frantic. Without Malfoy backing him up, he was desperate.

"I would think twice about that." The deep voice boomed. Lily, gasping for breath, tried to see his face, but the lights were still off. With a flick of his wand, the man stunned Brandon as well, letting Lily break free of his harsh grasp. She stumbled for a moment, still in shock, not believing what happened. The man moved from the door, cautiously walking towards Lily. She turned sharply, picking up her wand and facing the stranger.

"Relax-I'm an Auror, I won't hurt you." He defended himself, putting out his hands. Lily narrowed her eyes at him, not sure whether to trust him or not. She lowered her wand slightly, trying to make out the stranger's face.

"How can you prove that?" She asked suspiciously. The man swished his wand, illuminating the room. Lily could now see him clearly, and a sense of familiarity raced through her body. The man was in his late fifties, give or take a few years, his messy black hair speckled with grey. His stance was sturdy, and the glasses placed on the bridge of his nose were gleaming; hazel eyes peaking from under them.

"You see this sign; it qualifies me as an Auror trainer." He pointed to an insignia on his chest. Lily nodded, believing him. An Auror trainer? She thought, her mind fizzing.

"Is there anyone else in the house? Your parents?" He asked, pocketing his wand.

"My sister. I told her to hide; I didn't know what was happening, what was going to happen…" Lily trailed off, her nerves still shaken.

"If you go get her, I can get some more Aurors; I'll need to contact Dumbledore about this one…" His voice faded, his attention on Brandon's sprawled body. "He's a student isn't he?"

Numbly, Lily nodded, her eyes drawn to Brandon as well.

"I'll-" Lily paused, surprised to find how dry her throat was. She tried again, "I'll go get her." She shakily made her way to Petunia's room, her wand in front of her. After all of the events of the day, Lily figured that she had a right to be on edge. Opening the door to the room Lily looked in cautiously. Clothing littered the floor, and Lily tripped over a shoe as she made her way to the closet. As she fell, causing a slight booming noise, Lily heard a small gasp come from the space. "Pet?" Lily called softly as she got to her feet again. "It's just me," She opened the closet door, light filling the darkened box.

"Lily?" Petunia was curled in the corner of her hiding spot, tears streaming down her face. Lily kneeled down next to her, nodding her head.

"Yeah, it's okay." She stroked Petunia's hair, comforting the younger girls.

"Oh Lils, I was so scared, I heard shouts, and-" Petunia hiccupped, trying to breath calmly.

"It's alright now; the Aurors are here…we'll be fine." Lily said in a soothing voice. "C'mon, we should get out of this closet, eh?" She got up, pulling Petunia up as well. Lily took her sister's hand in hers, giving it a small squeeze. As they walked into the living room, the two were met by three Aurors.

"And you would be…?" A short, gruff looking man barked at Lily, his mangled features upset.

"Lily Evans." She replied, not intimidated by the wizard.

"Hmm…" The man huffed; turning back to the Auror who saved had Lily. "Now we know who she is. You're too polite to be an Auror Potter." Lily's heart jumped at the name as something in her head clicked.

That's why he looked so familiar.

Petunia shot her a look, eyebrows raised. As Lily shrugged as a reply, the older Potter laughed.

"Whatever you say, Mad-Eye."

Mad-Eye, Mad-Eye, Frank mentioned him before…Mad-Eye Moody right?

The third Auror turned to her, a bit more urgent than the other two it seemed; and he had reason to, it was four o'clock in the morning after all.

"You two are alone here?" He asked, his eyes narrowed.

"Yes sir." Lily responded promptly. "Is that a problem?" The Auror looked back at Mad-Eye and Mr. Potter, exchanging concerned looks.

"We're not sure if it's entirely safe for you to stay here." He said.

"What!?" Petunia exclaimed, making her presence known.

"Our parents are supposed to be home any day now." Lily supplied, not liking the way the conversation was going.

"Yes, well…in the meantime…"

"Don't be a nancy Dawlish-we need you two to stay away from your house." Mad-Eye cut in bluntly.

"But-" Lily stammered, shocked. "But why?"

"You can't be sure that that boy only told Mister Malfoy," Mr. Potter started. "He probably told a whole group of them." Lily took a deep breath, thinking that he was more than likely right.

"Do you-" Lily's voice cracked as she tried to repress her tears. "Do you think that-that he, Brandon I mean, do you think that he was-is-a Death Eater?" Her voice still wobbled as her hands began to shake.

"There wasn't a mark, so technically he wasn't, but he wanted in. He took 'em here to impress them, attacking a muggle-born would have guaranteed him a spot." Moody said. Lily swallowed hard, trying to steady herself.

"So where do you want us to go?" She asked, trying to steer away from the other subject. The men exchanged looks, this time mostly directed at Mr. Potter.

"Since we need you out of here right now, you would stay at my house, just temporarily." The hazel-eyed man said. Before Lily could say anything, he continued. "I have a son who's around your age, so it wouldn't be completely unpleasant for you…"He ran a hand through his hair, reminding Lily of James yet again.

"Oh we know." Petunia muttered under her breath. Lily's eyes widened as she elbowed her sister.

"What was that?" Dawlish asked.

"What if our parents come home and we're not here?" Petunia covered cleverly.

"We'll contact your parents for you." Replied the Auror.

"Okay," Lily said. "Shall we get our things?" Petunia sharply turned her head to Lily, an incredulous look on her face. Dawlish nodded as Lily grabbed Petunia's hand, heading back towards their rooms. Lily pulled Pet into her room, closing the door behind her. Getting out a small suitcase, Lily piled clothes into it.

"Are you mad!? Lily, I don't want to leave! What about Mum and Dad?!" She cried, watching Lily pack her things in a hurry.

"They'll be able to find us Pet, besides, if we leave now we can get to sleep earlier."

"You just want to go to his house again." Petunia smirked. When Lily didn't retort, Petunia let out a yelp. "You little-GRRR! I am going to pack my things." She left in a huff, muttering, "Always gets her way, even when bad things happen, unbelievable…!"

:::::::------:::::::------:::::::

As Lily stood in front of the Potter Manor, for the second time in two days, she decided that Apparation was certainly not her choice of transportation. Petunia and her were standing next to Mr. Potter, who was disarming the alarms and charms that were out around the mansion.

"Right then, in we go." He opened the door, leading the girls into his home. He flicked his wand and the lights came on in the foyer. The two followed after him; Petunia looking around in awe.

"Wow." She whispered. "This place is huge."

"I know," Lily agreed, taking it in. She had only seen a small fraction of the manor earlier, and she hadn't really been paying attention to the décor then anyhow. Above their heads hung a glittering chandelier; the tiny crystals tinkling slightly. Directly in front of them there was a grand staircase, leading up, and up, and up.

Holy shit.

Mr. Potter stopped walking, turning to face the two sisters. "My wife and I sleep in the North Wing, as does my son. It may be safest for you to reside there."

Petunia nodded meekly as Lily stepped forward.

"Thank you for letting us stay here. I don't know where else we could go…but our parents will be worried if they find us missing, do you have a telephone we could use tomorrow?"

"Will mummy be mad?" Petunia asked sleepily before Mr. Potter could answer, sounding just like and eight year old.

Lily hugged her sister, "No, she'll just extend her holiday. Don't worry."

Mr. Potter cut in gruffly, "Well, we have one in the kitchen, but I'm not sure if it works…I can show you if you want." He made a right turn into a long hallway. As the group approached the room, Lily was sure that she heard voices. She looked around quizzically, a wave of relief washing over her as she saw that Mr. Potter had heard them as well.

At least I don't need to worry about hearing voices.

Mr. Potter got out his wand, pressing a finger to his lips to indicate for them to be quiet. Lily nodded, passing the gesture to her sister. His wand held in front, Mr. Potter steeped into the room, dropping his hand as he saw the identities of the people. Kate and James sat at the island, clad in pajamas and eating ice cream.

"Merlin Kate, you scared me!" Mr. Potter sighed. The woman looked up, startled.

"Oh, Mark, you're home! I was so worried, an attack in the middle of the night? And-" Kate rushed to her husband's side, stopping suddenly as she saw the two girls behind him. "Lily?" Confusion clouded her face as she looked from Lily to Mark. "Did you-were you-what happened?" She asked. James got up as well, walking to Lily.

"What happened?" He asked lowly into her ear. Lily shook her head.

"These two were attacked." Mr. Potter said gruffly. Kate gasped as James rolled his eyes.

"Death Eaters, amateurs thankfully, came to their house." Mark further explained. James' brow furrowed.

"Death Eaters?" Lily nodded, biting her lip. "Who? How would they know where you live?" He asked, Lily's eyes watered and she brought her hands up to her face. James wrapped his arms around her, not minding the fact that there were three other people in the room. He kissed her forehead and rested his chin on the top of her head. Lily hiccupped as she wrapped her arms around his neck, nestling into him.

"Brandon." Petunia spoke up. James looked at her, just noticing the younger girl.

"Who're you?" He asked rudely. Lily stepped out of James' embrace, wiping her eyes.

"This is Petunia, remember, I was telling you about her." She said, smiling slightly. James nodded and directed his attention back on Lily.

"Brandon attacked you?" He questioned, his voice hoarse. Lily lowered her head, fiddling with her fingers.

"Yeah," She said in a small voice.

"Do you know him James?" Mark Potter asked, narrowing his eyes. "You shouldn't be hanging around with people like that."

"I don't hang around with people like that." James said defensively.

"He-he is-was-my boyfriend," Lily admitted. "But I never knew that he was-he was a-"

"It's alright dear. We know that it's not your fault." Kate interrupted, patting Lily's hand. "You two look terribly tired, we can discuss this in the morning, right?" She suggested exuberantly. "James, why don't you show them to their rooms." James nodded, taking Lily's hand and tugging on it gently.

"Come on then you two."

Petunia followed after them, yawning widely. James picked up their bags, walking up the stairs.

"My bedroom-" James said, stopping at the first floor, "is down here and to the right, so are yours. My parents' room is down to the left." He explained before turning down the hallway. "Do you two want to share? We have enough rooms for separate ones." Lily and Petunia looked at each other.

"Erm, I don't mind. I suppose we'll share tonight." Lily said, wanting nothing more than to sleep. James nodded, pushing open a door. Inside there were two beds, both bigger than Lily's and Petunia's regular ones combined.

"Wow." Petunia muttered again.

"Thank you James." Lily said, turning towards the boy.

"Anytime Flower," He handed their bags back and Petunia immediately ran in, closing the door right in Lily's face. Chuckling bitterly, she focused back on James.

"Goodnight Potter," She smiled at him. Getting on her tip-toes, Lily kissed his cheek. "See you in the morning." She went into the room, leaving James smiling like the idiot he was.

Told you guys that it was going to be loooong! 3, 300 words give or take. I like the length though…tell me if you disagree. Lots of stuff happened in that didn't it? Can you say 'PLOT-TWIST'? I swear though, it will stay all nice and good, the plot will not just suddenly fall flat…and Sirius is coming up soon, which is something everyone should look forward to…right? And about the review thing…I'm happy to say that mostly everyone DOES read the A/Ns…go figure…anyways, the people who get chappies are…

An Aspiring Author

and

4ever4given

The 50 and 55 reviewers did not leave in an 'I read the a/n' thing, so…they're out…sorry peeps! Anyways, leave in a review or in a PM if you want a dedication in a specific chapter, or just the ones that are coming up next. If that makes sense…

Last but least, thanks to sorrybut for editing, and giving me the name for the chapter…going to buy Chelsea (by Stefy I think she said) as I type!

I love you all,

Lexy