Ch. 4
Late March, 1980
…
The whole earth was still, and the early morning light peeked over the horizon. The high flying clouds caught the colour and reflected oranges and pinks and yellows wreathed in white for those early enough to see their splendour. The sky was the clearest robin egg blue, and the rising sun cast long shadows over the world below.
The grass was hung with dew and the ocean churned far below the little house on the North sea, waves crashed and mist rose up and above the cliff only to fall on the front doors and rooftops of Bridport. But it was beautiful nonetheless, it was raw and real and so there that it was impossible to ignore. The world was alive; Voldemort hadn't taken everything away after all.
Many were asleep. Most weren't there to see the early morning spectacle of dawn and slept rather than watched. They lay in warm beds with comfortable sheets with minds soaked in dreams. Some were awake for the sunrise, but they were the rarity.
James Potter had been an early riser his entire life, he had never seen the purpose of wasting the day away sleeping. He sat on the roof and faced the dawn with a mug of cooling tea in his hands. It was chilly on the roof, but he brought a heavy coat and a blanket to sit on, a mind full of thoughts to keep him company.
He sipped his tea and thought about everything, watched the sunrise and contemplated this strange life he had found himself in. What was his life now without Hogwarts? What was James Potter without Quidditch or Marauders or pranks? What was he when all he had was Lily and the baby?
Happy he thought with a smile on his face. Happier than he ever thought he could be. Sure it was terrifying to be expecting a baby in the middle of war, of course it was frightening not knowing what tomorrow could hold or how many people would die. But he was a good man for stress, and even when the world turned against him he knew that his middle would hold as long as Lily was beside him.
She was his world, this little family they had made together meant everything to him. He had been a thrill seeker his entire life, but there was something completely inherit to his personality that demanded peace and quiet, and that was the reality of life in hiding.
He had matured faster that past year than he had in his entire life. Life had forced him to adapt, marriage had aged him in all the right ways. Being a new dad had brought him to accept responsibility and take action, forced him to step up and be loyal to his wife and their baby. He wasn't about to run away, he was no coward. His life was here.
Beside him, his broom lay on the roof. He hadn't flown since Lily had found out she was pregnant, there was no time. On top of that, flying was an enormous risk, it was so easy to get attacked and overtaken being that visible. But it was his birthday, and rules were indifferent on his birthday.
Lily was still asleep, he looked in through the window closest to the bedroom and watched her curl up on her side, the blankets up to her nose. He Banished his tea and his blanket into the house and smiled wide at the very thought of flying again. The fresh air was intoxicating, the gentle wind tousled his hair and he stood, his heart soaring for the feeling of flight.
His broom hovered like a patient dog beside him, and he mounted, kicked off, and flew straight into the open air.
The emptiness of the sky, the openness and the view that it afforded him was worth any risk. The feeling of flight was only second to sex in James' mind, he was so free he could've shouted himself hoarse by the feeling. The ocean spread out below him, dark blue and white, waves crashed on the shore and gulls circled far below him. The cliff shone golden in the sunrise, the rock caught the light and reflected it below onto the water. He flew over the forest behind Bridport, the tall evergreens fresh and clean, flying low enough to brush his shoes against the tallest trees.
It reminded him of practicing Quidditch with Sirius on Saturday mornings, passing the Quaffle and trying new maneuvers. It reminded him of winning the Quidditch cup three times in a row, the feeling of freedom and exhilaration from lifting the cup over his head as all of Gryffindor shouted around him. It brought to mind all the happy memories he had of flying with Lily, her arms wrapped around his waist, the entire world in front of him.
James threw open his arms, breathing in the thin air that always cleared his head and laughed and smiled until tears ran down his face.
This is what it was to be free he thought. This is what it is to be unimaginably happy.
But a sinking feeling stopped his train of thought. Far below him, nearly a dot in the landscape, was his house. And inside, his wife might've been almost awake, wondering where he had gotten off to. Kidnapped maybe, perhaps even dead. Certainly missing. She would be panicking, as he would be if she was gone.
Gods she must be worried sick James thought, and without hesitating, barrel rolled and fell into a deep dive.
The cliff below him was rising closer and closer but James was a good flier. He pulled out just in time for his trainers to brush against the dewy grass and ran the last couple steps into the house.
He took the stairs two at a time, and swung open the door to the bedroom.
His heart sunk; Lily was awake.
"Where were you?" She asked, arms folded. James sighed and hung his broom over the door. "I was terrified! No note, your broom was gone, what did you expect me to think?"
"I thought-,"
"I thought my arse!" Lily shouted. "You could've been missing! You could've- you could've been dead. James where were you?"
"Flying," he said. Lily's mouth hung open in shock.
"James do you know how dangerous that could've been? You could've been seen! The Death Eaters would've found us! How could you be so stupid?!"
"Lily I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. As soon as I thought of you, I came straight home." He said, and sat beside her on the bed, rubbed her cheekbones with his thumbs and she sank into his hands. "I just wanted to fly again. It's my birthday."
"Oh James," she said, her whole body exhaling. "I know, it's just not safe. I know you miss it, I know you miss the Marauders and the Order and your old life stuck here-,"
"Wait a second," James said. "I am not saying that. I'm not missing out on anything here with you. You're my family, Lily. That baby is our child, my life is right here."
Lily wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and sniffed. "I'm sorry, James."
"Stop apologizing!" he said, concern in his eyes. "I was being stupid, why are you apologizing?"
"Because this isn't what we wanted," Lily said, her eyes watery. "This wasn't supposed to be our life! We were supposed to be living with friends and neighbours, working for the Order, bringing down Voldemort! But we can't because I'm pregnant and the baby is in danger and we can't leave the house without putting ourselves in the line of fire! I'm sorry we're alone. I'm sorry I've been a bad wife. I'm sorry-"
"Please stop, Lily. I can't bear to hear you apologise one more time." James said gently, pulling her into his arms. "None of that is your fault, can't you see? So what we're in hiding? So what that Voldemort is constantly a threat and we have to live as Muggles? We have each other, isn't that enough?"
"Oh James of course it is," she said. "I'm so sorry I freaked out. I was so worried you had been taken…"
"I'm never leaving you alone." He said, kissing her forehead. "I swear."
"Promise?" she whispered.
"Never again," and Lily sighed in relief. James settled in beside her, tucking Lily into his body and let her warmth and her smell envelop them together. It wasn't flying, it wasn't sex or adrenaline that brought him true happiness any longer. It was her, it had always been her. She was his happy place.
"Happy birthday, love." Lily whispered, and James smiled.
…
Lily made pancakes for breakfast. She had grown up with the tradition of birthday pancakes, whipped cream and strawberries and the familiarity attached to it made her smile. She had thrown a shrug over her pyjamas, made the batter from the recipe she knew by heart and fried batch after batch; the first couple kept warm by magic. James made tea since Lily wasn't allowed to have coffee and knowing how much she missed it, he didn't have it either. He brewed a pot of camomile and filled their glasses with orange juice.
The first stack was ten pancakes high, and Lily set the plate in front of James, who slathered butter and poured syrup over the lot. Lily stuck a candle in the stack, lit it with her wand and told him to make a wish.
"Why would I wish? Everything I need is right here," James said, pulling her into a kiss.
"Nuh uh," she said, smiling widely. "Make a wish. You're twenty now, your whole life is in front of you. What do you want more than anything?"
James stopped and thought for a second, then blew out the single candle.
The pancakes were so thin that they ate them in stacks, syrup and butter trailing down the sides. James topped his with whipped cream, and sprayed some onto Lily's nose just to see her laugh. She sprayed some in his hair in response, which he ruffled with the cream in it, and Lily laughed till she cried at the sight of him. She kissed him, tasting the sweetness of the syrup on his lips and prayed that every birthday could be as wonderful as this one.
…
"I want to see my parents," James said, and Lily stopped, the dusting cloth still in her hand.
"What?"
"My parents," James said, hanging up the broom. "I haven't seen them in months, that's what I want to do on my birthday. I don't even think they know that you're pregnant."
"James, it's dangerous," Lily sighed, tossing the cloth onto the table. "We can't take that risk!"
"It's not a risk, it'll be as safe as we make it!" James said, grabbing her hands in his. "Let's see, we can fly with a Disillusionment charm to Sirius' flat and then Floo to my parents house!"
"James," Lily said. "I've never been comfortable flying, not for that long of a distance and certainly not pregnant. That could get out of hand quicker than we could remedy it."
"But they're my parents," James said.
"I know, James, gods know I know." Lily said. "I miss my parents too! I would love to see my mum and ask her what to do. But I'm scared something's going to happen. We visit your parents and they might become a target because they're close to us. And on top of that, my magic's been unpredictable since January, how do I know that I can protect myself if something does go wrong? Not to mention the fact that I really shouldn't be Apparating any longer, so if something does happen, we can't get out. It just has so many chances to go wrong."
"Remember what I said about living?" James said, and Lily sighed.
"There's a difference between living and being stupid, James. This is a huge risk."
"Fine, we'll go by something Muggle then, a train or a car."
"We don't have a car."
"No, but Muggles do."
"No," Lily said. "No, James! We are not stealing a car!"
"Borrowing then," he said. "How about that? We can leave a tenner on the dash-,"
"No," Lily said. "Sure a car is safer, but we're not stealing, sorry borrowing one without asking first."
"Fine."
"Fine!"
"You don't happen to know someone with a car do you?"
"Oh, for Gods sake, James."
…
In the end, they did 'borrow' the abandoned Buick behind the cafe in Bridport Lily had seen going into town. She had never seen it used, in fact she was nearly sure it was abandoned, but wasn't about to tell James that.
James insisted on driving ("you're in delicate condition!") and despite never having driven before, he was determined to learn how, apparently while he was driving.
"It's just like anything else," he said, rolling the stick under his palm. "All it takes is practice."
"Sure, James," she said, a bemused on her face, "How about you turn it on?"
"I'm working on it," he said, looking all around the drivers seat. "Whereabouts did you say the key goes?"
"Over there," Lily said, gesturing towards the circle beside the steering wheel. "A key we don't have. Move over."
"What're you doing?" he asked.
"A tricky little charm that starts Muggle cars. Marlene and I invented it last year."
"Why?"
"Why do you think?" Lily asked. "Because it's handy to have on hand with a war going on. In case we were stuck somewhere, we could 'borrow' a Muggle car and let the Muggles find it and return it later. Obviously it's immoral, but as long as we left it somewhere with lots of people it was legal-ish."
"Ish?"
"Yes, a very strong ish,"
"Oh," James said. "Carry on,"
Lily muttered something that James couldn't hear, and the engine roared to life.
"Fantastic!" James said, watching the dash rumble. "You're a miracle worker."
"Or a thief,"
"Why not both?" James said exuberantly, and changed gears. "Now into reverse."
…
It took three times for James to figure out how to reverse in manual, but once he did, they were off.
The gear box ground horribly when he changed gears, the deep rattling sound cringe worthy. But as he drove down the motorway, he was right, he did get the hang of it. It was lucky that they had petrol, Lily thought, or that would just be another thing to worry about.
"So whereabouts is Godric's Hollow?" Lily asked.
"Not that far away, actually," James said. "It's in Somerset, about half hour flight from a Wedmore."
"But direction wise, how are we supposed to find it?"
"Oh!" James said, and held his wand in one hand and tried to shift gears with the other. "Point me,"
The wand spun until it faced true north, and James smiled happily. "See? We just need to keep going north, and we should be fine.
Lily popped the latch for the glove compartment and rifled around for a map, which she found in the back corner.
"North-west, more like," Lily said, pulling a heavily creased and partially torn map of West Country and unfolded it on her lap. "Ah, here we are. There's Bridport, and that must be Wedmore. You need to keep following this road."
"How long is this going to take?" he asked.
"Looks like over an hour, maybe an hour and a half," Lily said, measuring the distance with her fingers. "That is assuming you go sixty the entire way, James,"
James peeked at the speedometer, which hadn't passed forty the entire drive. "Care to take a turn?"
"I would love to,"
James pulled over on the side and opened the drivers door, letting Lily in.
He in turn picked up the map, and took to directing Lily, who let him even though she had been on holiday to Wedmore before and knew where to go.
"When did you learn how to drive?" James asked, and Lily laughed.
"My dad taught me when I was fifteen," Lily said, shifting gears with a lot more grace than James managed to. "I practiced that entire summer and never forgot how."
"Comes in handy now," James said, rolling down the window.
"Yeah it does,"
…
They pulled into Wedmore just after three in the afternoon, at which point James was nearly starved to death. They stopped for hamburgers in the little pub there and continued on their way, mostly by guessing, as Godric's Hollow wasn't on the map. James began to recognize landmarks, and Lily could see his anticipation rising.
"Left or right?" Lily asked, rolling to a stop at a fork in the road.
"Right," James said, "yes, I recognize that clearing. Sirius and I lost a Quaffle around here somewhere in fourth year."
They continued down the tree lined road and Lily too rolled down her window. The Buick didn't have aircon, and it was an unusually warm day for March.
"How much farther is it?" Lily asked,
"Less than five minutes, I reckon," James said. "Hold on, no there it is right there! Hang a left."
Lily did so, and bumped their car down the dirt road. "You sure this is right?"
"Yes!"
The little road continued for a little less than a half mile before opening into a square lined with houses and shops. Lily parked the car on the side of the road and shut down the engine.
"This way Lily!" James said exuberantly, and Lily smiled and grabbed his hand.
He led her past cottages and pubs and little tourist shops, past a pretty old church they had spent Christmas Eve in the year she came to James' house over the hols. They walked past the park they had played Muggle football in before stopping in front of a grand three story mansion.
Potter manor.
…
The sun sat low in the sky and the warm colours of sunset bounced off of windows and the front gardens of the houses surrounding. It was nearing the end of March, and all signs pointed towards an early spring.
It must've rained earlier that day; the street was wet and the unfrozen leaves twisted around in the wind. The streets were empty and the road was empty and the houses were dark, which was strange. It was almost four o'clock according to Lily's watch- people should be coming home from work or from school. People should be cooking dinners and laughing over their days in the sitting rooms.
But that didn't happen, that idyllic picture didn't exist in Godric's Hollow. It once had, and James looked for the reminisce of his childhood in this strange and foreign scene that stood before them.
The whole world was silent, nothing, not even the birds made a noise. In that vast and empty empty, there was nobody. In that street, in that town there was silence and suspense- and none of it made sense.
It was eerie to be the only people there,
Everything was hung in suspense like a murderer was hiding in the shadows waiting for the right moment to uncover himself.
Now they were both scared and the initial thrill of escaping their little house on the sea had long since worn off. This was the real world. This is where Death Eaters could come at any time, this was where werewolves and hags and vampires could attack them, hurt them, maybe even kill them. This is a place where there had once been death and would be death again given time.
But stoic as always, Potter mansion sat all around him as it always had, an imposing three story brick building that looked less than friendly in the faint light. It stood tall beside the decaying and decomposing houses on either side. Ivy climbed up the West wall, and the wrought-iron gate fenced in the small front yard with a gate leading up the walk.
James raised his wand to remove the Magical wards surrounding his parent's house, the complicated spell second nature after casting it so often. He had grown up here, had spent his whole childhood in this house but it was like he didn't recognize it. Coming back to it was like entering a haunted house; unfamiliar and foreign and full of suspense when one least expected it. Once he and Lily closed the gate and passed the boundary for the ward, he reinstated it quickly and turned to his wife.
"What now?" Lily asked.
"Now we go see my parents."
James took her hand and walked up the steps of the old house.
…
The foyer echoed as they shut the door behind them. The lights were all out, and the old house was silent. Which was strange, because even though there were only two of them, there was always noise and voices and activity going on.
"it's exactly as I remember," she said quietly, looking around. "It's so wonderful that even when everything is changing, small pockets of our old lives can remain."
"Exactly," James said, smiling down at her. "I wonder where my parents are, they should've heard us."
"Maybe they're upstairs?" Lily offered.
"Nah, they'd hear the door." James said.
"I'll check the hall," Lily said. "You want to check upstairs?"
"Sure," James said, and followed his wife down the hall to the staircase leading upstairs. Lily peeked around the corner, and called their names into the kitchen and formal dining room.
"Hello?" James said, one hand on the banister. "Mum? Dad, it's me and Lily!"
There was no response. The old house creaked in the wind and made the windows shudder. Looking around, James was unnerved. There was a fine film of dust that coated the banister and the antiques his mum had collected over the years. The house elves would never leave the house in such a state.
Now he was worried. He should've checked in with them more often, they could've been hurt, been taken. They were Pureblood, which it was almost as bad to be a blood traitor these days and their only daughter in law was a Muggleborn. Not to mention Lupin and Peter, who were half-bloods, who had been here every summer since third year.
Gods no, James thought with a sinking feeling in his stomach. He would never forgive himself if they were captured on his account.
"Maybe they're out," Lily said, rejoining him at the staircase. "They don't have to be home all the time."
"They're always home," James said, running a hand over his jaw. "I'm worried."
There was a crack from above them, and James grabbed her hand in fright. Then there was silence, which was almost worse, the sound of nothingness, the reality that Death Eaters could be hiding behind the drapes, hidden in the shadows was almost too much to bear. After being in hiding for so long, hanging in suspense, being genuinely afraid for their lives was terrifying.
"Something's seriously wrong," James said, and took the stairs two at a time.
"James, wait-," Lily said, joining him. "Hold on, don't run."
"They're not here," James said, running around the second floor anxiously. "They're not here!"
"James!" Lily said, catching him by the arm. "James calm down! We don't know anything yet! They could be down the road picking up milk for all we know! Don't retort to worst case scenario, it never helps."
"They could be captured, they could be gone!" James said hysterically, his pupils thrown wide. "How can you be so calm! They're in trouble! We have to find them,"
"Why don't we search the house, okay?" Lily said, holding his hands in hers. "You take the second floor, I'll take the third. We'll meet back here in five minutes, okay?"
James nodded, and tore down the hall into his parent's bedroom.
Lily went the opposite direction, past the guest bedrooms and baths and climbed the narrow staircase leading to the attic.
She had only been up there once, in the summer after sixth year, she Sirius and James had played Monopoly all night long, the long open room perfectly suited for lounging around without waking his parents up. She wondered if the board was still up here somewhere. The empty Muggle soda bottles were, cluttered on a side table and covered with dust, standing like relics of a long forgotten summer night.
One glance told her that the Potter's were not to be found, not in the attic to be sure. She peeked out the curtains, watching the empty street below with confusion. It was strange for it to be this quiet.
She took care coming back down the steep stairs, and met James at the top of the stairway leading back downstairs.
"Anything?" he asked, and Lily shook her head.
"Gods, I hope they're okay," James said, and scrubbed his jaw with his hand.
"There's nothing you could've done," Lily said. "Even if you had been in regular contact, there was nothing you could've done."
"That's not true," James said. "There's always something we could've done."
"No, its not. But its assurance for now. You can't save the whole world, James."
"No, but I need to protect my family," he said. "You, the baby, our parents. Gods, Lily I couldn't even protect my parents."
"Don't you dare put this on your shoulders," Lily said forcefully. "Don't you dare take responsibility for something outside your control. That's a slippery slope that leads nowhere productive. Think where could they be?"
Before James could answer, the house shuddered and shook; throwing vases and ornaments off the tables, paintings off the walls. James and Lily clung to one another, their eyes wide with shock.
"What the hell was that?" Lily said under her breath.
"I don't know," James said, raising his wand slowly. "Stay behind me."
"I'm not an invalid," Lily said indignantly. "I can hold my own."
"No, you will stay behind me. And under the Cloak." James said, holding her by her shoulders. "You're protecting the baby too, and that's not worth the risk. Don't be reckless."
"You're one to talk," Lily said, but took the offered Cloak anyway and threw it over herself. She felt silly balancing the cloak over herself, but did it anyway, and followed her husband up the stairs back into the attic.
…
"They shouldn't be able to see us!" James hissed. "the magic is impenetrable!"
"You're sure you didn't cast it wrong?" Lily whispered, peeking through the curtains. James rolled his eyes. "Maybe I broke it somehow, I'm not a blood relative,"
"No, that can't be right," James said, looking her up and down. "The baby is a Potter,"
"Yes, but I'm not. Not by blood."
"If you want to get into the technicalities, yes you are." James said. "Exchange of bodily fluids, as it were."
Lily slapped him, a blush crawling up her cheeks. "Don't be crude."
"It wasn't you," James persisted, peering through the curtains. "I wish my parents were here, Dad would know what to do."
"Why don't we just get out of here," Lily said, "Just Apparate?"
"We shouldn't," James said. "It could be dangerous for the baby. Plus, I want to find out what's going on."
Below them, they could see men in dark cloaks circling the old house, their wands at their sides. Even though they knew the house was invisible, it was no reassurance. It didn't seem to be stopping the Death Eaters, and James and Lily felt bare and exposed under their scrutiny.
"So why are we up here?" Lily asked, slipping the cloak off her shoulders, crouching down by the window beside James.
"That wasn't normal, something bad is happening."
"Death Eaters?"
James nodded.
"Maybe worse. You see those men there?" James said, pointing to the black dots far below them. "Werewolves, but it's hard to say one way or another. I think what we heard and felt was the breaking of the wards around the house."
"Can you reinstate them? Lily asked.. "How'd they get the wards down in the first place?"
"No idea," James said. "Hold on, I could try, but we'd need to be outside."
"No way you're going out there," Lily said. "Do you not see them? There's more of them now."
She was right. Death Eaters dressed in all black Apparated every couple of minutes onto the street below, all looking up at the grand house with a look of triumph in their eyes. More were Apparating by the minute, and a small crowd was gathering in front of the house.
"It's no use, I have to try." James said. "We can't help ourselves or my parents by hiding in the attic.
"But there's more to it than just wards," Lily said. "What's plan B?"
"You Floo out of here, leave me behind."
"That's running, it's not a plan,"
"You're worth more to them than I am," James said. "They're after the baby, they have to be. They knew that we'd come. But we can't leave before I get the wards back up or we can't guarantee an escape."
"They might have them, James," Lily said quietly. "The Death Eaters might have taken your parents to make you bargain for them. You can't give yourself up, you won't be helping anybody that way."
"So what is the plan then?" James said.
"Surrender!" a voice said from outside, and both fell backwards to be out of sight from the window. "Surrender the child!"
"You put the wards up from the backyard," Lily said. "I wait under the cloak and we rendezvous by the fireplace, we'll escape as soon as the wards are back up."
"Be safe," James said, kissing her quickly.
"Be safe yourself,"
…
Lily walked quickly and quietly to the opposite side of the attic, passing couches and rugs as she passed and crouched beside the window. James should be outside any second now.
The yelling continued outside, the threats and jeering threw shivers up her spine. She pulled the cloak closer around herself.
James opened the back door and shut it quietly behind him. He walked a couple of feet out and cast the same spells he had earlier. They had thought that the spell had been faulty, that it hadn't worked somehow because his parents weren't here. But Lily knew that wasn't quite true. It hadn't worked because an exterior force had been counteracting the magic faster than he could cast it, which meant that the Death Eaters or whoever it was had been watching the house for some time, anticipating their arrival.
Which only cemented Lily's initial thought that this was a bad idea from the get-go.
James was standing on the front step, the complicated list of wards reinstated, when the back gate popped open and James was dragged to the front street.
…
"James!"
She tore down the staircase and threw open the front door just in time to see him kicked in the stomach. She screamed and cast a non-verbal blasting curse, which not only blasted the Death Eaters away from James, but also tore a hole in the pavement below.
She ran to him, and took him in her arms. There was blood dripping out of his mouth and he sagged against her.
"Don't-," he said thickly. "Get out of here! They're here for you!"
"
Lily pushed James behind her, dropped the cloak in exchange for her wand, and faced the Death Eater standing in front of her.
"Lily run!" James said thickly, attempting to get up. "Get out of here! I can hold him off,"
"I won't!" Lily said, raising her wand as well. "I'm not leaving without you!"
"Those are quaint words, Potter," the man said, and Lily baulked at his words. "Considering you're going to die here,"
"That's big coming from someone who's too scared to remove his mask and give himself away." Lily retorted.
The man swept his wand in front of his face, and the white mask evaporated. His face was cruel, long scars covered his face and he smiled coldly.
"Found you," he said quietly.
…
"What do you want?" James said loudly.
"Oh, the child of course," the man said. "But all comes in due time. You're outnumbered, you'll break eventually."
"You don't know what you're up again," Lily said, "you're nothing,"
"No, but I represent something, Mudblood-,"
"Don't you dare," James said strongly and stood, facing the man bravely with several broken ribs.
"The Death Eaters outnumber your little Order twenty to one," the man continued, and smiled a cold smile. "You've no chance, you're not making it out of this alive."
"You don't care about us," Lily said reverently. "All you want is the baby; which is too bad, really, stillborn. I'm to be induced next week."
"Lies," the Death Eater said, but he looked uneasy. "The Dark Lord would know if the child was already gone,"
"Would he?" James asked. "Even we didn't know until yesterday. You're information is outdated."
"You're terribly flippant about your own dead child," the man continued, and James pushed Lily behind him. "the others were far more protective over their offspring."
"Frank and Alice!" Lily hissed in his ear.
"So hand it over," the man said, holding out his hand impatiently. "Surrender the girl."
"Never!" James screamed, and out of his line of sight, cast a Protego charm between him and Lily, twisting it in front of him just in time to block the curse of the Death Eater, which spit red fire around them.
She cast blasting curses, jinxes and charms that only seemed to be enraging the Death Eaters that surrounded them. To her left she heard the growling noise of a wolf and gasped when she saw Fenrir Greyback, his cruel black eyes glaring back at her.
She turned her back for a moment when she heard the cry of pain, and when she turned she saw what was left of James Potter lying beneath her.
…
Her scream shattered the windows of the entire neighbourhood, and the broken glass littered the street below. She took him in her arms and attempted to tug him behind her, to no avail.
"James! We can't stay here!" Lily said, and tugged his hand away from the wreckage. "They're here for us! We need to run!"
James didn't respond, and Lily ran her fingers over his bloody sleeve in shock. She shook her head and tried to haul him away, but wasn't getting very far; he was heavy and she was already weak from fear and stress. Behind her, the Death Eaters continued to advance.
James had no pulse. His face was bloody and scarred, and he was limp lying beneath her. His clothes were torn, his glasses broken and lying in pieces around him. His legs were caught underneath rubble, stuck utterly. She tried his wrist for a pulse and found nothing.
He was gone.
After all they had gone through, all they had survived side by side, he couldn't die now. He couldn't. Tears slipped down her nose and splashed on his cheeks, the wet trails cutting through the dust and the blood. She knelt down before him, kissing him deeply, embracing him completely, like he had to her so many times before. She wanted nothing more than to collapse on top of him, to give up, to surrender. What was there to live for when James Potter was dead?
"James!" she shouted hysterically, shaking his shoulders with tears streaming down her face. "James, get up! They're here, they found us! James, we need to get away!"
He said nothing. She dropped his hand from hers and stood with weak knees and a bleeding heart.
She would've surrendered had it not been for the baby. He was their baby, their child; the baby boy that was going to be born at the end of July. He was worth living for, and she was not going to surrender her baby. Not at the pain of death, not for anything. She would kill Voldemort and everyone who ever sided with him if it meant keeping her family safe.
Lily stood fast, her wand held tightly in her hand. And even though it was shaking she stood tall.
"Get back!" she shouted, and cast wordless magic over the lampposts that lined the streets, and they collapsed onto the street, taking a few Death Eaters with them. Others baulked and some of the masked men jumped, but most continued walking towards her, their sadistic smiles watching her.
"We'd prefer to leave you alive," one of them said, his silver mask concealing his features. "The Dark Lord would hate to hear about the unwarranted spilling of magical blood."
"I'd die before I'd join him," Lily spat. "I'd die before I gave myself over!"
"The child will die either way," another said. "Surrender or rebel, he has no chance. Look at your husband."
Lily stood her ground, glared at the Death Eaters like she had nothing to lose. She must've looked pathetic, not dangerous or particularly powerful. She could use that to her advantage. They might underestimate her, the pregnant woman with a dead husband…
She choked back a sob, and refused to look down, she couldn't dwell of James or she would break down. So she redirected her sadness into fury and faced the Death Eaters with fire in her eyes.
"He has every chance," Lily said, "get away from my family."
"Oho!" the first man said. "Your dead family?"
Lily remained, her wand hand steady and powerful. She looked at the unstable street separating them; the weak and cracked cobblestones and got an idea.
"The one you failed to capture," she said venomously. "Quite the opposite, I'm afraid. You know what keeps people alive? It's not courage, not God or fate. It's wit. Well done picking a spot with a weak foundation, assholes."
"You'll do nothing of the sort," another one of them said, bowing slightly at the waist. "How peculiar it is to find you hear, Mudblood, we've been searching for you for two months without a trace. And now here you are, in Godric's Hollow, alone, your husband dead behind you. What do you have to live for?"
"More than you," she said, her mind going a mile a minute. She couldn't let them get much closer or the baby would be in danger.
Good God, the baby. Lily thought desperately. How am I going to protect James, me and the baby at the same time?
So she did what she did best; tried to talk her way into an escape plan. She had to protect her family.
"Malfoy, is it?" she said. "Haven't seen you in a while. God knows your wife must be around her somewhere."
"Be silent," Lucius Malfoy spat, and Lily smiled quietly, proud to have gotten under his skin.
"Mulciber, Avery, Karkaroff, you lot are awfully predictable, you know. You have no idea you walked straight into a trap."
Some of the Death Eaters faltered and looked around, looking to Malfoy, who now only stood ten feet away from her.
"Those names are lies," he said smoothly. "Lies fed to you by the Order, false leads we planted to get Dumbledore off our backs. I'm pleased to see it worked. But we're not here for formalities, Mudblood, we're here for the child."
"You'll never catch me alive. I'd die for my family, you're not taking him away from me,"
"Oh a boy is it?" he said, raising his wand. "How convenient. Surrender, Potter, or a worse fate awaits you."
Lily cast a wordless Protego in front of her, and Lucius sneered.
"You think that'll protect you," he said. "How foolish you are. There are dozens of us, and you're alone. How do you expect to protect him as well as you and the child?"
That's a good question, Lily thought, and raised her wand as well. Apparating was too dangerous this late into her pregnancy. It could hurt the baby, maybe even trigger labour, but she couldn't think about that right now. She couldn't fight, that was out of the question. There was too much to lose if she went on the offensive. Malfoy was right, she couldn't protect herself and James at the same time. Retreat was her only option, even if it felt cowardly, she'd do it to protect the people she loved.
Death Eaters were advancing before her, stepping over the rubble from the fallen stone that cluttered the street in front of her.
Lily held her ground, bent down and wrapped James' fingers around her ankle. She grabbed the Cloak with her other hand.
She raised her wand, dozens of spells filtering through her mind, she looked up quickly, and spying the elaborate porch ceiling above her, cast another blasting spell. She bent down to James, and Disapparated as the bricks, stone and metal of Potter Manor exploded around her.