When shall the drum beat end?
When we are dead and buried?
When all hope is lost and
there is no home to go to?
When shall the drumming end?
When the cities are lost and burning?
When there is no one left alive and
all thoughts of hope are dead?
Drum, drum, drum…
The drumming never ceases.
The war drum beats and our
hearts can bear no more…
When shall the drum beat end?
When all we love is gone?
When the heart beats and
loves no more?
The drumming is unending and
like the call of a crow
sends a shiver down our spines.
When will we be free again?
When shall the drumming end?
When the rain is falling ash,
and the ground is covered with the dead?
When there is no home, no shelter,
no hope, nor love, nor light?
If that is when the drumming ends,
then we shall meet again,
if in Heaven, I do not know.
All is lost and the drumming
still does sound…
…
Lily and James stood together facing Lord Voldemort for the third time. Neither of them could believe that they would have to go through all of this all over again. Neither of them wanted to. But somehow, they both knew that they had no choice. For surely, if they left then Voldemort would turn his rage on those they cared about and the nobility in them wouldn't let them. Voldemort had gotten more snake-like since they had last seen him. His nose no longer existed and his red eyes were bright than ever before. Lily couldn't tell if that was because of the fight or because he was more twisted. She was hoping it was the latter.
The fight around them seemed to have ceased. At least, there was no longer any noise. Lily could see people fighting but the sound of it all had died. She could see Remus and Sirius fighting back-to-back not too far away. Every so often one of them would glance their way to make sure they were okay. Lily felt James shiver slightly beside her. James hadn't taken his hazel eyes off Voldemort since he had arrived. And it didn't look as though he would. Lily herself took a deep breath and faced Voldemort.
'Once again we meet,' Voldemort's eyes lingered on James. 'I thought you were dead.' Voldemort didn't even look confused, let alone sound confused.
'I'm a very hard person to kill.' James replied calmly.
'Apparently,' Voldemort's gaze then shifted to Lily. 'I know I killed you.'
'You missed me.' Lily replied bravely but she didn't feel brave. She felt like a little girl staring up at bully. Lily didn't like the feeling.
'Yes, well, I'll be sure not to miss this time, won't I?' Tell me, how is it you survived?'
'Simple,' James spoke softly. 'You left to soon.'
'I'm not sure I understand.' For the first time, Voldemort was looking confused and very angry.
'If you hadn't left, I have no doubt that I would be dead. After all, a person can only take so much of the Cruciatus curse before their mind leaves their body in order to escape the pain. Your mistake was to leave me before my mind did.' Lily didn't remember James telling her the bit about his mind.
'Oh, really? Then how did you get your mind back?'
'I had help from a friend of mine,' James smiled. 'Something you wouldn't know anything about. Seeing as you have no friends.'
' I am Lord Voldemort and I have no need of friends.'
'Why? Cause you've got followers? It ain't the same thing, Voldemort, and you know it.' James was sounding incredibly brave but Lily felt the shiver that ran through James when Voldemort fixed him with a particularly horrible stare.
'Followers are more loyal than friends could ever be.'
James, the idiot, actually laughed at this. 'As if! You will always be alone. You may be powerful and scary but you're nothing. You're pathetic.'
'James!' Lily couldn't believe that James was being so rash. 'Do you want to give him a reason?'
'Yes, Potter, I would listen to the Mudblood if I were you. She's making sense.'
'You'd find a reason to kill us anyway.' James replied stubbornly.
'True, but I think that I will take my time in killing you now. I was going to show you some mercy and kill you quickly and easily but now? No, I think slow and painful is the way to go, don't you?'
'Yes, my… my, Lord…' Lily, under the Imperious curse, was forced to mutter.
'Good, good,' Voldemort turned his eyes on James. 'And now, she is under my control. Tell me, Potter, did you ever imagine that you would have to kill your own wife?'
James' eyes were fixed on Lily. She had gone rigid and he knew that she was trying to throw off the curse. Lily's bright green eyes were now misted over but behind the cloudiness was something else entirely. Determination.
'Lily, my dear, would you be so kind as to kill your husband? Good girl.' Voldemort added as Lily turned towards James and pointed her wand at him.
'Lily?' James was beginning to panic despite himself. And he didn't care if Voldemort knew. 'Lily? Come on, Lil. Don't listen to him, ignore him, Lil, ignore him, please.' Tears were coming to James' eyes as he begged his wife not to kill him. Lily was obviously trying very hard to do what James was saying but Voldemort was too strong.
'Avada… Kedavra…' James ducked just in time and turned to see the jet of green light slam into a Death Eater. This was too dangerous. If James kept dodging Lily's curse it would eventually hit someone they knew and James couldn't have that.
'Sonorus.' James magnified his voice. 'Everyone needs to leave immediately.' Everyone, Death Eaters included stopped fighting and looked around at James. Everyone in the Order of the Phoenix saw Lily with her wand pointed at James and Voldemort with his wand pointed at Lily. They all understood at once and all but two people left. 'Please, leave.' James begged Sirius and Remus who shook their heads at him. James opened his mouth to speak again but had to duck as Lily sent another curse his way. The curse hit yet another Death Eater and several of the more pathetic Death Eaters disappeared. Not that Voldemort noticed. He was too busy putting all of his energy into forcing Lily to kill James. 'Quietus.' James pointed his wand at Lily, tears silently running down his cheeks. 'Forgive me..' James said in a hoarse voice. 'Forgive me… Crucio…'
Lily instantly froze and then, seconds, later let out the most heart-wrenching scream James had ever heard. James could vaguely hear Voldemort's cold laughter. Sirius and Remus watched as James fell to his knees and Lily's body was lifted into the air. They glanced at each other and came to a mutual understanding. At the same time, the two of them began firing curses at the silent and un-moving Death Eaters. Those who weren't hit began to fight back. Voldemort glanced at them then looked back down at James who was cradling Lily in his arms, tears still coursing down his cheeks.
…
'Kill your husband… kill him…'
No, no, no, no, no,
'Kill him…. Kill him!'
NO
KILL YOUR HUSBAND
I'm trying, James, I'm trying, I don't want to kill you, I love you…
KILL HIM
Avada… no… Kedavra…
I'm sorry, James, help me, please, help me, please, help me, please… help… me…
KILL HIM
I don't want… Avada… no… Kedavra…
Duck, James, duck, please, James, kill me… please… help me…
KILL HIM
Everyone needs to leave immediately
James? What are you doing? I see, I can't kill anyone I know… James? I can't… throw… it off… help…
KILL HIM
Please... help... me... please... help... me... please... help... me... please... help... me... please... help... me... please... help... me... please... help... me... please... help... me... please… help… me… I can't stop…
Forgive me
Of course… kill me… please… help… me… please… help… me…
Forgive me
Of course… kill me… please… help… me… please… help… me…
Crucio
James? What? I don't understand…
The pain… Kill me… please… help… me… please… help…
I'm flying… I don't like flying… kill me… help me… James…
I'm falling… I don't like falling… kill me… help me… James…
Darkness… am I dead? Kill me…
…
Voldemort looked down at James and Lily and something stirred within him. Something that had lain dormant since his years at Hogwarts. His heart. It was clear, even to him, that James loved Lily more than anything else in the world and, for a moment, Voldemort felt remorse. But he angrily pushed away the feeling and quelled the return of his useless heart. He could not afford to begin feeling anything towards anyone. Especially not the two figures on the ground before him. Voldemort looked away from them with disgust plain on his face. Instead, he turned his attention on the half-breed and the Blood Traitor. They were the only ones of the Order who had remained behind and neither of them, Voldemort was glad to see, had noticed what had happened to their friends. Perhaps he should give them the news himself. Voldemort raised his wand and commanded his Death Eaters to stop fighting them. Voldemort then bound the two men in ropes and watched their wands clatter uselessly to the ground. Voldemort brought them over to him and saw both of them look down at their friends. One dead, and one dying. Voldemort allowed the men to fall to the floor and silenced them before they could speak. He did not bother silencing Potter as he was to overcome with grief to speak or to really notice anything.
'You have lost, Potter. Now do you understand? You and your pathetic Order will never beat me, for I am Lord Voldemort and you shall all bow down before me. I am your master now and you will obey me. You have fought me gallantly and your bravery shall not be forgotten in the new world I will create. You are stronger than many of my loyal Death Eaters and you shall make them stronger. You have lost your wife, and you will lose your friends. You are helpless and at my mercy. I am a kind lord. You will flourish under my tutelage.' Voldemort pointed his wand at Potter and forced him to look up. Voldemort knelt down so that they were eye to eye. 'Tell me, Potter, what will choose? Will you join me and live? Or will you resist me and die? Keep in mind that if you decide to resist me then your friends over there will die a most painful death,' Voldemort indicated Black and Lupin and that was the first time that Potter had noticed them there. 'And I can promise you that they will not die by my hand. They will die at the hands of those who want them dead.' Voldemort stood and let his eyes travel over his Death Eaters. 'Ah, yes, of course. Sirius Black, you will be killed by a cousin of yours. Surely you can guess who I mean?' The look of hatred in Black's eyes told Voldemort that he did indeed know. One of the Death Eaters stepped forward and stood next to Black and happily watched his feeble attempts to break his bonds. 'And for Remus Lupin, the werewolf, an old friend perhaps? No, I have a better idea. Greyback.' Lupin's eyes grew wide at the name of the werewolf who had bitten him. A hideous man stepped from the ranks and took his position next to Lupin. Voldemort turned back to Potter. 'What is your choice, Potter? You or them?'
…
Me or them?
James vaguely wondered when Remus and Sirius had been caught and dragged over. Neither of them were looking at him now. Sirius was staring up at the Death Eater next to him and, judging from the look of hatred on Sirius' face, James assumed that it was Bellatrix. Remus' face was devoid of hatred. Instead there was unimaginable fear on his face and he looked years older than he was. James couldn't take his eyes off his friends, his brothers, and he refused to look up at Voldemort. Instead James gently lay Lily down and stood up slowly, still clutching onto his wand. Voldemort smiled coldly at him.
'Let them go.' James said slowly and clearly. From the corner of his eye, he saw Sirius and Remus finally look at him. James didn't look back.
'You will join me?' Voldemort still had that cold smile on his face.
'Let them go.' James said more forcefully.
Voldemort's smiled slipped slightly. 'Not until you say that you will join me.'
'Let them go.' James pointed his wand in their direction. He saw Sirius and Remus glance at each other.
'Join me.'
'Let them go.'
'Join me.'
'LET THEM GO!' James finally lost control slightly and unintentionally sent a spell at the four of them. Greyback and the Death Eater were thrown off their feet and flew twenty feet before landing heavily on the ground. Sirius and Remus were thrown back only a foot. Voldemort watched with a blank face before turning back to James.
'Interesting use of magic. Adults don't usually do accidental magic.'
'Let them go.' James was quiet and calm again. James could see Greyback and the Death Eater resume their positions next to Sirius and Remus.
'No, I don't think I will now. No matter what your choice. Greyback, Bella, do what you want with them.'
'NO!' James turned to them and raised his wand again but it was yanked out of his hand. Greyback was smiling as he grabbed Remus and lifted him to his feet.
'Shame it ain't full moon time. Then we'd have some real fun, wouldn't we, Lupin?' Greyback ran a dirty fingernail along Remus' cheek and drew a line a blood. 'I remember when you was just a kid and I but you. I'll bet you remember.'
Bellatrix wasn't bothering with such niceties. She hadn't even moved. She was staring down at Sirius no doubt trying to think of the worst possible spell she could use on him. Voldemort waved his wand and the bonds that were gagging the two men fell away. He wanted some entertainment. He wanted to hear their screams.
'Got anythin' to say, Lupin?' Grey back bared his teeth at Remus who shivered. Instead of answering Remus looked up at the darkening sky and then at James. James frowned and looked up as well. Night had come and the moon light was hidden behind several layers of clouds. James suddenly realised Greyback's mistake. And Voldemort's. Sirius seemed to have realised as well because he smiled quite evilly and stared up at Bellatrix.
'Just one thing, Greyback,' Remus turned his eyes to face Voldemort. 'Were you any good at Astronomy at Hogwarts?'
'What has that ridiculous subject have to do with anything?'
'I'll take that as a no, then, shall I?'
'You should be running.' Sirius was speaking to all of the Death Eaters but his eyes were fixed on Bellatrix, who suddenly looked up at the sky, just as the moon became visible.
'Greyback, you idiot!' With Bellatrix's words everyone looked up at the moon and then very quickly looked back at Remus and Greyback, both of whom had already began transforming.
'Time for you to go, Tom.' Voldemort turned his eyes on the new arrival. Albus Dumbledore stood before them. Voldemort looked as though he was going to say something in return but Remus let out a howl as he finally fully transformed and the bonds holding him broke. Instantly Voldemort and every single Death Eater was gone. Dumbledore stopped, lifted Lily in his arms, and left. James grabbed his fallen wand and removed Sirius' bonds. Sirius immediately transformed into Padfoot. James collected Sirius and Remus' wands and stowed all three in his pocket before transforming into Prongs. Remus and Greyback were locked in a fight and it didn't look as though either of them were going to give up. Just as Padfoot and Prongs raced forward towards their friend Greyback sank his teeth into Remus' neck…
The poem at the very beginning, 'The Drum', was written by me especially for this chapter.