[14]
"So, who's in your family?" James asked, as Harry and Ginny entered the new memory, which they concluded very quickly, was set on the day of the Hogsmeade trip —Lily's and James's first date.
"My mum and dad. They're both Muggles. I have a sister named Petunia. She—I—she doesn't like magic much," Lily said softly, a fleeting look of sadness passing over her face. "What about you?"
"Oh. I'm sorry to hear that, Lily. Maybe your sister is jealous of your talent. But yeah, it's just my parents and me, so I've been kind of spoiled all of my life." James flushed and admitted, "I've been a such a prat, and now that I can see how much of a pompous git I was, I'm really embarrassed. I'm sorry, Lily."
As they downed their Butterbeers, they talked about everything—their interests, dislikes, and dreams. As Lily and James were doing this, Harry and Ginny, who were seated in the background, found themselves involved in a lively parallel conversation that revolved around the same questions.
Harry and Ginny paused their conversation when James started stuttering and turning red. "S-so, there's a Quidditch game tomorrow. I was wondering—do you want—er, never mind." James shook his head and looked at the ground.
"I'll come."
James smiled gratefully at Lily's response, and after James checked the time on his watch, the two made moves to leave the Three Broomsticks. As Lily and James started towards the route to Hogwarts, they were approached by a striking individual—exceedingly handsome, so very tall, with dashing dark features, and most alarmingly, an extremely charismatic smile. The only off-putting feature was the man's eyes, which shone with a flash of red.
"Potter. Evans. Two extraordinarily talented individuals." The man gave a curt nod to James and Lily, who wore expressions of intrigue and surprise. "The name is Riddle."
"Mr. Potter, you come from a family of Aurors and clearly hold skill. Evans, though you may be Muggle-born, that fact can be overlooked for your uncanny talent at casting spells. I come to you two to ask that you join my ranks and support the cause. Soon, we will fight for the true Wizarding World and eradicate all Muggles from inconveniencing the magical world. I shall give you power and riches beyond your imagination. Together, we will unite all magical beings of worth. Millions of wizards will be at our beckoning."
Lily and James shared a glance and frowned. James took Lily's arm to leave and shook his head, "No, we're not interested."
Riddle's red eyes darkened. "You leave me with no choice then."
James, who had noticed Riddle reaching for something inside his robes, quickly pulled Lily away. With a quick flick of his wand, he yelled out 'Protego!' and cast his Invisibility Cloak onto Lily, instructing her, "Run—Shrieking Shack. Hide behind objects as you run." He saw the look of hesitation on Lily's face seconds before it disappeared underneath the cloak.
James swore loudly as his Shield charm began to wear off from Riddle's unceasing spells and hurriedly cast another to reinforce his Shield.
"Avada Kedavra."
A streak of bright green light blinded James temporarily, and some of his hair wilted and fell to the ground as Riddle's spell grazed the top of his head with extraordinary speed. The burning smell of his singed hair stung Harry's and Ginny's nostrils as they ran after James. They finally reached the Shrieking Shack and quickly burrowed into the secret passageway. Riddle had stopped his pursuit outside of the Shrieking Shack.
Lily had been waiting behind the entrance for James to appear. Completely breathless, tears had gathered around the rims of the eyes. "James!"
She crushed him in a hug. "You're alive…"
James grinned as he wrapped his arms around her warmly. "I just went on a date with you after all those years of pursuing you, Lily. It's going to take more than a crackpot to kill me."