AN: thanks for the reviews everybody!!

Disclaimer: don't own anything.

Thanks to Jegan.

Reviewers, this chapter is completely dedicated to you! My most favorite chapter yet!!!

SEVENTH YEAR ROLLER COASTER

Chapter 13: away

"Morning" said James dully as he sat down. He scanned the Gryffindor table, catching sight of Lily. He smiled at her. She smiled back. Suddenly, his day was a whole lot better.

"So, what've we got first?"

"Potions" replied Remus.

"We're stuck in the dungeon with ol' sluggy without Lils to help us again" said Sirius gloomily.

"Great," said, James, "just great"

Fumes wafted lazily across the dungeon. Lily stirred her potion, three times clockwise, five times counter- clockwise.

"Well done Miss Evans!" cried Slughorn, "a perfect potion! Full marks!"

"Thank you professor," said Lily mechanically. She packed her things quickly, and strode out of class, Hugh on her heels.

"A perfect potion!" mimicked Hugh.

"Shut up Hugh" muttered Lily.

"Lily, you don't want to talk to me like that," said Hugh, lowering his voice, "I was flicking through your textbook, and I happened to see quite an interesting potion. A love potion. Amortentia I think it was called. "

Lily whirled around, "you can't make Amortentia! You're not magic!"

"I could ask someone to make it. Some of the girls here are very besotted you see. They would be willing. And-" he circled his arm around her, lowering his voice even more and whispering in her ear, "I think I could find this potion very useful, don't you think? Something I could use to make you willing. I do hate a rebel, you know."

Lily wrenched herself away from him, "you're sick1" she yelled, "what the hell is your problem?! You absolute, complete fuckin' basta-" she raised a hand to slap him, but he caught her hand, twisting it.

"you will not talk to me in that manner," he growled, twisting her hand harder, "or it will be straight to your father, and a free ticket for you, out of this place! Understood?" Lily nodded, her eyes wide, "Now we go to your next class. Let's go!" Lily nodded again, and they set off down the corridor to Defense against the Dark arts.

James stared at Lily dreamily, his chin propped up on one hand, noticing the way her hair shimmered when it caught the light, how she barely paused in note taking. Lily felt someone's gaze on her. She turned, catching sight of James, sending him a quick grin. James smiled. Suddenly, she winced horribly.

James sat up straight. Hugh was frowning at her, muttering under his breath. 'I bet its Hugh,' thought James. He boiled with sudden anger as he saw Lily wince again. 'He can't do this to her.'

"Let go of her!" he growled out loud. The entire class turned in their seats to stare at him. Professor Flannery paused his note dictating.

"Mr. Potter, what is the-" he began, but James paid no attention. He stalked over to Hugh and Lily's desk. He had just seen Lily wince again.

"Let go of her!" he repeated.

"What of I don't?" asked Hugh coolly.

James, already at the end of his tether, punched him.

"That's what!"

"Mr. Potter! Stop this!" said Professor Flannery. No one paid any heed.

Hugh stood up and advanced towards James. They stared at each other for a second, and, in one sudden movement, rushed towards each other. James pummeled Hugh mercilessly, releasing all his anger towards him, but Hugh managed to get in a few punches.

Professor Flannery pointed his wand at both of them, and they were forced apart. They lay on the floor, panting heavily, glaring daggers at one another.

James had a split lip, and bruises were beginning to form on his face and arms. Hugh was in much worse condition, with a bleeding nose, a black eye, and a split lip.

Lily ran over to James, who was preparing to make another rush at Hugh.

"Don't," she said softly, placing a hand on his shoulder to restrain him, "you'll only get hurt worse. Are you okay?" she wiped some blood off his chin.

"I'm fine" said James.

"You sure? You're bruised and your lip's split –"

"Get away from him Lily!" snapped Hugh.

But Lily had had enough. "Why?" she snapped back, "you do not own me. I'm not your property! I'll stay with him if I want!" Murmurs erupted around the class, discussing the article, wondering if it was true.

Professor Flannery raised his wand again, and a firework shot out, silencing everyone.

"Mr. Black, please go and fetch Professor Dumbledore and Mr. Evans" he commanded.

"no" said Sirius, coming forward beside James and Lily.

"Excuse me?" blustered an astounded Flannery.

"You heard me," said Sirius "I'm not calling Lily's father."

"Well- then... Lupin, you go!" said Flannery.

Remus and Maggie joined Sirius.

"Sorry sir," said Remus, "but no."

"Ms. Seltzer?" asked Flannery.

"Nope" she said.

"Detention for all three of you!" barked Flannery. He scanned the rest of the class, "Samele, you go!"

Samele ran off, and came back in ten minutes with Dumbledore, Mr. Evans, and –

"Mother!?" cried Lily.

"I was visiting" replied Mrs. Evans.

Mr. Evans had taken a look at Hugh.

"What is the meaning of this Mr. Dumbledore?" he demanded, "my charge has been attacked by one of your students. "

"I am afraid so," said Dumbledore serenely, "but I assure you the offender will be dealt with."

"Lily," said Mrs. Evans suddenly, "why is that boy's hand on your shoulder?" for James had stood up and placed his hand on Lily's shoulder, a simple act that Mrs. Evans blew way out of proportion. And then entered the character that ruined most everything, Hugh.

"I can explain Mrs. Evans," he said smoothly, jumping up, having succeeded in stopping the blood flowing from his nose. He reached into his pocket, pulling out a sheet of paper: Rita Skeeter's article. He presented it to Mrs. Evans, "your daughter has been seeing this boy behind my back for quite some time now. And this is proof!" he pointed to the picture. Mrs. Evans gasped when she saw the picture.

"Mum, it's all shit!" yelled Lily, "the article is complete crap! It's made up by Rita Skeeter!"

Mr. Evans snatched the article and scanned it, his brows contracting further with every sentence he read.

"It's not true" said Lily.

"If it's not true, young lady, than why is that very boys' hand on your shoulder?" demanded Mrs. Evans.

"Mum he's my best friend. And while we're on the subject," her eyes narrowed, "I will not marry Hugh!"

"What?" gasped Mrs. Evans, "of course you will marry him."

"No!" snapped Lily, "he treats me like his personal possession! Like I'm his bloody show dog that he wants to keep all to himself! I can't smile at James, Remus, or Sirius! Why? Because he says so! I can't look at a single guy! Why? Because he says so! I'm sick of it! I won't marry him!"

"He has perfect right to do all that Lily!" said Mr. Evans, "he is your fiancé, and if you go about with other boys-" he held up the article, "he has the perfect right to dictate you and prevent you from associating with them!"

"But he assaulted me, Dad!" said Lily desperately, "he assaulted me!"

"He has a right to do that too" said Mr. Evans, "If you do not comply with his wishes"

"We engaged you for a reason Lily," said Mrs. Evans, "so that you would not end up with any of these- these freaks!" she gestured to the rest of the class. Lily looked at her parents in horror. She knew Petunia had hated her magical ability, but her parents?

"We precisely forbid dating so you wouldn't end up with any of them," continued Mrs. Evans, "you wouldn't get attached. We would have let you complete seven years at this school, and then sent you to a nice, normal college. We had already arranged you marriage to Hugh. We'd break it to you when you were sixteen. And we did"

"and that's exactly what's going to happen," said Mr. Evans, "we are pulling you out right now, you will get married, stay home a year to squash the magic out of you, and than go to a normal college."

"You're crazy!" cried Lily, " what did you think these six years at Hogwarts were? A hobby? You think I just did it for fun? A pastime? Even if I did go to college, what sort of grades would they accept me with? An Outstanding in charms?"

"Lily, be sensible," said Mrs. Evans, "how would you live in the wizarding world? How would you get a decent job? And as for money? What would you use, wizard money? You think you could survive on that? Wearing freakish cloaks and robes, using freakish money, having a freakish jobs, married to a freak?"

"You're out of your mind!" said James, "you're not supportive of Lily's magical ability just because she's different! And, as for her magic, you'll never be able to squash it out of her! It's a part of her you can't destroy1"

"And as for money, "snapped Sirius, "between me, James, Remus, and Maggie, we have enough money to buy a high class neighborhood, and completely remodel it. Jobs in the wizarding world are mostly well paid. An Auror would make more money in a year, than a muggle in five years!"

"We all have good housing and quick mediums of transport!" said Maggie, "and those freakish clothes, are much more comfortable than your dresses"

"In short," concluded Remus, "wizards and witches are much better off, than the richest muggles"

Mrs. Evans stared at them.

"Certainly not!" said Mr. Evans furiously, "Lily will not have a freak job, and she will not marry a freak. She will marry a nice, normal, respectable person, which is more than she deserves, and go to a decent college. And she is going to do it now. Come Lily!"

"No!"

"Lily, come this instant!" commanded her mother.

"No!"

Hugh, who had been surprisingly quiet all this time, now spoke up, "Mr. and Mrs. Evans, I believe I can help," he moved toward Lily, only to find his way blocked by James.

"If you touch her, I will curse you so hard, you will not be recognizable! Understood?" hissed James, waving his wand menacingly. Hugh nodded, and backed down. Fists he could handle, but against a wand he was powerless.

"Lily come this second or I will force you to!" commanded her father.

"No!" she said, "I'm staying here, at Hogwarts. Soon I'll be of age, and then you can't order me anymore!"

"Oh, can't we?" snarled Mr. Evans, " we can order you about, Lily, as we like. I have excellent contacts at the ministry, who would come swooping down on you the instant I would tell them to. Come, right now!"

Lily had no choice. Wherever she hid, she'd be found by the Ministry. She bowed her head, and moved out from behind James, who caught her arm.

"Lils, they can't find you," he whispered, "we can hide you. You don't have to go."

"I'll be okay," said Lily, sounding braver than she felt.

"Lily, if- if you do get m- married, we'll come and get you, "he whispered, "I promise. I'll never give up on you. No matter how long it takes." Lily nodded, tears pouring down her cheeks. She turned to hug Maggie, Remus, and Sirius.

"We'll find you Lily," she said, struggling to hold in tears.

"We're always by you" said Remus.

"We'll come and get you" promised Sirius.

She turned back to James and hugged him.

"I'll never give up on you Lils," he repeated, holding her to him, whispering in her ear, "never." kissing her cheek, he let her go.

Lily walked toward her parents. Hugh grabbed her arm and pulled her out. Mr. and Mrs. Evans followed.

Remus laid a comforting hand around Maggie, who was crying into his shoulder.

James fell to his knees, staring at the open door with wild eyes, absorbing the truth that Lily was gone.

Sirius patted him on the back and looked up at Dumbledore, who had listened silently to the entire argument.

"You could have done something," said Sirius quietly, "stopped them taking her."

"I'm afraid I couldn't Sirius," said Dumbledore sorrowfully, "Mr. Evans has many contacts at the ministry, and in the board of governors. They are at his command. But there is a loophole. As soon as she is seventeen, they cannot search for her. She has not committed a crime, and is an adult, so they cannot arrest her or search for her. She has her own free will. You four can go back up to your common room. When she turns seventeen, you will be able to rescue Lily." Dumbledore swept from the room.

Remus and Sirius' eyes moistened. James broke all of his barriers, and tears began flowing down his face.

"We'll get her back" he said determinedly, "it'll be risky, but we'll get her back. She belongs here. She's worth everything."

AN: so, how did you like it? Good? Bad? Please review. And this is my longest chapter. Over 2000 words!

Also, if anyone reading this happens to be living in New Jersey, especially South Brunswick and Somerset, please tell me in your reviews. I'd love to hear from you.

--Blue.ughHug