A/N: Hey guys! I tried to write and post it as quickly as possible. I'd have to say it's one of my favorite chapters. And how about Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows coming out July 21st? I'm excited…and I'm going to try to finish this story by then. I know, I've got a ways to go, but if I can set a deadline for myself I can hope to get things done. Well, enjoy this chapter! The poll: Is Valentine's Day overrated?

And as for the last chapter's poll: I was suprised that people had different things for the most part. The ability to be all knowing in guys would be really helpful! As well as math, talking to horses (i'd like to be able to talk to my cats, haha), history of the different countries (that would be really helpful), people in general, scinetifical information, the ability to protect your family as a seer (i think that would be good too..i just had a dream my twin died..terrified me), and of course, magic!

As for a recap for last chapter: James dreamed of losing Lily, Lily and Sirius finished decorating Lily and James' house, Lily met with her friends, and Sirius disappeared!

Chapter Twenty-Seven: The First Encounter

"What do you mean, he's gone?" Lily asked, her face whitening under the sudden terror James' words produced.

James threw his hands in the air. "He didn't come home---Remus said he was supposed to meet him for a drink but that he never showed…Remus is off checking his underground sources for any information on where Sirius could be…" James' voice was higher than usual and he was as panicked as Lily had ever seen him.

Lily put her arms around him and kissed his cheek. "It'll be all right, James. Let's go."

"Go where?" James asked, releasing his grip around his fiancé.

"To Dumbledore. He probably knows something—and then, I'm sure, we'll be going to Voldemort."

"Voldemort?" James' face contorted---it had been his first guess, and his worst fear. He decided that he needed to pull himself together. What good is his Auror training if he couldn't save his best friend? "All right, let's go."

He prepared to apparate when Lily grabbed onto his arm.

She started to explain, trying to be calm but feeling anxious all the same. "James, they could be tracking---"

"If they have Sirius they already know we're coming." And with his words, he grinned nervously and sucked in a breath. "Ready? Go to the Hog's Head."

Lily nodded, and with a "pop" they both apparated.

Seconds later and a few unpleasant sensations later, Lily and James appeared in the middle of Hogsmeade and just outside of the dirty bar that was their key to Dumbledore.

James pulled something made of shimmering material—Lily recognized it right away. It was his invisibility cloak.

"There might be people in there waiting for us. I wouldn't be surprised if they knew something went on in here with the Order."

James held open his cloak and Lily met him under the sleek material, letting her body disappear with his.

They didn't have to wait long in the cold for someone to stumble out of the bar, leaving the door open long enough for them to slip in undetected. Once in the smoke-filled pub, James held onto Lily and guided them to the back of the bar, where they let themselves into the empty store room they had become acquainted with since they joined the Order. James led them to the statue of the one-eyed witch and Lily touched the head. James inhaled and whispered the magic word.

"Dissendium"

Suddenly they appeared in Hogwarts.

It only took them a few minutes to navigate their way around their old school building and scurry up the winding stairs to Albus Dumbledore's office.

James lifted his fist and knocked on Dumbledore's door in a beat that pleaded a response. Only, none came. He looked down at Lily, who looked as disheartened as he felt. James threw manners to the wind, and barely hesitated to turn the knob and open the door. He walked in and looked around the room—Lily, not sure what James was looking for, followed him in and peered around the office as well.

"There's got to be something…" James muttered. "He must have something…"

"Who are these intruders? Just barging into the Headmaster's office! Outrage! Intruders! Bandits!"

Lily and James looked around the room alarmed. One portrait was awake. An old, stern looking wizard was shouting at them…and waking the other paintings.

"We better hurry before they all wake up and cause a ruckus." James told Lily.

Lily had a better idea.

"Excuse me, sir. We didn't mean to intrude here…"

"Right, right. You bandits expect me to believe you? The one time Albus leaves the door unlocked! Bandits!"

"No, sir. We're not bandits. We, we know Dumbledore. We're looking for him. Where has he gone? Is he coming back? It's urgent."

The old wizard's gray eyes shifted past Lily to James, who was pilfering around Dumbledore's desk.

"What are your names?" he asked, turning his attention back to Lily.

"Lily Evans and James Potter. We were Head Girl and Boy here last year, and we really need to see Dumbledore." Lily answered, distracting the portrait while James continued to search for anything helpful.

"Ah. I've heard him mention you. Secret business, eh?" The old wizard rubbed his nose with his sleeve. Lily held in her grimace and continued to smile as politely as she could under the circumstances. "He left almost two hours ago. Something urgent…top secret stuff, I imagine. I wouldn't expect him back anytime soon. He told me to keep a lookout for him. I told him he could always count on m---"

"Did he say where he went?" James interrupted, growing more frantic with the passing of time.

The aged wizard seemed perturbed at being interrupted but answered James' question.

"No, he didn't."

James huffed lightly and dragged his left hand through his hair, making it stick up in every direction.

"Thank you, sir. Tell the Headmaster we were looking for him, please. Do you mind if we look around a bit?"

The painting sighed but nodded despite himself. Lily could be charming without saying anything remotely amiable—it was more in the way she spoke. It was a talent that had gotten her far in her short life.

"Thank you." Lily replied with a smile as she began to peer around with James—whose disdain at this point had rendered him quite useless, but Lily was sympathetic and continued to look for something to give him hope. Dumbledore wouldn't leave them in the dark, would he?

"James, there's a file here. It's got the maps we were using to find Voldemort's meeting places. I think Dumbledore has something here for us." Lily said, her words filled with hopefulness. James' hazel eyes lit up and he walked over and looked at the papers in Lily's delicate hands.

"The old shoe store?" James pointed at the map as he drew the same conclusions Dumbledore had come to. "Dumbledore thinks they meet in the old shoe store in Diagon Alley?"

Just then, a faint whisper rippled in the room. James and Lily looked at each other, and then Lily looked down.

"James, I think it's coming from your trouser pocket."

His eyes lit up again and he pulled out what appeared to be a mirror.

"Padfoot! Is that you?" James whispered into the mirror. The reflective glass was dark and foggy and it was hard to distinguish anything.

"Prongs, I'm in Diagon Alley…I'm at…" An explosion of some sort cut Sirius off, but he continued to talk, his voice more urgent. "I've got to go, I need help!"

Before James could ask any questions, Sirius was gone. James looked at Lily. "He's got to be at that shoe store. Let's go!"

The new direction in their mission livened James, and he and Lily made it to Diagon Alley in record time, covered in the invisibility cloak.

Lily, although she had been to Diagon Alley a dozen times, had no recollection of their being a shoe store anywhere.

"James, where exactly are we going?"

James slowed his stride as he explained softly. "Dragon Hide and Hippogriff Hair…it's a very old store. I don't think I've been to it since I was little. Something about them using real Hippogriffs deterred my mother from letting us shop there."

After making several odd turns and finding the shop, it became apparent that most people must have had the same idea as James' mother. It was a worn out, desolate looking place. A sign swinging from a single hinge indicated to Lily and James that they were at the right place. The writing was practically illegible, but If Lily strained her eyes she could make out the faded gold lettering. "Dragon Hide and Hippogriff Hair."

In Lily's opinion, it looked like a grotesque place Death Eaters would meet.

"Okay." James started, looking hard at the building while he thought. Lily could tell from his assertive manners he was more nervous than he was trying to let on. "We're going to go in the front door. I think that's safest…they wouldn't be holding anything in front of the windows…once we get inside I'm going to leave you the invisibility cloak. It's too hard for us to navigate in there together…then, we'll go from there." James then looked down at Lily, right into her eyes. "Lily, I need you to promise me that if I get into trouble you'll turn around and go for Remus or McGonagall…someone to help…we can't both get trapped."

"Only if you promise me the same thing, James Potter. We don't need you devising a single-handed heroic plan only to get us all killed. Go for help." Lily demanded, her eyes blazing with the fierce passion she seemed to always carry around with her, always waiting for a moment for someone to light it from inside of her. At this moment, James was the candle.

"I promise." James said before kissing her quickly on the lips and slipping something in to her pocket.

"What is that?" Lily whispered as they turned to the store.

"It's the two way mirror; use it if you have to." James answered just as quietly. "Are you ready?"

"Yes." She replied strongly, gripping her wand with her right hand.

"Okay. Let's go."

They entered the dark room as quietly as possible. It had the smell of old leather and mothballs. It was a strong combination that made Lily's nose wrinkle slightly. James ignored it and stepped out of the invisibility cloak to get a better look around the deserted shop.

"James." Lily whispered. "Under your feet. I think there's a trap door."

James registered her words and glanced down at his feet. He smiled to himself and bent down and pressed his right ear to the ground. Footsteps. Shuffling of something. What was it? Furniture? Bodies? He opened the door a crack so that he could peer through. The room below was dim with light, and the space was just illuminated with the light of a few wands. James could make out four or five men in dark cloaks, but it was impossible to see how many there really were. He kept the door open just a crack so that he could listen without being detected.

"Stupid boy!" he heard a man's voice say. His friends chuckled in agreement.

"Oh that's my dear cousin for you. Always behaving foolishly… impulsively. He's never had much of a head on his shoulders…just look at his friends for Merlin's sake. Mudbloods, Halfbreeds, and Mudblood lovers." A woman's voice chimed in maliciously at a shrill pitch.

"Well that's me, Bea. I never thought you understood me, but I see now that you do. It really must be true. Blood is thicker than water…"

James heard Sirius' voice with its usual sarcastic quips and his heart leapt with in his chest.

"Don't speak to me about the blood we share, Sirius. Yours is poisoned by the company you choose to keep." Beallatrix replied tartly. Quick retorts seemed to come with the Black nature, despite what associations they preferred.

Sirius let out his barking laugh which transformed within seconds to a sort of scream. James' face went white as he racked his brain for a plan of escape. The screaming soon ended.

"You won't be laughing for long." A darker, smoother voice that was new to the conversation said.

A few nodded and the man continued. "No, when our Master gets here, you won't be laughing at all. Grinning, maybe…for that defiant look in your eye may be frozen forever when He shows up."

"Just let me speak to Regulus. He doesn't belong here. You people don't want him for whatever the hell it is you're doing. I don't know what he's told you about himself, but he really isn't cut out for this…" Sirius said hurriedly. James could tell he was starting to panic.

"Oh Regulus understands perfectly, dear cousin." Beallatrix informed him with an amused tone. "Yes, he understands. I'm afraid it's you that doesn't. And unfortunately, it's you that's going to have to pay."

"I'll never join you!" Sirius yelled in defiance, his voice so loud that James was sure someone outside would hear them.

"Are you sure, Black?" This new voice was cold, almost hissing. James could almost feel the air below him cool and could hear the breathing of everyone below him pause.

He was there.

"You speak rather foolishly for a man without a wand, Black, although I suppose Dumbledore would confuse that particular quality of yours with bravery."

The rhythmic breathing claimed the room once again among the Death Eaters. Sirius was still frozen and at loss of what to do. James froze at well, stuck between the impulse of fleeing the building or crashing through the trapdoor and surprising everyone.

Lily, feet away from James and still wrapped in the invisibility cloak, noticed James' tense posture immediately and had to fight the urge to ask him what was wrong at the risk of being discovered.

James, for the time being, paid close attention to the conversation below, as well as the positions of the company that would receive him.

Even in the dim light and awkward angle, James could tell Lord Voldemort was sneering.

"I believe the noble thing for you to do, Black, is to duel me, right?" Lord Voldemort chided.

"As much as I'd like to, I'm afraid that option isn't available." Sirius had regained his voice, and consequently, his self-destructive wit.

Lord Voldemort almost looked interested. "And why is that, Black? Scared?"

The Dark Lord's followers praised his words with an appreciative chuckle that did not go unnoticed by their master, who smiled to himself.

"No, not that exactly." Sirius continued, disregarding the people around him. "Well, I don't appear to have a second, someone to take up for me after I die. And you, on the other hand, have about five potential seconds here, so I hardly think it is fair…"

"That is what you get for jumping in the lion's den, Black." Voldemort retorted harshly, raising his wand arm threateningly.

James, not having any better idea as a means for extracting Sirius from so deadly a mission, chose this opportune time to make his presence known.

Lily watched James in disbelief and horror as he plunged to what she could only assume to be his death. Out of the intensity and desperation of the situation, an idea occurred to her, and she reached for her left arm and found her watch.

James landed rather gracefully and with his wand raised, he soon found five wands pointed at him, ready to kill.

"Sorry to interrupt." James said in his most arrogant tone. "I just heard something about a possible duel and my good friend here needing a second. And well, I'm always Sirius' second."

Sirius looked at James with admiration.

Lord Voldemort glanced from James to Sirius with malicious amusement.

"I see. Black, I'll take you as my second."

Sirius' eyes grew wide as one of the cloaked figures stepped forward.

"Yes, Master."

It was the voice of Regulus Black.

"You bloody idiot! Can't you see what you're getting into?" Sirius couldn't resist shouting, his rage bubbling inside of him.

Regulus didn't give Sirius the satisfaction of a response. Instead, he walked towards his Lord, taking his place at Lord Voldemort's right side.

James watched Lord Voldemort. It was clear to him that he had no intention of needing a second and that he had only called for one for this pleasure.

"The rest of you." Voldemort started. "Leave us."

"But Master—" Beallatrix Lestrange interrupted with a tone that suggested that she wanted nothing more than the enjoyment of seeing her cousin destroyed.

Voldemort turned to her warningly. "Go. You have better things to be doing."

Beallatrix nodded. "Yes, my Lord." And with her words, she apparated with her companions to some location that was a mystery to James and Sirius.

"Now." Lord Voldemort said as he turned his attention back to his prey. "I believe it is time for us to conduct the niceties."

Up above, Lily crouched over the opening that James had left wide open in his haste. She kept the invisibility cloak wrapped around her tightly as she watched Sirius and Voldemort turning and pacing back into opposite directions, only to turn around briskly and face each other.

She held her breath and prayed that someone from the Order would receive her signal of distress and arrive soon.

Two bright flashes shot across the room, one red, one yellow. Sirius was on the floor, screaming, twitching uncontrollably. Lily could see the horror on James' helpless face.

Just then she heard an old door opening.

She stood up quickly, however reluctantly, and quietly moved over to the front of the store to get a look at who was entering.

A short blonde woman walked in with a fierce look in her eye and behind her stood a tall lanky man.

"Alice!" Lily whispered into the air. "Frank!"

They both turned towards the sound of their names being called, only to see nothing.

"Who's there?" Frank demanded, stepping beside Alice, both of them with their wands raised.

Lily, remembering she still had her cloak on, pulled it down. "It's Lily Evans. Look, we don't have time." She started hurriedly, cutting them off from asking any questions. "Lord Voldemort is down below...in the cellar. He's got Regulus Black with him. He's dueling Sirius…James is down there too. We've got to hurry before he kills them!"

The facial expressions on their faces didn't change, but when Alice spoke it reflected the urgency of the matter.

"We'll use your cloak. One of us will jump down, invisible, but making a crash…a distraction. The other two will follow after."

"Okay, I'll go first." Lily said, ushering her saviors to the trap door, motioning for them to be as quiet as possible.

When she got back to the opening in the floor, she pulled the cloak back on, and looked below; hoping Sirius and James were still alive.

Lord Voldemort seemed to be taking his time, torturing Sirius for mere amusement. James had stopped looking horrified and wore a distant expression---Lily sensed he realized his emotion gave Lord Voldemort satisfaction.

Sirius was down on his knees now, forced down by what appeared to be the Imperious Curse. His face and hands were covered in blood.

Without looking back, Lily fell down, landing on Regulus Black.

The next thing she knew she was awakening into an illuminating world of white.
POLL: Is Valentine's Day overrated?

Thanks to all my reviewers! I greatly appreciate the feedback!

Lia Amitair: Thanks for your feedback...I've never really thought of my stories starting and ending the same way but I'll try to be more creative! Thanks for reading!

snow-white-lilies: Read anything by Secret Lily. She's one of my favorite writers on fanfic. Also, Amortentia by Tynwfiel is good. Oh, and Muggle It by 00PhoenixFeather00, and I'm in the middle of reading Intricate Amendments by Daisy Blue which is fairly good too.

Thanks to all my reviewers again!