Chapter 20: Deadly World

Lily stared out the window, the room completely silent. All of her friends were present in the Potter's household doing things like reading, napping, or walking around the house. She just sat and stared out the window. The world didn't look the same anymore. The clouds weren't white and happy like they used to be, the sun didn't brighten her day when it shown off her bright red hair. The blue sky wasn't all that blue anymore either.

After a while, Lily turned to see her friends but they all had disappeared. Only her broomstick remained in their place as if asking to be ridden. She gave it the "I'll be right back face" and quietly opened the door. The upper floors were completely silent but as she listened she heard mumbling voices coming from downstairs. She followed the sound. As she got closer she realized everyone had gathered in the kitchen and was discussing something.

"She's completely heartbroken. I haven't heard a work out of her all day, it's unlike her,"

"Well how would you feel if your family had been tortured and killed in front of you by those bloody, pots o' death eaters?" Sirius shot back.

Me. They're talking about me.

"Well she isn't the only one. Many students and children have lost their parents recently it's horrible and it's only getting worse."

"What are we supposed to do? Is there anywhere even safe for us anymore?"

"Dumbledore wants you all to stay here for the rest of the holidays especially Lily. He feels that if you all stay she will feel better. Plus, she has nowhere else to go, her sister has disappeared intentionally so she wouldn't have to deal with her."

A silent tear slid down Lily's cheek as she listened to these last words.

"Is Hogwarts even safe anymore?"

"No," Lily sighed, finally hearing the voice she wanted to. James paused and Lily could tell he was running his hands through his hair because he was nervous. "If she goes back there, they'll kill her."

At this moment Lily had hear enough. She slipped away silently so that none of them could hear her and went back up to the green bedroom. Her Malcentus jumped up at the sight of her and she chuckled.

"It's been forever hasn't it?" she commented hands on her hips, "Well today is perfect because it's practically a blizzard out there and I love to fly in snow!"

Lily threw her broom out the window and it stopped short at about 30 feet below. She then backed up and burst full speed, jumping out the window a smile on her face.

"Lily! NO!" Sirius yelped as he watched his best mate's true love dive out the window to her death. He tried to jump after her and grab her feet but he smacked the floor hard on his stomach.

"No..," he whispered pounding the ground and getting up ready to take in the scene of horror on the frozen tundra below.

"What the…," he injected, but there wasn't a body. Sirius searched the white painted ground and didn't see the red headed beauty anywhere. Then he heard a laugh and looked up. She was on her broom.

He breathed a sigh of relief and fell back onto the bed.

All of his friends had left and it was just him and his parents.

"Dumbledore told us that he instructed you to keep an eye on Lily."

"Yeah he did," James answered solemnly.

"I want to keep that promise," his father said sternly, "she needs you more than ever right now and even if she has turned you down one hundred times I still want you to hold your word."

"I will."

"James," his mother whispered and he looked up at her. She was tearing up, "We're just so worried about you. This is a scary time and I've never seen anything like it. Don't underestimate Voldemort, he's extremely powerful."

The cold wind flipped Lily's auburn hair around her chilled face and back. It was like getting a shot or doing drugs. Flying in the winter was such a high to her; she could do it all the time if she could. Especially the little wet snow flakes bursting against her cheek as she gained speed. She then looked out over the meadow and decided to see if she could get away. She flew directly at the shield as hard as she could but crashed into the invisible wall sending her flying. Her broom caught her only inches from the ground. When she sat back up she was on the edge of the wall and there was a hooded figure standing right in front of her.

Lily froze.

She even stopped breathing.

Her broom didn't waver. It sat in the air completely motionless as Lily watched the hooded figure intently. He took out his wand and tried a spell to break the wall but failed again and again.

They knew she was here.

Even this hooded figure looked familiar. Almost like the shape she had seen in the dark when she was in that horrible room.

"They won't get through," James was suddenly behind her on his broom.

"Potter you bloody prat you scared me half to death!" He face turned beat red and she turned her broom to face him.

"No, Evans, you were already there once," he winked and backed his broom up a bit, ready for a counter attack.

Lily turned and faced the now empty spot that the Death Eater stood, "He was in the room that night, and I recognized him."

"What?" James asked, a confused look on his face. She turned back to meet his golden eyes.

"When they tortured me; I recognized his shape in the dark. He was one of the Death Eaters there,"

James frowned and looked out over the distance, thinking.

"They know I'm here," tears welled up in her eyes.

"No they don't," he answered flying closer, "they probably are just curious as to why this house has protective shields up is all. Bloody Death Eaters aren't smart enough to figure that out."

Lily laughed and looked up at him. He was smiling too enjoying her joy for a moment.

"Care to fly around for a bit?"

"It's my happy place!" she winked and zoomed past him nudging almost off his broom.

The next day Lily awoke and looked out the window.

There are more of them.

Three Death Eaters stood outside the protective shield what looks like arguing to figure out how to get in. She got up quickly and ran down to find Heather and Daniel.

"Nice outfit, Evans," James commented as she walked in, the table laughed and Heather hit him.

Shoot.

Lily looked down, she was wearing her thin satin cami dress that she wore to bed…and nothing else.

"I'm a trend setter," Lily grumbled, face red and hot. James winked at her and Sirius howled like the big black dog he was. Remus shook his head catching Lily's eyes and shrugged as if to dismiss his friend's love obsession. Lily sighed back as if to agree with him.

"There are three Death Eaters outside the shield," she commented.

Heather dropped Lily's plate of breakfast food and looked at Daniel. He caught her eye then turned back to Lily.

"There was one yesterday out when I was flying and I looked outside this morning and there are three there right now," Daniel got out of his chair and walked with Lily to the window.

"Stay here." He motioned when James tried to get up. Sirius laughed and threw eggs at his friends face causing Heather to separate them.

"I cannot show myself in the window because they will see me," he commented standing to the side of the window but facing Lily, "but describe what you see."

She turned to Daniel and he was giving a reassuring smile even though his arms were crossed.

"Well…the one I recognize his shape from where I was taken. He's large, stout, and short. He was in the room while they tortured me. The other two are tall and extremely skinny, they look almost like ghosts. They are arguing. It looks like over why there's a protective shield and they don't know how to break it. I feel like they know I'm in here but I'm not sure because they are wearing masks."

"What kind of masks?"

"They are silver with contorted faces. They look like something that you would see in a nightmare; something I have seen in a nightmare," she looked down, lost in thought.

"Can you see anything else?" Daniel brought her back to the present.

"They have come from the north and it seems like Hogwarts is directly behind them; or the road to Hogwarts? It's a dirt road leading away from your house," she turned to him.

"Ok, nothing else out of the ordinary?"

"The snow has stopped and there are no footprints by them. They must have flown or aparated or something of the nature."

"Good," he smiled just like his son, "you are very observant, Lily."

"No, I'm just studious," she laughed as they walked back to the kitchen.

When Lily opened the door, Daniel's laughing face turned to horror.

"Why'd you leave me with them?" distressed Heather spoke.

Lily turned only to see brown, syrup covered, Heather speaking to her husband and James and Sirius wrestling on the ground. Natalie and Alice had disappeared and Remus and Peter were laughing at their fellow marauders.

"They haven't played a prank in ages," Lily yelled over the commotion and Heather rolled her eyes.

"BOYS!" they immediately stopped and silenced. Heather's hands were on her hips and she was tapping her foot.

"Clean it up. NOW." She waved her wand over herself and she was magically clean.

"He's your son through and through," Heather said to Daniel who enveloped her into a hug and then a sweet kiss.

Lily blushed as if she shouldn't have seen this exchange.

"Come on Evans! Care to syrup wrestle with us?"

"Um…no thanks Potter I don't think it's my thing," she spat out rolling her eyes at the immature boys.

"Fine, party pooper," Sirius stuck his tongue out and pulled Remus to the ground under the table. Peter got up and scampered out before James' sticky hand could get to him.

"Oh you coward!" Remus yelled after him.

Lily laughed at the scene before her until her stomach hurt. Sometimes she may hate Potter more than anything in the world and think he's the stupidest prat, but the times like these made her love to be friends with the marauders. They always made her laugh even in these most difficult times. She didn't know where she would be without them.