Chapter 17

Lily ran as fast as she could down the dark corridors of the Potter family home. Alastor told her to go without him and get to the Floo in the study before the Death Eaters could cross the lawns and get to the house. When she resisted he growled at her that he was a trained Auror, and that if she won't start running he would curse her all the way to the door. As she ran she saw a silvery figure flying into the night through the window – Alstor called for reinforcements from the Order.

The thought of reinforcements helped her feel that she wasn't alone. She clutched the book with one hand and held her wand in the other, peering out of the windows whenever possible. The lawns were empty in the bright moonlight.

She almost reached the sitting room when a bang and a thump shook the house. Lights flickered from the direction of the stairs, and someone let out a terrible cry. Somehow Lily knew immediately that it was Mrs. Chambers and her stomach was torn from the inside. She leaned against the railing and looked down at the entrance hall; The flickering lights illuminated a group of strange wizards who were streaming through the front door while dueling with Maxwell, who held them back with skill. Mrs. Chambers was laying on the floor, holding her belly and writhing in a pool of blood, until suddenly she disappeared as if the earth had swallowed her.

Lily tried to use the few curses she knew, surprising the invaders who hadn't been expecting an attack from above. Then more Death Eaters came from the dining room; Lily shouted but it was too late; A green beam hit Maxwell's back and he fell instantly.

A man in a silver mask looked up and noticed Lily at the top of the stairs. He was frightening and terrible, the mask gleaming like a bone in the darkness. She turned and started running, but two Death Eaters appeared in front of her with a pop. She turned and ran in the opposite direction. A curse blew up an oil painting near her, barely missing her. She had no chance –

Someone grabbed her tightly and wrapped her in a cool cloth. Lily turned and hugged James intensely, knowing that they were hidden from the eyes of the confused invaders, who ran right past them. He wrapped her in his arms with the same fear.

She gripped her throat, which threatened to rebel against her and scream uncontrollably.

"Maxwell..." She mumbled.

"I know," he whispered in her ear in a dead voice.

"And Mrs. Chambers?"

"I'm sorry, Lily."

She longed to be swallowed up into James and make them both disappear from the face of the earth.

"Where's Moody?" James managed to maintain relative composure, and Lily decided to try and do the same. She can't fall apart yet.

"He stayed behind," she replied, trembling, realizing he meant Alastor. "I know he called for reinforcements..."

"I did too, but it'll take them time to gather up. The Death Eaters are guarding the doors, and they must have blocked the Floo, but there is a secret passage in the study that leads out. I know that Madeline managed to escape through there."

Lily nodded, agreeing to the plan. She released James reluctantly and they began to walk quietly toward the sitting room. On their way they passed a group of Death Eaters who ran up the stairs and into the house, joking among themselves. James watched them hatefully, and Lily took his hand and pulled him away before could think about trying to attack them by surprise.

The sitting room door was open and all the lights were on. A group of strangers sat comfortably on the couches, resting their feet on the pillows and polished tables, laughing and chatting as if the house were theirs. Lily recognized some of them as students who had graduated in recent years, most of them from Slytherin.

The sight disgusted her. How could they behave like that when two innocent people were laying dead down stairs?...

Lily's shock and dislike were expressed in James as unbridled fury. His knuckles turned white around his wand, obviously holding himself back from punishing the strangers who had taken over his house and killed his workers, who were his only family. Lily couldn't imagine how it felt. She put her hand on his shoulder, trying to tell him without speaking to look away, because maybe then it would hurt less.

They passed by the invaders silently, the rugs muffling their steps. The Death Eaters were busy celebrating their victory and didn't suspect for a moment that they weren't alone, even when James opened the study door to a crack and they both slipped in.

Lily's relief was immediately replaced by terror. She clasped James' arm, but it was too late – he closed the door right in front of the wizard who was waiting for them in the room, whom watched the movement carefully.

"Who's there?" He asked calmly.

Lily and James froze under the cloak. The stranger sat casually in the carved chair behind the desk, as if he were the master of the house. Madeline's body, pale as a ghost, was floating limply over his head.

When there was no answer to his question he stood up, his splendid black robe gliding around him with an air of dignity. He was very different from the jolly Death Eaters in the second room; He was older, around forty, wearing a mask of uncompromising gravity. He was very tall, his black hair neatly cut, and he might have been handsome if his face wasn't so cold and unforgiving.

The silence didn't phase him, and he continued to look intently at the spot where the two stood frozen. In an almost invisible movement, like a snake's bite, his wand moved and Lily hit the door hard. Both she and James fell to the floor and the cloak slipped over them.

James jumped to his feet almost at that moment, ready to fight back. Lily imitated him, straining to keep her hand holding the wand steady despite her fear.

The door opened behind them. One of the Death Eaters peered inside. They were trapped.

"My Lord – ?"

"Out," the wizard in the black robe ordered, and the Death Eater slipped away without being told twice, closing the door.

Only then did Lily realize who she was facing. A shudder traveled up her arms, but she dared not show fear. She rehearsed what James had said all summer – that he was just a man.

"I was hoping to see you today, James," he said in a foreboding serenity. His voice was a high male voice, cold and terrible like the winter wind.

"You could've sent an owl, like a normal person would," James stung in reply, his voice full of hatred.

A smile-like expression crossed the Dark Lord's face. He smiled as if he had never learned how to do it, or didn't know what a smile was used for. "You are known to have a sharp tongue. I admit that you did not interest me very much at all this past year, until you managed to trick Mr. Dolohov, that is. It demanded a great amount of cunning and talent... It is a wonder that you were sorted into Gryffindor and not Slytherin."

His terrible gaze passed over to Lily. "Another one of your little servants? I shall add her to the collection."

He was moving again with incredible speed, but this time Lily was ready to deflect his curse. He attacked again and she deflected again, faster and faster. James intervened and cursed the Dark Lord, who now struggled against both of them with minor difficulty. Lily felt that they were pushing him back, James attacking while she shielded them both, but then he suddenly got bored with the fight and with one powerful curse pressed the two of them against opposite walls.

Lily tried to fight the curse, but it was as if a huge magnet was pulling her to the wall. The Dark Lord approached her lightly and she wished she could be swallowed up in the wall. However, to her astonishment he didn't try to hurt her. He just inspected her with interest.

"Maybe not merely another servant," he said in the same voice that could penetrate skin and bones. "What's your name, girl?"

When Lily was obstinately silent, he moved closer until he was within reach of her. She tried to inch away, as if he was a repulsive creature, but he pressed his wand against her cheek and forced her to look into his eyes. The sight was terrible, his eyes were black as the abyss, and she felt she could see his soul through them, tormented and imprisoned.

He asked for her name again. She shut her eyes tight, unable to handle the terror.

"Lily Evans," She let out, praying he'll be satisfied and leave her alone.

"Evans? It is not a wizarding family name," he said softly, very close to her, so close she could feel his breath on her face. She wanted to be sick. "Lily, are you a Mudblood?"

"Leave her alone!" James shouted from across the room. "You're here for me, not her!"

"You are right," the Dark Lord said with terrible calm. "However, I suspect you are plotting to taint the pure blood of the Potter family with the blood of Muggles. I will not allow it."

"You didn't mind spilling it," James hissed with pure hatred. "And you can stop pretending, I'm not one of your pets. I know your father was a Muggle – "

"Crucio!"

James refused to scream. His torso became tight as a string, as if he were about to explode. Lily bit her lip. If he wouldn't scream, she wouldn't shout, even though she felt his pain as if it were hers, ripping her internal organs.

After a time that felt like an eternity James' body went limp. His chin fell to his chest and his hair hid his face while he breathed heavily.

"I see you inherited your father's impertinence," the Dark Lord said, "He also threatened to spread these lies if I did not stop my work and disappear... That's why I killed him."

"That's interesting," James spoke under his hair. "Because he didn't tell me that, I heard it from Dumbledore."

Lily saw a shadow of fear pass over the Dark Lord's face, but it disappeared so quickly that she couldn't be sure what she saw.

"I advise you to forget that old man," He said with composure. "He may be in control of his little kingdom at school, but the outside world will soon forget him. His time has passed. I investigated about you, James, and I can see that you are a talented wizard. Turn your back on Dumbledore, and you shall win a place in my inner circle."

James let out a sharp snort of a laugh. The Dark Lord cursed him again, his serenity mask beginning to crack. Despite all his might, he couldn't stand to be mocked.

Lily closed her eyes tightly so as not to see James' torment, and prayed that he would stop teasing him.

The curse was lifted, and immediately James began to laugh again.

"Please – !" She shouted, but the pain ran through James' body like an electric shock once again. His fists were clenched in an effort to make no noise, and blood stained his fingers.

Tears flooded her face uncontrollably. James wasn't about to surrender, and the Dark Lord wasn't about to release him. He was going to torture him until he was bored, and then he was going to kill him. There was no escape. And she was imprisoned there, helpless, unable to do anything but watch him tear apart.

The torture went on forever. Lily didn't even notice that she was praying through her tears, until she couldn't continue to ignore the feeling that the Dark Lord was looking at her. She looked up, trembling, still murmuring steadily, in a whisper.

He stared at her openly, with great interest and even... Longing? It wasn't the curiosity of a wizard who couldn't understand the principle of faith, but of a person listening to a hymn he had not heard in a long time. Lily knew without a doubt that he knew the prayer, never mind that he would never admit his true origin. He knew the prayer well, even if he wouldn't say it for anything in the world.

It made her think that even the Devil was once an Angel, before turning his back on God. It gave her a glimmer of hope, and she whispered, "Please..."

To her surprise the curse broke and she fell to the Dark Lord's feet. Without hesitation she got up and ran to James, who was hanging on the wall with limp limbs, not interested in her wand that was cast somewhere on the floor. His skin was cold though his shirt was soaked with sweat, and he didn't move even when she touched he. But he was breathing, and that's all that mattered to her.

"He quite resembles Jesus on the cross, does he not?" The Dark Lord suddenly said. Lily looked at him in astonishment. He returned to the magnificent chair, leafing with boredom through a thin book... Lily's book must have fallen during the battle, and she didn't even notice. The thought of the precious object in the hand of that monster sickened her. "He also thinks that if he died it will change something... I always thought Jesus was a fool, even as a child."

Lily ignored him, burying her face in James' shirt and listening to the rustle of the pages. Finally there was a thud and a crackle, and Lily realized with a torn heart that he had thrown the book into the fire. The pages burned and fell, spreading bright light and turning into ash...

She felt nothing. It didn't matter now. Soon she will no longer understand the meaning of loss and longing... Just as well this fire could have burned her.

"James, can you hear me?" The Dark Lord called.

"Get.. Off... The chair..." James growled hoarsely.

"Good to see you're still with us," the Dark Lord went on, "Let me tell you what's going to happen. I will give you my offer again. If you refuse, I will kill your little pet. Then I will ask you again. If you refuse the third time, I will kill you, and one of the member of my circle will inheret your house and use this chair as firewood."

James opened his eyes. His glasses fell during the torture, and he looked into Lily's eyes with a clear gaze. Lily looked back at him, eager to speak to him without words, to know that he they're thinking the same thing – that he musn't agree. To know that he is also afraid like he never was before, and yet he knows that they should die – die and not give up.

He looked at her in deep pain. She was sure he understood her wordless plea, when suddenly he said, "What would happen to her if I agree?"

Lily couldn't believe her ears. "James, no – "

"Of course you will marry a pure-blood witch, as is appropriate to your blood status, and keep both your bloodlines pure. But I shall allow you keep the Mudblood for entertainment," The Dark Lord replied indifferently, stroking his wand as if it were a living thing. "After all, it is impossible to kill them all. It is our duty to find a use for them."

James squeezed his eyes shut hard, painfully, as if he had been hit with the Cruciatus again. "I'll do it."

Lily wasn't able to speak. She wanted to shout at him that he can't do it, but it felt like she had become a helpless spectator, watching through the peeking hole in the study ceiling, unable to act. Disconnected.

The Dark Lord reversed the curse and James crashed to the floor. Lily fell to her knees beside him, holding him, pleading to him without words not to rise. He tried to move, but every little movement was rewarded with paralyzing pain.

The Dark Lord moved his wand in boredom and James was pulled to his feet. His face was white as paper, but he refused to show the pain, standing up in great effort and pain. The Dark Lord motioned him to approach.

Lily wanted to be sick, watching James limp to him. James Potter, who was so proud, so strong, was obeying this tyrant who took everything from him. He would have preferred to die and not give in to his terror, but he was doing it to protect her, so that she would live. She leapt forward and threw her arms around him, stopping him from moving on with all her might.

"It's alright, Lily..." James said in a soft but hoarse voice, holding her hand that was clutching his shirt with a bloody hand. Only then she realized that she was crying. "It'll be over soon..."

"Move, foolish girl," the Dark Lord muttered.

Lily was filled with a terrible feeling that she had already experienced this moment before, and with the realization that she would never let him win. Suddenly everything seemed very clear, as if she were dreaming a dream where she could control reality, and she wasn't afraid anymore.

"No."

The Dark Lord rose with sudden fury. Aiming his wand steadily, he called – "Avada Kedavra!"

Lily shut her eyes tightly. James turned to shield her with his body. But nothing happened.

A figure made of fire stood in the middle of the room, between them and Voldemort. She drew her strength from the fire in the fireplace, which supported her with fine flaming threads. Burned pages rolled around her legs. Lily knew for sure she was feminine, and for some reason she felt as if she had met her before.

Voldemort's shock was immediately replaced by a burning fury. He cursed again, but the burning woman took the killing curse and strangled it in her heart of fire. Voldemort continued to attack stubbornly, shouting, his rage rising and lashing out uncontrollably. James stared at Lily in confusion. She didn't know how, but she knew that somehow she was doing it.

Knowing that this might be her only chance, Lily leaped and grabbed her wand, which was lying on the floor near the wall.

"Don't dare!" Voldemort screamed, and the burning woman stood in his way as he tried to attack Lily. A book flew across the room and hit his head. Angry and humiliated, he cursed James, but he fell to the floor and managed to duck it.

Lily cursed Voldemort with all her power and he was pushed out of the glass door in a shower of crystals. She ran to the table, grabbed James' wand and threw it to him. At that moment Voldemort floated back inside, standing tall on his feet. Blood trickled out of the cuts on his face, making him look monstrous. He aimed his wand at Lily, but he didn't have time to do anything before the fire-woman tackled him and knocked him to the floor. He screamed – he was burning – and the curse that kept Madeline broke and she fell to the floor.

Lily ran to her and tried to pick her up. James arrived after a second and together they dragged her out through the broken door, into the garden, and then into the open grounds of the estate.

Lily dared to look back once; Voldemort managed to push back the burning woman, and he stood against the light in the study, extinguishing the flames that clung to his robes. He was wounded and covered with burns, and there wasn't a shred of humanity left in him. The study was on fire behind him. Lily never found out whether he was going to chase after them or let them go, because a wave of fire burst through the door and swallowed him.

A series of popping sounds surrounded them. Several wizards and witches appeared out of the night around them. James fell on the damp grass in exhaustion, all of his muscles trembling violently. For a brief moment Lily was washed with renewed terror, until she realized that the wizards weren't Death Eaters but Order members. She collapsed on top of Madeline, next to James. Only then did she realized that Madeline wasn't breathing.